By POWELL LATIMER
powell.latimer@register-news.com
CHAMPAIGN —
From disappointing season to state tourney bound, Mt. Vernon Junior Legion Post 141 heads to Champaign today fresh off a remarkable turnaround.
Post 141 finished the regular season at 13-9, and with a struggling offense, didn’t look like much of a threat in the divisional and district tournaments. An early loss to Breese in the district tournament put even more strain on Mt. Vernon.
But six wins and a heap of runs scored later, Post 141 earned a berth in the state tournament after a 12-2 short-game win against Alton.
Through the first 20 games of the season, Post 141 averaged 5.35 runs per game. In the 10 games since, that average has jumped to 6.9 runs per game.
“In baseball, if you go 1 for 3, you’re a hero,” Xanders said. “We’ve got everybody doing that right now — or better.”
It’s quite a turnaround from the squad which struggled to bring runners home for the middle part of the season. Doubly so for Post 141’s last two games, as team extra-base hit leader Zane Xanders was forced to sit out after suffering heatstroke in Pinckneyville just before Post 141’s game against Alton.
Key to the improved offensive attack are players like John Hollingsworth and Quinton Kehrer. In the last 10 games, Hollingsworth bumped his batting percentage to .250 after opening the first 20 games at .217.
“John loves baseball,” Xanders said. “And we just kept working on it … getting the head of the bat through the zone. He worked it out. He’s a left-handed stick and he can hit with power, so I have to have him in there.”
Kehrer has provided another extra-base threat, launching six doubles in the past 10 games.
“Not only has he improved offensively, but he’s catching unbelievably,” Xanders said. “He’s really stepped up. We’re waiting for him to hit one fair — he’s hit about five home runs foul.”
But Xanders is quick to point out that, at the moment, the entire lineup is hitting. Even No. 9 hitter Trevor Flota blasted a near-grand slam off the back wall in Post 141’s 8-7 loss to Fairview in the Division Five championship game. Leadoff hitter Landon Thomas has also jumped his average from .233 to .333 in the last 10 games.
“The whole team is a threat,” Xanders said. “Baseball’s a funny thing. One guy can have an off night, and you need other guys to pick you up. Now we’ve got that, everybody picking each other up. It’s huge.”
As a team, Post 141 has 94 hits in the past 10 games, including 12 extra-base hits.
The shorthanded win against Alton and close loss to Fairview Heights — which Post 141 may well face in the next round should it win today — have Mt. Vernon’s Jr. Legion Team brimming with confidence.
“In the middle of the year, I didn’t know who to put in the lineup because they weren’t hitting,” Xanders said. “Now I don’t know who to put in the lineup because everybody’s hitting. That’s a great problem to have right now.”
