BY MIKE MARZOLF
Special to the Tribune

Last year proved to be a good second season for the Great Bend Chiefs American Legion baseball team.
Great Bend played .500 baseball during the regular season then got on a roll in the post-season. The Chiefs won their zone to advance to the AAA State Tournament.
That second season is now here this year.
Great Bend, the No. 3 seed, opens play Sunday at 2:30 pm against No. 2 McPherson at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The other opening round game will pit top seeded Garden City against No. 4 Buhler at noon.
Last season, the Chiefs came into the Zone as the fourth and final seed at Garden City. Great Bend made its way through the zone in impressive fashion and earned a trip to McPherson and the Class AAA State Tournament.
This season Great Bend is a slightly higher seed and will be at home. But it will not be an easy task. The Zone is arguably the toughest in the state.
All four teams are talented. Garden City is 26-2. McPherson brings a 20-5 mark to town and was the AAA state runner-up last season. The Chiefs are 24-14. And Buhler — the last seed? Buhler won the Class 4A D-I state high school baseball championship this sprin g.
It would not be a stretch to believe that all four teams could win the zone and contend for the Class AAA state title.
Garden City will be at the AAA State next week as it plays host. That means one more of the three teams will join them. If Garden City wins the zone, the runner-up will go as well.
In the Chiefs opener, they draw a team that has tasted a lot of success the past two summers.
McPherson has a core of players that have been a big part of last year’s runner-up effort in Class AAA and the 2014 Class A state championship.
The Chiefs have been led offensively this year by Brady Michel. Michel has hit a sizzling .466 on the season and leads the team with four home runs and 48 RBI while playing in all 38 games.
The only other Chief to play all 38 games is Jaxx Hillman. Hillman is hitting .330 on the year and leads Great Bend with 37 runs scored and 12 steals.
Of the 10 Chiefs with at least 50 at bats this year, seven are hitting .300 or higher. Jared Maneth is hitting .393 with 29 RBI. Hunter Hanzlick is hitting .367, Konner Ireland .338, Payton Mauler .301 and Brayden Smith an even .300.
As a team Great Bend has stolen 117 bases this season led by Bryce Lytle with 31 and Ireland with 20.
On the mound, the Chiefs have started 12 different pitchers – 10 of them have at least two starts. The group is led by Anson Hall. Hall is 5-1 on the season, starting five of his nine appearances. Hall has a 2.40 ERA. Lytle has the most starts on the year with six. His record reads 1-3 but his ERA is 3.25.
Brett Basye has pitched in a team-high 12 games, starting five and completing three of those starts. Basye has a 3.76 ERA, two saves and has thrown a team-high 41 innings. Smith is 3-2 on the year in his five starts – three complete games. Smith sports a 3.62 ERA. Brad Reif also has five starts.
Michel has been good on the mound as well. In eight games — three starts — Michel has a team-best 2.14 ERA and leads the Chiefs with 24 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.
If Great Bend wins, the Chiefs will play Monday at 3 p.m. If the Chiefs lose they will play an elimination game Sunday at 5 p.m.