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Great Bend Bat Cats will offer free baseball entertainment
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The Great Bend Bat Cats collegiate baseball team will open its inaugural season at 7 p.m. Friday against new rival Hays Larks at Al Burns Field in Veterans Memorial Park.
“We are excited that opening weekend is also June Jaunt,” Great Bend Community Coordinator Christina Hayes said. The squad takes the field Saturday night at Larks Park in Hays.
All home games start at 7 p.m. at Al Burns and admission is free.
The Bat Cats are part of the Jayhawk League, said team organizer Roger Ward. Ward is a former American Legion Baseball coach and longtime local baseball promoter.
“The Jayhawk League is summer collegiate baseball at its best,” Ward said. “It is one of the most competitive leagues in the nation.” The league has teams in Kansas and Oklahoma. The eight-member league has an automatic berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita.
It is a wood-bat league and plays according to American League rules. Members of the Jayhawk League include Derby Twins, Dodge City A’s, El Dorado Broncos, Great Bend Bat Cats, Hays Larks, Haysville Aviators, Liberal BeeJays, and OKC Indians.

GREAT BEND BAT CATS 2017 SCHEDULE
* denotes home games
* June 2, Friday, Hays Larks, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
June 3, Saturday, Hays Larks, Larks Park, 7 p.m.
* June 4, Sunday, Hays Larks, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 6, Tuesday, El Dorado Broncos, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 7, Wednesday, El Dorado Broncos, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 8, Thursday, El Dorado Broncos, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
June 9, Friday, OKC Indians, Dobson Field, 7 p.m.
June 10, Saturday, OKC Indians, Dobson Field, 7 p.m.
June 11, Sunday, OKC Indians, Dobson Field, 7 p.m.
June 13, Tuesday, Dodge City A’s, Cavalier Field, 7 p.m.
* June 14, Wednesday, Dodge City A’s, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
June 15, Thursday, Dodge City A’s, Cavalier Field, 7 p.m.
June 16, Friday, Liberal Beejays, Brent Gould Field, 7 p.m.
June 17, Saturday, Liberal Beejays, Brent Gould Field, 7 p.m.
June 18, Sunday, Liberal Beejays, Brent Gould Field, 7 p.m.
* June 20, Tuesday, Derby Twins, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 21, Wednesday, Derby Twins, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 22, Thursday, Derby Twins, Al Burns Memorial Field OKC, 7 p.m.
* June 23, Friday, Haysville Aviators, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 24, Saturday, Haysville Aviators, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 25, Sunday, Haysville Aviators, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* June 27, Tuesday, Dodge City A’s, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
June 28, Wednesday, Dodge City A’s, Cavalier Field, 7 p.m.
* June 29, Thursday, Dodge City A’s, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
June 30, Friday, Haysville, 7 p.m. Aviators, Plagens-Carpenter Sports Complex, 7 p.m.
July 1, Saturday, Haysville Aviators, Plagens-Carpenter Sports Complex, 7 p.m.
July 2, Sunday, Haysville Aviators, Plagens-Carpenter Sports Complex, 7 p.m.
July 4, Tuesday, Hays Larks, Larks Park, 7 p.m.
* July 5, Wednesday, Hays Larks, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
July 6, Thursday, Hays Larks, Larks Park, 7 p.m.
* July 7, Friday, Liberal Beejays, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* July 8, Saturday, Liberal Beejays, Al Burns Memorial Field
* July 9, Sunday, Liberal Beejays, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
July 11, Tuesday, El Dorado Broncos, McDonald Stadium, 7 p.m.
July 12, Wednesday, El Dorado Broncos, McDonald Stadium, 7 p.m.
July 13, Thursday, El Dorado Broncos, McDonald Stadium, , 7 p.m.
* July 14, Thursday, OKC Indians, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* July 15, Saturday, OKC Indians, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
* July 16, Sunday, OKC Indians, Al Burns Memorial Field, 7 p.m.
July 18, Tuesday, Derby Twins, Panther Field, 7 p.m.
July 19, Wednesday, Derby Twins, Panther Field, 7 p.m.
July 20, Thursday, Derby Twins, Panther Field, 7 p.m.

GREAT BEND BAT CATS 2017
2—Brady Michel OF, Great Bend (Barton CC)
3—Dawson Pomeroy UT/RP, Topeka (Barton CC)
6—Benjamin Sems IF, Chesterfield, Mo. (U. Kansas)
7—Peyton Barnes IF, Omaha, Neb. (Wayne State)
8—Mateo Zunica OF, Palos Park, Ill. (U. Kansas)
9—Kai Ho OF, Irvine, Calif. (Compton College)
10—Brooks Asher C, Hastings, Neb. (U. Kansas)
11—Brennan Fontenot C/OF, Greenwell Springs, La. (Spring Hill Colege)
12—Bryce Baumwart IF, Emporia (Barton CC)
13—Alejandro Trejo RP, Houston, Texas (Coastal Bend College)
14—Corrigan Bartlett OF, Maize (Barton CC)
15—Michael Sinks IF, Lawrence (Barton CC)
16—Brett Bonar C/1B, Rose Hill (Barton CC)
18—Austin Pritchard 1B/LP, Riverside, Calif. (Santa Ana College)
19—Jaxx Hillman IF, Great Bend (Barton CC)
20—Gyeongju Kim RP, Seoul So. Korea (U. Ozarks)
21—Hunter Romero 1B, Covington, La. (Spring Hill College)
22—Ryan Patrick RP, McKinleyville, Calif. (U. Sioux Falls)
23—Brandon Bachar IF, Russell (Western Nebraska)
24—Beck Harris RP, Rushville, Il. (Rock Valley College)
26—Andrew Repp RP, Topeka (Barton CC)
28—Jordan Wilkerson OF, Woodbury, Minn. (St. Mary)
31—Jack Waggoner RP, Keller, Texas (U. Ozarks)
32—Taylor Langston OF-RP, El Dorado, Ark. (Barton CC)
33—Alex Ruxlow LP, McPherson (Fort Hays State)
34—Alex Knight RP, Lenexa (St. Marys)
39—Jarrett Seaton LP, Omaha, Neb. (Barton CC)

Head coach—Roger Ward
Assistants—Alex King, Zach Dobbins