With a first- or second-place second-half finish, Champion City — a collegiate wooden bat summer team that plays at Springfield’s Carleton Davidson Stadium — will advance to the playoffs for the third time in three seasons. The second-half winner will travel to first-half winner Chillicothe for a one-game Northeast Division championship game on Thursday, Aug. 1.
The key, said Kings manager Stephen Larkin, has been playing loose. They’ve won three of their last six games.
“We’re kind of doing the same things we’ve been doing, but the games have been a little bit more competitive,” Larkin said. “We haven’t had a different approach, but I’ve just said to the guys go out and get your work in and when they yell ‘Play Ball,’ go out there and have fun.”
The Kings have three of their last six games. Of the three losses, two were by one run each.
“We’re getting some calls our way and we’re getting the ball bouncing our way,” said Larkin, a former MLB player and the brother of Reds legend Barry Larkin. “We’ve been in some ball games. There’s games where you’re going to blow people out and there’s games you’re going to get blown out. It’s what you do with those two to three run games that really make a difference.”
The Kings fell to Johnstown 2-0 on Tuesday night. After a game at Johnstown on Wednesday night, the team returns home for four of its last six games.
A year ago, the Kings made a late push for the postseason, finishing second in the Ohio River Valley Division before falling to eventual Prospect League champion Chillicothe in a first round playoff game.
The roster includes several local players, including Kenton Ridge graduates Evan Houseman (Bluffton University), Justin Maurer (Bluffton) and Riley Niggemeyer (Schoolcraft College) and Catholic Central grad Andrew DeWitt (University of Indianapolis).
The final week of the season includes two games against Chillicothe and one game each against Lafayette and Johnstown. The Kings, however, won’t look too far ahead, Larkin said.
“I’ve kind of instilled in these guys that let’s win today,” he said. “We’re not worried about schedule watching or what other teams are doing. Let’s take care of our business, win today and we’ll enjoy it. We’ll get up tomorrow and we’ll work to win tomorrow.”
NEXT HOME GAME
Who: Danville (Ill.) Dans at Champion City Kings
When: 6:35 p.m. Thursday, July 25
Where: Carleton Davidson Stadium, 1101 Mitchell Blvd., Springfield
Cost: $9 for adults; $7 for students, seniors and military; Children 5 and under free.
About the Author