HUMBOLDT With state on the horizon, the A Iola Indians participated in a scrimmage Thursday evening against the AA Indians.
The opportunity gave the A Indians one last chance on the diamond before heading to Topeka on Wednesday for state.
Head coach Troy Smith is back in the dugout for Iola after being in Washington, D.C. last weekend. I had the chance to catch up with Smith for his thoughts on the zone tournament, where his team is at mentally and physically, and what game plan is for state.
EM: Although you werent in Emporia for zone, you followed the game changer and got filled in. What did you make of the 0-10 loss against Topeka in the championship game?
TS: We obviously didnt play any defense, and zero on the scoreboard means you didnt hit. So we pretty much laid an egg. We didnt do much right, and I was surprised. Even watching the game from 2,000 miles away, I couldnt believe how poorly we played.
EM: Were you surprised how the boys followed with the win against Chanute, in an elimination game?
TS: I tried to set up the pitching in a way to have reserves if things didnt go well against Topeka. I fully anticipated that Eli (Smith) would throw the ball well, and what I heard is he didnt throw it poorly. We just didnt hit and play much defense behind him. I was not surprised how they fought back, and having Nathan (Louk) on the mound is always a good thing.
EM: At the state tournament, you are going to have good competition. Uncharacteristically, they didnt rise to the challenge against Topeka. Is that concerning at all at this late stage in the season?
TS: If we dont rise to the challenge, it will be two games and we are heading home. Either we will do it or we will lose, its pretty simple.
EM: How are you highlighting the importance of this opportunity, and what will your message to the players be for state?
TS: At this point, these kids know what they need to do and what is expected of them. We played U-trip baseball forever, and they all have been in U-trip state tournaments over and over again. We have playedagainst teams that are from much bigger areas than us. What we will need at state is a good start. We have to play well in the opener and go from there.
EM: Being around the team a lot, Ive noticed that sometimes the team isnt completely focused and appears to be going through the motions. I even noticed it last weekend at zone, but maybe that was due to you being away. How do you get the players tuned in?
TS: Even I struggle with it! Having raised four boys, they are just 14, 15, and 16 years old and getting them excited about anything isnt easy. They all have lives, some of them work, and sometimes are hard to get motivated.
EM: Looking forward, how happy are you to know that state lies ahead, and you have the chance to win it all after a long season?
TS: We are one of the top eight teams in the state. Now for us, its just a matter of playing well, riding our pitching, and hopefully we hit. If we hit, we win! My job will be to make sure they are confident and ready to go.
The Junior American Legion Kansas State Tournament will run from July 24 to 28. The tournament will start with two pools of four teams. The Indians have three pool play games, and the top two teams in each pool will move on to the bracket portion of the tournament.
