Larks to play at NBC Midwest Regional
July 22, 2003
By RANDY GONZALES
Hays Daily News
Last year, the Hays Larks chose not to play at the National Baseball Congress Midwest Regional, opting instead to rest at home before the NBC World Series.
That strategy didn't pay off, as Hays got an early exit at the season finale after playing in the championship game the two previous years.
This year, the Larks will be back at the NBC Midwest Regional. Hays (35-8) will play the Wichita Titans Wednesday at 9 p.m. in El Dorado. Like last year, Hays has already qualified for the World Series, which starts Aug. 1 in Wichita.
Hays manager Frank Leo said his club was a little banged up at the end of the regular season last year, and thought the rest would be helpful. He also planned to get some teams into Hays to play some tuneup games before the World Series, but those plans fell apart. As a result, the Larks had a 10-day layoff before playing in Wichita.
"We're a little healthier (this year)," Leo said. "I feel we need to keep the momentum going, need to play some games, some competitive games."
Leo said his club might have been hurt by the layoff last year.
"You can say that," he said. "I thought we were a little flat."
Left-hander Tommy Hottovy will get the start in Wednesday's opener. Hottovy is 5-1 on the year with a 2.72 earned-run average.
Hottovy will be backed by a club hitting .313 as a team this year.
First baseman Cody Ehlers is batting .394 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs to lead Hays in all three categories.
After the grind of the regular season, the players need to gear up for the postseason, Leo said.
"You've got to be ready to play every play," he said. "Tournament time, one play can beat you."
But Leo thinks it will take somebody special to stop his team.
"We've got a lot of options," he said. "It will take a good club to beat us."