After finishing runner-up in the American Legion Baseball State Tournament a season ago, the Owensboro Post 9 Bombers are hoping to take the extra step this year and bring home the title.
A promising start to the 2019 season took a hit with an early slump, but manager Matt Freeman thinks the Bombers are trending in the right direction ahead of the state tournament.
“We had high expectations coming into the season, and we had a number of setbacks the first three weeks that were unforeseen,” he said. “The kids have gelled nicely and we’re playing our best baseball here over the last three weeks of the season.”
Though the Bombers’ roster went through some mid-season changes, the team is still loaded with local talent, as 12 of 17 players hail from Daviess County:
• From Owensboro: Corey Gibson (Class of 2019), Ethan Gibson (2021), Tucker Hagan (2020), Griffin Haire (2018), Collier Higgs (2019) and Brennon Williams (2019)
• From Apollo: Tommy Clark (2019), Daylin Crabtree (2020), Josh Maddox (2019) and Demetrio Ortiz (2020)
• From Owensboro Catholic: Mason Grant (2019) and Everett Munsey (2024)
The double-elimination tournament begins Wednesday in Eddyville, but Owensboro earned a first-round bye and won’t play until Thursday. They will face the winner of a first-round game between Mayfield and defending champion Lyon County.
Freeman said a part of the recent success has come from cutting down on errors, but the approach at the plate was the biggest key in turning everything around.
“Most importantly, the middle of our order has picked up the slack,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, our No. 1, 2 and 6 hitters were leading the team. Now it’s equaled out and the three through five hole has expanded their production. We’re scoring more runs which has led to more wins.”
Freeman said he and the team think they’ve got what it takes to win the championship, but they have to put all aspects of the game together each day.
“I feel like all the teams are pretty evenly matched,” he said. “We think we have as good a chance as anyone to win. Hopefully if we cut down on the mistakes and capitalize on the scoring opportunities, our pitching will be good enough to get us some wins and hopefully win the entire thing.”
After coming up just short in 2018, the Bombers are eager to take the next step.
“Every year we’re trying to build on what we did the previous year,” Freeman said. “The ultimate goal would be to win the state tournament and move on to the regional. We want to represent our city and our Legion post the best way we can.”
