He won’t take an at-bat, run the bases, field the ball or throw a pitch, but Mike Sears will inspire the Jefferson County Blazers this summer.
His jersey will hang in the Blazers dugout this summer as the JC players and coaches remember Sears and what he meant to the team for decades as a coach and general manager. Inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, Sears died March 24 at age 69.
“It’s not the same looking down the left field line and not seeing him there,” said Landon Richard, who played for the Blazers and is now in his first year assisting head coach and director of operations Ed Pottgen. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Richard, a 2024 Northwest graduate, attends Quincy University and is a kicker and punter for the Hawks football team. He’s back home in House Springs for the summer, working for a family member’s business during the day and helping guide the Blazers at night.
“I loved playing for Ed and coaching for him won’t be any different,” he said.
Pottgen said Richard has a bright future as a coach.
The Blazers are charter members of the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association, which began play in 1988 with Sears as a co-founder. Last year, they finished tied for second in the 18-U league with a 7-3 record and were 22-16 overall.
SLABA has two 18U divisions this season. Chaminade (Red), Granite City, the St. Louis Eagles and the St. Louis Patriots are in the North, and the Blazers, Chaminade (White), St. Louis Redbirds, Smithton Bandits and defending 18U champion Waterloo are in the south.
The Blazers are off to a 3-4 start. They opened May 31 losing 9-0 to their non-league local rival, Rock Memorial American Legion Post 283. The two teams are scheduled to meet two more times this summer.
On June 5 at Fox High, their home field, JC beat the St. Louis Eagles 4-1. Starting pitcher Sam Thomas and reliever Tyler Voss combined to twirl a one-hitter. Thomas struck out six and walked five in five innings and Voss didn’t allow a hit or walk in his two frames. At the plate, Voss had a double and scored a run while Jackson LaPlante and Rayne O’Daniell each had two hits. In the seventh inning, LaPlante made two good plays at second base.
“We had timely hits and ran the bases pretty well, too,” Richard said. “(Thomas) didn’t always start ahead in the count, but he made big pitches when he needed to.”
Thomas, Hayden Greenwood and Jack Wood lead the pitching staff. Greenwood fanned six and fired a complete game in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Redbirds. Nicholas Groner had two of JC’s three hits and scored two runs.
Batterymates for those pitchers are Herculaneum 2025 graduate Steven Stenzhorn and Anden Carey of Sullivan. Carey was the catcher this spring for the Sullivan High Eagles, who finished third in the state in Class 4, beating Father Tolton of Columbia 2-0 June 5.
“Stenzhorn’s been solid behind the plate,” Richard said. “We are calling the pitches, so that’s one less thing he has to worry about.”
LaPlante, a senior-to-be at Herculaneum, shares time at first base with Brayden Wille, who also plays third base and designated hitter. LaPlante also plays second base.
“We want to keep LaPlante’s bat in the lineup,” Richard said.
Michael Huff, Henry Pauer and Logan Barczewski join LaPlante in a rotation at second. Huff had been the primary starter, but hurt his hamstring last week. He’s expected back this week.
“He plays very solid defense,” Richard said.
O’Daniell’s glove keeps him in the lineup at shortstop. “I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” Richard said.
When he’s not pitching, Groner is at third base. “He’s making hard contact.”
A crowded outfield includes Voss, Chris Duncan, Brayden Wear and Jefferson High’s Landon Weiss, who is the leadoff batter. Voss hit .400 for Lutheran South this season.
“We like Duncan’s speed at the top of the lineup,” Richard said. “Weiss is a five-tool player.”
The Blazers are scheduled to play six games this week. After hosting Chaminade (White) on Tuesday, after the Leader deadline, JC travels to Indiana for games today (June 12) through Sunday.
The Blazers are annual contenders for the SLABA championship and expect nothing less this summer.
“Ed gets us there every year and we want to go as far as we can,” Richard said. “We have a group that can do it for sure. (As for) Waterloo, we’re always looking to beat them, for sure.”