The squad earned a much-needed rest day on Monday when it returned home, said Kings manager Gavin Murphy.
“It was a long stretch for sure,” he said. “It’ll be nice to get back home. We’ll be able to relax and kick our feet up and not have to worry about going from hotel to hotel and all that. I think I speak for all the guys when I say that I don’t think anybody did anything (on Monday). I gave them the day off completely to kick back and relax. I know I did. I took full advantage of it.”
The Kings bats woke up in a big way on the road trip. They outscored their opponents 69-35 over the six-game span, including single-game totals of 23, 15 and 14.
“We’ve started to swing the bats, getting hot at the right time,” Murphy said. “We’re finding out what some of these guys can really do. It’s a good recipe for us.”
Kings infielder Brent Widder, a sophomore at the University of Evansville, was named the Prospect League’s Slugger of the Week on Monday. Entering play last week, Widder was hitting what Murphy called “the hardest .214 I’ve ever seen in my life.”
In five games last week, Widder went 12-for-21 with seven RBIs and just two strikeouts. He improved his average to .367 overall.
“He was hitting balls and catching barrels and they weren’t finding any holes,” Murphy said. “He hit ‘em right at people. This weekend he made some adjustments at the plate with keeping his posture, keeping things simple and getting tough with (two strikes). He had an unbelievable weekend and an unbelievable week.”
Now, they’ll set their sights on clinching the franchise’s first-ever playoff berth. The Kings have yet to make the playoffs or finish the season with a winning record since its Prospect League debut in 2014.
The 30-game first half ends on June 30, giving the Kings extra incentive to make a strong push for the postseason. The first-half winner will host the second-half winner in the Ohio River Valley Division Championship round on Aug. 5.
The Kings traveled to Danville for a doubleheader on Tuesday. They’ll return home Wednesday for four home games in the next five days, including three straight games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“When I took the job, I knew the Kings had never made the playoffs and had never gone above .500,” Murphy said. “I came in this year with those being my two main goals. Goal No. 1 is to always go get a ring and win the league. With the way it’s set up this year with a first half and a second half, it gives us a good opportunity to almost sellout in this last stretch and make the playoffs guaranteed. In the second half, we can still go out and win, but we can get some of these other guys who haven’t gotten very many ABs some reps. This stretch coming up is crucial for us. We’ve got to ride the wave and ride the hot hand at the plate and on the mound. We’ve got to go out and compete every day.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Terre Haute REX at Champion City Kings
When: 6:35 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Carleton Davidson Stadium, 1101 Mitchell Blvd., Springfield
Cost: $8 for adults; $6 for students, seniors and military; Children 5 and under free.
Promotions: Teacher Appreciation Night ($2 tickets for teachers wearing school shirts with ID), Dollar Dog night.
UPCOMING HOME SCHEDULE
Friday: Terre Haute REX at Kings, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday: Lafayette Aviators at Kings, 6:35 p.m.
Sunday: Chillicothe Paints at Kings, 4:05 p.m.
About the Author