Northmen hope experience pays in districts

By Bill Knust

When you have seniors who have been through the rigors of the postseason before, it makes it a lot easier on you as a coach.

Especially if you are a first-year coach like Oak Park High’s Troy Andrews.

Andrews has the luxury of seniors Scott Bradbury and Jordan Owen sitting right in the middle of his lineup. The duo has plenty of experience when it comes to the postseason, and Andrews will let them get his team prepared heading into the Class 4 District 16 Tournament next week.

“At this point in the season, you work through what you need to work through, and if you aren’t ready to go, well, the yelling is done to get kids focused and ready to practice,” Andrews said. “Those guys step in and say, ‘Hey, let’s get to work. Let’s go.’”

The Northmen will open district play Tuesday, May 13, against Park Hill South at 4 p.m. at Oak Park. The Northmen beat Park Hill South earlier in the season 17-7, but Andrews said his team will not be overconfident coming into the game.

“Part of it is how you set up your lineup,” Andrews said. “Some teams set themselves up for failure by throwing a lower-tier pitcher, and sometimes that snowballs. That can backfire on you, and your team can get overconfident. We’ll go with one of our top two.”

Who that will be is yet to be determined, but it will either be Bradbury or Owen toeing the rubber for Oak Park.

If things keep going the way they have, the Northmen will likely see a left-hander from Park Hill South. Blue Springs South threw a lefty April 28, Winnetonka threw one Saturday, May 3, and Park Hill threw sophomore lefty Albert Minnis on Monday, May 5, in a 1-0 win against the Northmen.

Andrews said it could be seen as a sign of respect for the power of Oak Park’s batting order that it sees each team’s best pitcher.

“We do have quite a few lefties in our lineup,” Andrews said. “It also says a lot about our team that we see everyone’s best pitcher.”

Sports writer Bill Knust can be reached at 389-6605 or billknust@npgco.com.