What the statement implies is that kind of player will do whatever it takes to win. The physical act of running through a wall isn’t usually required.
But with a state championship on the line, Adam Sheehy proved that sometimes it’s necessary.
Sheehy was in right field for Eureka Post 177 in the second inning of the American Legion AA state championship game at Ronsick Field in Washington when Jacob Weidle of the host club, Post 218, hit a drive toward him.
Sheehy gave chase at full speed, unable to make the grab as the ball sliced foul. But he plowed face-first into the chain-link fence and his dad, Mike, and Eureka’s coaches raced out to him as he lay prostrate on the grass.
After a couple of anxious minutes, Sheehy stood up and smiled, revealing a bloody mouth with two chipped front teeth. Otherwise he seemed unharmed.
His dad was happy to report a couple days later that a trip to the dentist put Adam’s smile back together in one piece.
“I was tracking the ball all the way through and didn’t realize (it) was that close (to the fence),” said Sheehy, who was replaced by Jake Kranawetter for the rest of the game. “I gave it my all to get to the ball and ended up losing some teeth.
“In the spring, I ran back on a ball and pretty much did the same thing.”
As Sheehy recovered in the dugout, Weidle hit the next offering from Eureka pitcher Dakota Joggerst for a double into the left-center field gap. His brother, Ryan Weidle, drove him in with a single in the next at-bat to give Washington a 1-0 lead, which later grew to 3-0.
“I still wanted to play,” Sheehy said after Post 177 scored five runs in the final two innings to win 5-3 and claim the AA team’s first state championship. Eureka lost in the AA final in 2011 and Post 177’s A team won state in 2010 and 2011. The AAA club fell in the 2013 state final.
Sheehy’s selfless determination was one of many reasons why Eureka went all the way. But more than anything, it was dominant pitching that produced a championship. Post 177 was 3-0 in the Zone 4 tournament and 3-0 in the state finals, allowing just eight runs in those six games.
Joggerst and fellow hurlers Carter Luft and Dylan Tate started all of the playoff games and Tate was especially lethal.
Tate will be a senior at Eureka High this fall. Last spring for the Wildcats, he tied Cole Koonce with a team-high five wins on the mound and struck out 46 batters in 29 2/3 innings.
In the first round of the Zone 4 tournament in Sikeston against Festus Post 253 on July 16, Tate fired a no-hitter and struck out 11 in a 2-0 shutout. Luft had an RBI double and Patrick Dahm scored both of Post 177’s runs.
In Eureka’s 10-0 win over Jackson Post 158 in the next round of zones, Luft was equally masterful, pitching a complete game, allowing four hits and fanning six. Third baseman Lenny Tocco had an RBI double and scored two runs. Luft helped himself with two hits and two RBIs and Kranawetter scored two runs.
Joggerst and reliever Josiah Hubbard closed the door on Festus in the zone championship, Post 177 winning 14-4. Joggerst was the winning pitcher after going 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits and striking out five. Hubbard allowed an earned run in his 1 1/3 innings.
Luft was hit by a pitch three times, added a hit, stole a base and scored four runs. Joggerst drove in three runs and Dahm scored two runs, had two hits and drew two walks. Tocco was 2 for 5 with five RBIs.
In the first round at state, a 1-0 win over Jefferson City Post 5, Tate pitched his second straight shutout, striking out nine. Post 5’s only hit was a single in the fourth. A Kranawetter single in the same frame scored Joggerst for the winning run.
Luft went the distance in a 3-1 defeat of Washington on July 16, allowing five hits and not issuing a walk. The run he allowed in the seventh inning was unearned. Dahm drew a walk, had two hits, stole two bases and scored two runs. Joggerst contributed two hits.
“They’ve been amazing all year,” Eureka manager Connor Quick said of his starting pitchers. “It’s a shame because our other starters (Sheehy and Drew Nichols) have ERA’s under 3.00 and we didn’t get to use them (at state). Tate went about 35 innings this year without allowing a run. He’s an amazing pitcher. He and Carter are different kinds of pitchers but they get the job done.”
A job well done, in fact, leaving Eureka fans eager to see what these talented players can do next year on the AAA club.