‘Fargo Fike’ transforms into ‘NC Fike’

In a matter of seconds, the Blue Springs Post 499/Junior Fike baseball squad put to rest one popular motto and hatched a new team slogan.

In the moments immediately following Fike’s 4-3 eight-inning win over Daniel Boone Augusta Post 262 in Saturday’s Junior American Legion state championship, the Fike players and parents gathered around coach John Kirwin at Hidden Valley Park.

Kirwin talked about the significance of what the squad had just accomplished. Fike outlasted 146 teams – an accomplishment Kirwin wanted to make sure no one was taking lightly.

On Day 1 of practice, back on May 17, the group came up with the catchphrase “Fargo Fike,” a reminder of the team’s goal to reach the Mid-States Junior Legion Baseball Regional in Fargo, N.D.

“We’ve been working toward this all year,” said Fike left fielder Trevor Wendleton. “Just getting this means so much to us. We’ve been saying Fargo since the beginning. That’s kind of been our motto since we started. Getting to this point and doing it like we did has been phenomenal. It’s been crazy and it’s been a lot of fun.”

But then Kirwin abruptly shifted gears. Sure, a state title is great, he said, but he added that he wasn’t planning on making the more than nine-hour drive to lose.

That’s when someone in the crowd uttered a new rallying cry: “NC Fike.” As in national championship Fike.

At 11 a.m. today, Fike’s bus will leave for Fargo with a group of players that will face its toughest challenge to date.

“We’re 40-4 and there are going to be teams up there with better records than us,” Fike manager Steve Workman said. “This is a true best-of-the-best tournament.”

Workman said this team shares obvious similarities with his squad that won a state title back in 2010. That team rallied to overcome a three-run seventh-inning deficit in the state championship. This year’s group battled back from six runs in the Zone 2 title game and then kicked a two-run margin in Saturday’s state championship.

At a team meeting on Sunday, Workman reminded his players how critical it is going to be to maintain that no-quit propensity.

“That’s what we keep emphasizing,” Workman said. “Keep doing your job and never give up. We talked about it again (Sunday). I said, ‘Now I want you guys to think about this, it’s not just a baseball lesson anymore but a life lesson.’ This, to me, is what American Legion baseball is all about.’”

And it hasn’t been just a few players shouldering the load for Fike. The entire 15-player roster has found ways to contribute throughout the season – something Kirwin emphasized in his postgame speech.

That was evident throughout the state tourney. Fike’s Nos. 2-5 hitters accounted for 11 hits, 10 runs and nine RBIs in a 17-9 win over West Plains in the first round. Reece Eddins pitched a shutout and Cale Benson cracked three hits, including an inside-the-park homer, in a 10-0 triumph over Maryland Heights to advance to the championship. And in the title game, Fike relievers Cameron Miller and Braden Younkin worked six innings without allowing an earned run and Wendleton snagged a potential game-saving catch in the seventh.

“We’ve had everybody contribute in one way or another,” Fike coach Dave Benson said. “Whether it’s coming in and pinch-hitting, whether it’s going in to pitch unexpectedly. ... We know that if we can just stay within three or four runs we know we’ve got a shot.”

Fike will open play in the eight-team double-elimination tournament at 3:30 p.m. Thursday against Northern Minnesota. The regional also features three teams from Minnesota, two from North Dakota and one from Kansas.

Regardless who they’re playing, though, Workman says he’ll take his chances with his guys.

“This is like a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Workman said. “And I just want them to go up and have fun. No joking, these are great boys. They’re not the best ballplayers we’ve ever had, but this is the best team. By far, this is the best team.”