Game against Joplin Jailbirds a homecoming for Weller
· Yahoo Sports
This week’s two-game MINK League series pitting the Joplin Jailbirds against the visiting Carroll (Iowa) Merchants was not just a matchup of two of the league’s best teams. It also was a homecoming of sorts for Carroll player Sam Weller, a Webb City Cardinal alum.
The game was an opportunity for Weller to catch up with several former Cardinal teammates who are now on the Jailbirds roster — Cohen Epler, Drew Vonder Harr, Mason Williams, Kaylor Darnell and Cy Darnell.
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Those five former Cardinals, along with Weller, racked up a slew of wins while at Webb City High School, but this week the Jailbirds' five Webb City alumni and Weller were battling for bragging rights.
After Wednesday’s game, Weller, the lone Missourian on the Merchants’ roster, talked about what it is like looking across at the opposing dugout and seeing so many former teammates.
“It makes it really fun,” Weller said. “You know the guys you’re playing against are rooting for you and you’re rooting for them, so it keeps it fun — keeps it light.”
The determination of who can claim bragging rights was left up in the air after lightning suspended the second game of the series Thursday night. Carroll claimed Game 1 on Wednesday with a 10-9 win, but the Jailbirds were up 3-0 when Thursday’s game was suspended going into the top of the third inning.
The two teams will meet again for a three-game set July 14-16 in Carroll and a single game July 21 at Joe Becker Stadium.
Four of the five former Cardinals turned Jailbirds are on the Missouri Southern State University roster and Epler, a pitcher, plays for Kansas City Kansas Community College. Weller, who just completed his final year at Crowder College, hopes that playing in the MINK League this summer will serve as a springboard to continue his baseball career at a four-year institution.
Weller, who leads the league in RBIs with 15, made big strides toward garnering more attention from collegiate coaches this week after being named MINK League Player of the Week, alongside the Jailbirds' Gabe Perry, who was named MINK League Pitcher of the Week.
Weller helped the Merchants to five straight wins, hitting .417 with a .611 on-base percentage. During that stretch, Weller smacked two home runs, recorded eight RBIs and seven runs.
Weller began his week as Carroll’s lead-off hitter but against Chillicothe was moved to the five-spot for the Merchants to expand his RBI opportunities. That decision paid off for Carroll, as Weller went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs in the game.
Weller said the decision to travel to Iowa to play for Carroll was an easy one.
“I was waiting for a summer ball opportunity, got a text from the coach and accepted right away," he said.
Weller also talked about how he hopes playing in the competitive MINK League will improve him as a player.
“I guess I’ll see what this summer does for me,” Weller said. “Pitching is good in this league. Everyone’s good in this league. Seeing more pitching and getting more action is helping me a lot and I’m getting more experience.”
The MINK League has made a concerted effort to elevate the profile of its players and this season is partnering with The Lab KC to help players either find a college or change their current institution by highlighting the players’ accomplishments with a top 30 ranking that will come out twice this season.
Weller admitted that he does get a little homesick, especially being back in the Joplin area, but there was an abundance of his friends and family at Joe Becker for the two games.
Looking forward to the rest of the summer, Weller is optimistic.
“I’m excited and ready to get something going,” Weller said.