Local Legion team exemplifies the good ole days of baseball

By

Editorials

July 30, 2018 - 11:00 PM

The Post 15 Iola Indians pose with their state medals and patches and the state plaque after beating Marysville 3-0 in the AA American Legion State Championship game at Somerset Park in Sabetha on Saturday. Front, from left, Jackson Aikins, Conor Haviland

In a world where professional athletes are treated more like commodities than people, and, vice versa, a professional athlete’s allegiance to a team is fleeting, it’s refreshing to focus on a local ball team where the pride is still homespun.

The Iola Indians, comprised of high school athletes primarily from Iola and Humboldt, won the state title Saturday in the AA division in American League baseball action. Wednesday night the Indians face a AAA team from Salina at the Humboldt Sports Complex. The action begins at 5 p.m. The best two of three games decides who will move on to national competition in New Orleans. If Wednesday’s action is a tie, the deciding game will be played Thursday.

Many of the local players have played one sport or another together since they were kids. For the graduating seniors, this could be their last action as teammates. The season’s end marks the beginning of new chapters as they split off for college, the armed forces, or jobs. The goodbyes will be heavy.

Related
July 15, 2021
July 13, 2015
June 12, 2013
August 9, 2012