TOURNEY HAS GRUELING GAUNTLET: Winget field includes several title contenders

As usual, the annual Glen Winget baseball tourney in Bartlesville features a grueling gauntlet of quality competition for the teams with the right stuff to battle through to the semifinals.

This year’s Winget tourney — the 63rd edition of the storied event that began in 1959 and his been in every year except 1963 — begins Friday morning and will feature 21 games at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium/Rigdon Field.

The climax will be the championship game in the late afternoon Monday.

Most the teams are 19-and-under or college league age.

The host Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indians will be on the prowl for their 19th Winget crown. They last won the tourney in 2018.

But, the competition this year will be rugged, although defending champion Sioux Falls (S.D.) West is not back.

The field includes Mountain Home (Ark.) Lockeroom, which has played in the Winget final the last three years and won the championship in 2020.

Another familiar team is Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest — the only team other than the Indians to have played in all previous 62 Winget tourneys. Hillcrest appeared in the 2020 final. Hillcrest has won the Winget crown six times.

The Fort Smith Sportsman crew has won the second-most Winget titles (seven) behind the Indians (18). Fort Smith has won the tourney title six times since 2004.

The Three Rivers Bandits have not been a regular Winget participant but come in with powerful credentials to challenge for a semifinal berth.

The Bartlesville United Linen Braves are a 17-and-under club, but have been very competitive this summer.

• NUMBER OF WINGET CHAMPIONSHIPS, BY TEAM
  18 titles — Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indians (1960, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971*, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2016, 2018)
  7 titles — Ft. Smith Kerwins/Sportsman (1999, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019)
  6 titles — Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest  (1971*, 1972, 1973, 1986, 1998, 2002)
  6 titles — Enid Legion/Majors (1961, 1966, 1976, 1991, 1997, 2012)
  3 titles — Omaha (Neb.) Federated American Charter (1980, 1981, 1982)
  3 titles — Owasso/Rogers County Rangers (2000, 2008, 2009)
  2 titles — Ponca City Legion (1968, 1975)
  2 titles — Omaha (Neb.) Northwest Gladiators (1983, 1984)
  2 titles — Lawrence (Kan.) Raiders/Cactus (1985, 2006)
  2 titles — Oklahoma City Reynolds (1989, 1990)
  2 titles — Emporia (Kan.) (2010, 2011)
  1 title each — Bentonville (Ark.) (2001); Branson (Mo.) Pirates (2015); Mountain Home (Ark.) Lockeroom (2020);  Shawnee Mission (Kan.) (1993); Sioux Falls (S.D.) West (2021); Tulsa Air National Guard (1967); Tulsa J.D. Olds (1959); Tulsa Oil Capitol (1965); Tulsa Tillman Storage (1962).

  *Due to rain disruption, Bartlesville and Springfield Hillcrest shared the 1971 crown.
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  WINGET FINALS APPEARANCES
  Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indians
  1960 (W), 1964 (W), 1969 (W), 1970 (W), 1971 (W), 1974 (W), 1976 (L), 1977 (W), 1978 (W), 1979 (W), 1980 (L), 1982 (L), 1984 (L), 1985 (L), 1986 (L), 1987 (W), 1988 (L), 1992 (W), 1993 (W), 1994 (W), 1996 (W), 1998 (W), 1999 (L), 2000 (L), 2002 (L), 2003 (W), 2006 (L), 2009 (L), 2016 (W), 2018 (W)

  Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest Merchants
  1962 (L), 1970 (L), 1971 (W), 1972 (W), 1973 (W), 1979 (L), 1986 (W), 1987 (L), 1988 (W), 1989 (L), 1996 (L), 2001 (L), 2002 (W), 2004 (L), 2011 (L), 2017 (L), 2020 (L)

  Enid Legion/Majors in finals
  1959 (L), 1961 (W), 1966 (W), 1975 (L), 1981 (L), 1990 (L), 1991 (W), 1993 (L), 1997 (W), 2012 (W), 2013 (L), 2014 (l), 2015 (L)

  Fort Smith (Ark.) Kerwins/Sportsman
  1999 (W), 2003 (L), 2004 (W), 2005 (W), 2013 (W), 2014 (W), 2016 (L), 2017 (W), 2019 (W),

Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo 17U played in the final in 2018.

The Bryant (Ark.) Black Sox, Oklahoma Mudcats (Elk City) and Southern Elevation (Davis) round out the field.

The weekend schedule is listed in another article in today’s sports pages.

Following is a closer look at some of the participating teams, other than the Indians, who are featured in a separate article today.

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Three Rivers

The latest online record available for the Bandits is 11-8.

In terms of familiarity with the competition, the Bandits might own a huge advantage. They have played five of the teams in the field and recorded a winning record against three of them.

Three Rivers is 3-2 against the Bartlesville Indians, including three one-run games. Three Rivers has won the only meetings against the Mudcats and Mountain Home, and is 1-1 against Fort Smith.

But, the Bryant Black Sox have been a tough matchup — they are 4-0 against Three Rivers. Three Rivers is 6-3 in its last nine games.

In Three Rivers’ recent 10-1 win against the Bartlesville Indians, Denver Hamilton hammered a homer, double and single and drove in two runs, while Hunter Dearman doubled home a run. Brock Butler added three RBI’s in the nine-hole spot.

Jacob Blackwell pitched the complete-game shutout.

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Springfield Kickapoo

Kickapoo’s last available record is 14-10. But, the Missouri squad might be the hottest team, riding a nine-game winning streak.

Kickapoo is 2-0 vs. the Bartlesville Braves, both high scoring affairs.

During Kickapoo’s most recent win, 6-3, against a St. Joseph team, Brian Wamsher tripled and drove in a run and Nate Vaughn doubled for a RBI.

Jalen Brandon added two hits.

Wamsher also pitched the complete-game seven hitter, with one walk, two earned runs and four strikeouts.

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Southern Elevation Purple

The most up-to-date record available for this squad is 9-7.

Mountain Home won in their only meeting, 7-2.

A week ago, Southern Elevation knocked off Elite Davis, 7-2.

Jace Brandenburg, Lathan Ferris and Cade Norman all doubled for Southern Elevation.

Drake Hughes singled twice and scored two runs.

Ryder Cameron struck out 11 batters in six innings, while giving up three hits, one earned run and four walks.

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United Linen Braves

The Braves are 12-13 but have been on a bit of a downturn with three-straight losses. The Braves consist of some exceptional Bartlesville-area talent.

The Braves were sitting at 12-10 not too long ago but lost three in a row.

In their most recent win, 12-6 against Sand Springs, Jaden Davis broke loose with a double, single and four RBIs.

Jaxon Zaun added two singles and two RBIs and at the bottom of the lineup Shawn Tate socked one hit and drove in two runs.

Grant Clark and Zaun split pitching duties. They allowed only one earned run and three walks between them.

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Others

The Mudcats posted a 2-1-1 record during a four-game stretch. … In last year’s Winget final, Mountain Home’s Gage Harris and Tyler Guffey both ripped two his and Dawson Tabor drove in a run. … Springfield Hillcrest’s high school record was 4-25.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: WINGET FIELD RUGGED: Field includes plethora of title contenders