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Tonganoxie High baseball players, alums help area team win state USSSA baseball tournament

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jul 12, 2016

Current — and recently former — Tonganoxie High baseball players have contributed to a state championship in summer competition.

Dante Nelson, Dominik Novotney and Jordan Brown, who all will be seniors at THS when school starts next month, and graduates Billy Kelley and Tyler Novotney are members of the Midwest Braves team that just won the USSSA 18-and-under state championship last month.

The team currently is 16-5 on the season. In the state tournament, which was played June 25 at the 3&2 Sports Complex in Shawnee, Midwest went 5-0, defeating the Royal Valley Panthers (7-1), the Olathe Kings twice (13-3) and 8-0) and Diamond Club Select Blue (14-2). The team finished off the tourney by beating the Central Kansas Cyclones, 1-0, in 8 innings.

The team consists of players from Tonganoxie, Overbrook, Valley Falls and Burlington.

Earlier this summer, the team started off the season winning the Big League Chew Summer Slam, also at 3&2 Sports Complex. The Braves went 4-0 at that tournament and are scheduled to play in the Sunflower State Games this weekend in Topeka.

The team has competed in five tournaments so far this season.

Coaches for the Braves are Mike Brown, Kelly Gatzemyer and Terry Swank.

The USSSA website has statistics of the team, though they are 15 of the 21 games because six were not USSSA sanctioned.

The team is averaging 8 runs per game and allowing 5 runs.

The team has scored 48 runs and allowed 32 in those 15 games.

Many of the team’s games are played at 3&2 Sports Complex.

Tyler Novotney and Kelley graduated in May from THS.