With solid 2009 seasons,
Post 8 teams lay foundation
The Pierre Post 8 Teener and American Legion baseball teams showed promise and effort but came up short in the playoffs as they wrapped up 2009 summer play.
Post 8 head coach Bob Sullivan is already laying plans and working with players in preparation for 2010, as the Post 8 coaches and players throughout the system prepare to build on their 2009 successes.
The Eights lose a strong nucleus of players from the American Legion varsity team because their age eligibility expires, including regular starters in pitcher/DH Kyle Cichos, catcher/first baseman Jordan Heckenlaible, everyday shortstop Jason Livermont, second baseman Evan Moore and pitcher/infielder Brian Drapeaux.
Moore usually filled the No. 2 slot in the batting order, while Livermont, Heckenlaible and Cichos were almost always in some combination in the 3 through 5 spots
Because of age the Eights also lose three other valuable veterans in catcher Chance Frederick and relief pitchers Dillon Hayes and Dylan Reimers.
The Eights look to remain strong in top-level outfielders expected bto be returning, led by Nolan Merrill, Adam Deneke and Kris Hewlett, with the infield anchored by first baseman Scott Cichos who is also expected to be coming back for 2010.
The emphasis on pitching development is expected to continue during the off-season and into spring 2010. Kyle Cichos was the team's ace in 2009 with eight wins and one defeat, and Brian Drapeaux posted four wins, including a two-run, nine-inning complete game win over Watertown.
The otherwise young staff of starters showed strong potential at times, including a variety of big games turned in by versatile lefty Ryan Lauseng, who performed well both as a starter and as a closer.
Other 2009 Eights eligible to return for the 2010 season are pitcher/outfielder Royce Pease, second baseman Brandon Heckenlaible, pitcher/infielder Tanner Wolf and Split Squad members Sean Snyder, Tyson Burgard, Cole Regynski, David Egan and Dylan Schiltz.
There also appears to be strong potential in the Teeners program, with a core of Teener A players ready to move up. Three A's -- Scott Cichos, third baseman/ pitcher Ryan Yackley and Deneke -- played much of the 2009 summer with the American Legion varsity. All three were in their final year of Teener age 15-16 eligibility.
Other A's whose eligibility is expiring at the Teener 15-16 level include Garrett Weber, John Breckenridge, Taylor Owens, Steve Nielson, Jordan Drapeaux, John Burchill and Orin Burke, as well as Teener Bees Jordan Smith and Chancy Riggle.
Members of the 2009 A's state tournament team who are eligible to return for a second year are second baseman Jared Erickson, outfielder Jared Neilan, shortstop Mac Mercer and catcher Elliot Coughlin. Another player with A's regular-season experience who is eligible to return at the 15-16 level is Teener Bees outfielder Alex McGuigan.
That means there will be plenty of A's roster space open for Teener Bees and older members of the Teener 13-14 squad, as well as incoming Pony players, to compete for spots.
The Teener Bees posted the best post-season record of the four teams in the Post 8 system. The Bees took third place with two wins and two losses in the six-team South Dakota VFW Teener AA Minors state tournament (age 15-16) at Yankton.
The Teener A's hosted the South Dakota VFW Teener AA Majors state tournament (age 15-16) at Hyde Stadium. The A's finished the tournament with one win and two losses.
The American Legion varsity Eights won their biggest game of the year in the regional tournament at Spearfish, defeating Rapid City Post 320 in the opener. But the Eights lost their next two games against Spearfish and 320, costing them a berth in the American Legion state tournament (age 17-18).
The Teener age 13-14 squad started strong with a victory but was eliminated after two defeats from the VFW state tournament at Watertown.
Pierre finished with 25 wins and 25 defeats for the season in American Legion play.
The Teener A's finished with an overall record of 21 wins and 16 losses against other age 15-16 teams. The A's went 17-9 against conference opponents.
The Teener Bees finished with an overall record of 21 wins and 21 losses. The Bees also won two exhibition games against the Capital City Baseball Association Pony all-star teams.
The Teener age 13-14 team finished with 18 wins and 20 losses.
The A's also lose pitcher/first baseman Landon Busch, whose family moved to Brookings.