Nine of the 18 regular players on this year’s Festus Post 253 baseball team have run out of eligibility, meaning next year’s defending District 13 and Zone 4 champions will look much different.
Post 253’s season ended Friday night in Sedalia when it fell 4-3 to Lee’s Summit in the state tournament.
But what a season it was. Festus started 3-0 by outscoring its opponents 58-8. Post 253’s 20-1 victory over De Soto in the third game of the season forced a coaching change for SMCI.
When the regular season ended, Festus clicked on all cylinders and swept through the district and zone tournaments in six games without a loss.
“Bringing the district championship back was very exciting for us,” Festus manager Zac Bone said. “Winning two postseason tournaments was something this group wanted to do. Mostly, it was the way they went about it. They are a great group of young men, a special group.”
Festus will feel the sting of losing its catcher (Zac Meyer), three top pitchers (Andrew Douglas, Blain Prater and Donovan McDonough), its shortstop (Cameron Beck) and center fielder (Prater). Post 253 also loses its leadoff batter (Jaden Courtois).
“It’s always hard to see the kids move on,” said Bone, whose father Pat, and grandfather, Ron, both coached Post 253.
“The program has a tremendous history and there were a lot of guys who came before me that are a lot better than me and I’m fortunate enough to be the caretaker,” he said.
Douglas led the Festus staff by far with 72 1/3 innings pitched. His only loss of the season came Friday against state champion Jefferson City, but he had pitched an inning the night before and Post 5 didn’t rattle him until the seventh inning. Douglas finished the season 8-1 with an ERA of 1.49 and will play baseball at Hannibal-LaGrange next year.
“Andrew gave us a great chance to win every time he put on the uniform,” Bone said.
Prater didn’t become a starting pitcher until July and he beat Lee’s Summit in the first round of the state playoffs. Prater was a triple threat on the diamond, as his offense and defense were just as sound as his pitching. He led Festus with 19 stolen bases, batted .385 and struck out just nine times in 111 plate appearances. Prater is headed to Jefferson College to play for skipper Pat Evers.
“Blain and Zac bring irreplaceable leadership qualities,” Bone said.
Meyer (Jefferson College) had 37 RBIs and led the team with 15 doubles.
Beck, a three-year starter headed to St. Louis Community College, batted .341 with 18 stolen bases.
Post 253 runners were caught just 13 times out of 98 steal attempts (.867 percent).
Courtois was the quintessential leadoff hitter because of his speed and savvy base running ability. Courtois had 12 stolen bases, batted .368 and led Post 253 with five triples.
“He’s become a very good baseball player,” Bone said.
Sean McDowell played on the senior team for four years and Bone said he contributed to the success of the team in many ways. In the Zone 4 final against Cape Girardeau Post 63, McDowell had a double and scored two runs. In the state semifinal against Jefferson City Post 5, Post 253’s Nos. 1-4 hitters – Courtois, Prater, Meyer and Collin Mann – were a combined 1-for-12 at the plate. McDowell was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. He was walked to leadoff the ninth inning but was stranded at third base as Festus tried to rally from a 5-2 deficit.
With Douglas and Prater chewing up innings on the mound, McDonough became a sturdy, reliable starting arm for Post 253. The winning pitcher in the zone final against Cape Girardeau and district final against Bonne Terre, McDonough pitched 45 1/3 innings (second-most on the team), had a record of 5-2 and ERA of 3.97.
“Donovan was such a pleasure to have from a performance standpoint,” Bone said. “He’s a very intelligent baseball player.”
Chandler Dix grew up in the Festus Legion program. Dix, who will be a sophomore at Greenville (Ill.) College, played middle infield and pitched for Post 253. He batted .325 with seven doubles.
“He is a tremendous young man,” Bone said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and played multiple positions for us. He’ll be tough to replace from a performance standpoint.”
Bone said the success of the team comes from the loyalty of its players to American Legion baseball and guidance by assistant coaches Jim Spencer, Eric Lawrence and Aaron Mayer.
“I love the chance to work other coaches who love it as much as I do and have a passion for teaching kids and see young men develop,” Bone said. “When it stops being hard for it to end, it’s time to move along.
“The kids are what makes it good. We try to help them become better baseball players and people and that’s what’s important. American Legion baseball is still the finest amateur baseball organization going.”