TRADITION REVS UP: Doenges Ford 19-U lineup set, season starts June 2
Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indian baseball is officially launched.
Head coach John Pannell met for the first time Saturday with this year’s players and set the roster for the 19-and-under squad.
The list, with the high schools they attended, includes Brendan Asher (Bartlesville), Jace Thompson (Nowata), Kael Siemers (Wesleyan Christian School), Kayden Young, Keegan Woods (Pangburn), Luke Fox (Bartlesville), Harrison Clark (Bartlesville), Caleb Bashford (Nowata), Hayden Catlin (Bartlesville), Josh Weber (Barnsdall), Cole Hancock (Dewey), Dawson Morey (Quapaw), Nik Johnson (Bartlesville), and Trey Bennett (Woodland).
A couple of other college-experienced pitchers could join the team later in the summer, specifically in time for when the Indians host a Stan Musial World Series regional, Pannell said.
The Indians are set to open the season on June 2 at a tournament in Ft. Smith, Ark.
The 64th Annual Glen Winget Memorial Tournament in Bartlesville is scheduled for June 29-July 2 on Rigdon Field at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium. A fireworks show is planned for July 1, which is a Saturday.
This year marks the 87th year since American Legion high school baseball began in Bartlesville. The program has helped developed numerous pro baseball draft picks and several players that went on to play in the major leagues or high minors. Hundreds of former Indians went on to play college baseball, including a large number at the Division I level.
One example is James Teague, who graduated in 2013 from Bartlesville High, pitched for the University of Arkansas, helped the ‘Hogs advance to the 2015 College World Series, landed in the 37th round (Baltimore Orioles) of the 2016 baseball draft and played three full seasons in the minors.
His cumulative pro stats (2016-18) included a 6-5 record, 54 appearances (no starts), 13 saves, a 4.16 earned run average, 71.1 innings, 80 strikeouts, 38 walks, only six homers allowed and two hit batsmen.
Teague also made a promising debut in spring exhibition games in 2018 with the big club. In almost any observer’s book he appeared to be an up-and-comer.
It was just the length of the process that persuaded Teague to take his life in a different direction.
A combination of marriage responsibilities, his desire to be lawyer and the unknown time frame to get to the ‘bigs’ led him to retire in early 2019.
There might be Indian players this summer who could get their chance on the Big Ride, if not at least make a strong college impact.
There are less than two weeks until they pull up the curtain on the 2023 campaign.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: TRADITION REVS UP: Doenges Ford 19-U lineup set, season starts June 2
