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THE WEEKLY POST • Thursday, July 18, 2013
Weekly Post Sports
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KVL season ends with class By JEFF LAMPE
KICKAPOO – By the time Willie VanDyke came to bat last Saturday night, the Kickapoo Valley League youth boys baseball season was technically over. Tournaments for the Majors (12 and under), Minors (10 and under) and Pee Wee (8 and under) had all been completed. But even after a long day, coaches from the Farmington VanDyke 2 and Hanna City 2 minors teams made time for one last at-bat. Willie VanDyke, who has Down syndrome, served this season as official bat boy for the Hanna City 2 squad. But after his team won the postseason tournament championship Saturday night in Kickapoo, Willie got a chance to swing the bat. “The other team agreed to take the field and they pitched Weekly Post Staff Writer
Season records
Regular season records for the 36 Kickapoo Valley League youth baseball teams. Page 11.
to him underhand and let him hit it,” said Lee Newton, coach of Hanna City 2. “Then they overthrew first base and third base so Willie got a home run to end the season. “Everyone was yelling for him to run and he was really excited. It was a pretty special moment.” On that, Zach Johnson agreed. Johnson is the Farmington 2 youngster who pitched to Willie. He has to rank as one of the happiest pitchers to yield a home run. “When Willie got the home run, that was my favorite part of the day,” Zach Johnson later told his father, Chad, who was unable to attend the game in order to attend a wedding. “That was my funnest day of baseball ever.” Said Chad Johnson, the coach of Farmington 2, “That’s the way it’s supposed to end.”
No argument here. Willie’s hit was the fitting conclusion to another summer of KVL baseball, which this year fielded 36 teams of youngsters ages 6-12. Participating communities include Brimfield, Elmwood, Kickapoo, Hanna City, Farmington, Princeville, the Hollis Park District and Lake Camelot. Games are played weeknights in May and June and culminate in tournaments in early July. An estimated 440 boys participate. “The season went well, but I’d have to say numbers are down some,” said Dave Hicke, who has run the KVL for 13 years. “To me, there’s just a lot more things to pick from. There’s also travel ball, which attracts kids.” Elmwood 2 won the Major tournament, defeating Kickapoo in the championship game held in Princeville. Hanna City 2 defeated Farmington 2 for the Minor title at Kickapoo. And in the Pee Wee tournament, Elmwood 1 downed Farmington 1 for first place.
Elmwood 2’s Major champion: (Front row, left to right) Jackson Snider, Marshall Shissler, Cameron Jacobson, Griff Inskeep, Clay Coulter, Cameron Howerton. (Middle row, left to right) Parker Collins, Parker Brodine, Henry Lampe, Charlie McKinty, Daniel Tomlinson, William Kellogg and Coach Logan Whitney. (Back row, left to right) Coach Jared Howerton, Coach Jeff Lampe, Coach Jay McKinty and Coach Gordon Inskeep.
Elmwood 1’s Pee Wee champion: (Front row, left to right) Zach Howerton, Brandon Finn, Braden Collins, Gavan Newman, Chris Finn, Austin Stevens. (Back row, left to right) Coach Lonny Finn, Ethan Anderson, Nicolas Cozier, Caleb Hollis, Slone Windish, Jack Potts, Coach Randy Millinger. (Not present Matthew Williams
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