Published on June 16, 2025 10:48 am
Last Updated on June 16, 2025 10:48 am
Shelby County placed third at the Trenton Gator Classic Tournament. Team members are, first row, left to right, Blake Mueller (CHBC), Keegan Schultz (Altamont), Wyatt Wetherell (Stew-Stras), Oliver Wascher (Stew-Stras), and Connor Nowitzke (CHBC). Second row, left to right, Assistant Coach Jeremy Kinkelaar, Seth Rincker (Windsor), Callaway Smith (South Central), Aden McManaway (Altamont), Kaidyn Miller (Altamont), Derk Friese (Stew-Stras), Jackson Gurgel (Stew-Stras), Ben Bridges (Stew-Stras), Kaden Koeberlein (Effingham), Head Coach Adam Bridges.
Shelby County Senior Legion Post 611 competed in the 20th Annual Trenton Gator Classic Baseball Tournament, hosted by Trenton and Aviston. A total of eight Senior Legion programs across central/southern Illinois were involved.
Shelby County, consisting of many area athletes, finished third.
Shelby County blanked Highland, 6-0 in its opener. Shelby County tallied five in the fifth.
Both teams had three hits. Shelby County was led in hitting by Jackson Gurgel (Stewardson-Strasburg) with two singles and Ben Bridges (Stewardson-Strasburg) with a single and an RBI. Callaway Smith (South Central), Kaden Koeberlein (Effingham) and Blake Mueller (Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City) had an RBI each.
Gurgel claimed the win on the mound. He went all six innings, allowing no runs on three hits, no walks while striking out seven.
Shelby Co. then fell to Aviston by a 9-1 count. The lone run for Shelby Co. came in the bottom of the sixth.
Gurgel, Keegan Schultz (Altamont), Oliver Wascher (Stew-Stras) and Connor Nowitzke (Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City) had a single each.
That put Shelby County into the third place game where the squad defeated Steeleville, 7-1.
Shelby Co. struck in the top of the first, scoring a run, then tacked on three in the third and single runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
Schultz led the way in hitting with two singles, a double and four RBI. Derk Friese (Stewardson-Strasburg) had a single and two RBI.
Schultz went four innings for the win on the mound. He gave up one run on two hits, six walks and struck out four.
Shelby Co., coached by Adam Bridges and Jeremy Kinkelaar, are 3-2 on the summer.
Game One
Quarterfinal
Shelby Co. 005 000 1 — 6-3-3
Highland 000 000 x — 0-3-2
WP — Gurgel. LP — Moser.
Shelby County — Gurgel, 2 singles; Bridges, single, 1 RBI; Smith, 1 RBI; Koeberlein, 1 RBI; Mueller, 1 RBI
Highland — Kunz, single; Henrichs, single; Gruenenfelder, single
Game Two
Semifinal
Aviston 203 013 — 9-6-1
Shelby Co. 000 001 — 1-4-1
WP — Weiter. LP — Koeberlein.
Aviston — Sussenbach, single; Hutchinson, single; Curry, double, 2RBI; Weiter, double, 3 RBI; Innes, single, 1 RBI; Haar, double
Shelby County — Gurgel, single; Schultz, single; Wascher, single; Nowitzke, single
Game Three
Third Place
Shelby Co. 103 101 1 — 7-7-1
Steeleville 001 000 0 — 1-3-2
WP — Schultz. LP — Doerner.
Shelby County — Gurgel, single, 1 RBI; Smith, single; Schultz, 2 singles, double, 4 RBI; Friese, single, 2 RBI; Rincker, single
Steeleville — Minemann, 2 singles; Doerner, single