By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
FARGO, N.D. ó Festus Post 253 didn’t achieve Mark Buehrle’s level of perfection, but the Central Plains Regional champions are far from flawed.
Festus, Mo., is located 35 miles south of St. Louis, and Post 253 boasts a 39-4 record heading into its first American Legion World Series appearance. It will face Rowan County (37-8) late tonight in an opening-round game at Fargo’s Newman Outdoor Field.
“It’s our arms that’s pretty much our calling card,” Festus coach Pat Bone said. “We go 10 deep, and they can actually pitch. They’re not just throwers.”
The Bone family knows about pitching. Pat’s father at one time helped coach Buehrle, who attended Jefferson (Community) College in nearby Hillsboro and was a 38th-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox.
Buehrle pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays in late July.
“We’re awfully proud of him,” Pat Bone said.
Bone said former major league pitchers Mike Henneman and Donnie Wall once played for Festus, which needed to defeat Pittsburg (Kan.) twice on the final day of the regional to reach the World Series.
Rowan County navigated a similar path. It eliminated tournament host Sumter (S.C.) and edged Tuscaloosa (Ala.) on the last day of the Southeast Regional.
“Somebody had said they weren’t the favorite, kind of like we weren’t,” Rowan coach Jim Gantt said. “They have to be good or they wouldn’t be here.”
Right fielder Owen Conway totaled three home runs and 13 RBIs in six regional contests. He had a pair of grand slams and one two-run homer.
Matt Stites ó a 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-hander ó is the ace of Festus’ staff. He’s entering his sophomore year at Jefferson and has received a scholarship offer from Missouri, which had two former pitchers selected in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Stites, whom Bone compares to San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum, struck out 11 and pitched a complete game in the opening round of the regional. He earned the first win against Pittsburg on Monday.
“(Stites) is probably one of the top pitchers in the Midwest,” Bone said.
Stites’ heavy workload could lead Bone to start Travis Hayes on the mound against Rowan. He went 1-0 in three regional appearances with 20 strikeouts in 12 innings. He had a 0.75 ERA.
Stites is Festus’ leadoff batter, and he hit .407 with nine runs scored at the regional. Ryan Yuengel went 9-for-18 and catcher Logan Bone, the coach’s son, hit .348.
Festus also qualified for regional play in 1996 and 2005 but failed to break through with a World Series berth.
“I’ve been with this program for 19 years, and my father had it for 16,” Bone said. “It’s just an absolute blessing. You kind of wonder if you’re ever going to get to reach for the holy grail, and we finally got here. I don’t think we’re going to back down from anything.”
Festus will square off against a Rowan team that’s deep on the mound and dangerous at the plate.
First baseman Trey Holmes was the MVP of both the state and regional tournaments. He batted .500 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in Greenville and .440 with two homers and seven RBIs in Sumter.
Zach Smith (.423), Noah Holmes (.381) and Russell Michalec (.375) also hit for a high average at the Southeast Regional.
Fargo is the hometown of Roger Maris, and Newman Outdoor Field’s dimensions are nearly identical to what the old Yankee Stadium had. The left-center gap is spacious, but Holmes brothers batting from the left side could benefit from a foul pole in right that sits only 313 feet from home plate.
“I noticed it a little bit, but I’m not really worried about it,” Trey Holmes said. “We’re taking the same approach. We’ll try to stay confident and play our game.”
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NOTES: Defending champion Las Vegas (62-12) will play Berlin, Conn. (34-6) today at 11 a.m. EST. The next game will pit Texarkana, Texas (28-4) against Mt. Airy, Md. (38-15). The next session begins with Medford, Ore. (45-10) facing Midland, Mich. (49-8).