WINGET TIME: Doenges Boys take aim on strong showing in tourney, offense to play key role
It’s been approximately 23,005 days since the first pitch was thrown on what has become known as the Glen Winget Memorial July Fourth Baseball Tournament.
It was early July 1959 when Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indians then-head coach Glen Winget and his volunteers prepared Bartlesville Municipal Athletic Field to host a 12-team July Fourth American Legion tournament.
Three different states were represented (Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri).
The action proved stunning.
The first round scores from 1959 were: Bartlesville Indians 8, Lawrence (Kan.) 3; Stillwater 6, Neodesha (Kan.) 3; Joplin (Mo.) 4, Dewey 2; Tulsa J.D. Olds 2, Topeka (Kan.) 0; Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest 8, Claremore 1; and Enid 9, Oklahoma City 0.
In the winner’s bracket, Stillwater topped the Indians, 10-8; J.D. Olds nipped Joplin, 1-0; and Enid doubled up Springfield Hillcrest, 4-2.
Enid won the winners bracket final against Stillwater, 5-2, but Olds rallied from the losers bracket to knock off Enid, 3-2, in the championship final.
Thus started a tradition that has endured to 2022, and pretty much remains the same in terms of competitive parity, love of baseball, community and team self-esteem, the layout of the field and the nostalgic ripples of old-time baseball.
This year’s Winget tourney — the 63rd one in its history — starts Friday morning and last through Monday’s championship game at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium/Rigdon Fiel
WINGET FINALS RESULTS, 1959-2021
1959: Tulsa Olds 3, Enid 2
1960: Bartlesville Indians 3, OKC Medley 0
1961: Enid 8, OKC Medley 1
1962: Tulsa Tillman 4, Springfield Hillcrest 2
1963: Not held
1964: Bartlesville Indians 6, Durant 5
1965: Tulsa Oil Capitol 1, Waxahachie 0
1966: Enid 7, Tulsa Tillman 2
1967: Tulsa National Guard 6, Jefferson City 5
1968: Ponca City 4, Jefferson City 3
1969: Bartlesville Indians 4, Jefferson City 1
1970: Bartlesville Indians 3, Springfield Hillcrest 2
1971: Co champions: Bartlesville Indians and Springfield Hillcrest
1972: Springfield Hillcrest 4, Jefferson City 0
1973: Springfield Hillcrest 10, Putnam City West 4
1974: Bartlesville Indians 9, OKC Northwest 7
1975: Ponca City 6, Enid 1
1976: Enid 14, Bartlesville Indians 0
1977: Bartlesville Indians 14, Carthage 0
1978: Bartlesville Indians 1, Alton 0
1979: Bartlesville Indians 6, Springfield Hillcrest 5
1980: Nebraska Federal 7, Bartlesville Indians 1
1981: Nebraska Federal 17, Enid 3
1982: Nebraska Federal 5, Bartlesville Indians 4
1983: Omaha Northwest 3, Quincy 0
1984: Omaha Northwest 4, Bartlesville Indians 0
1985: Lawrence 7, Bartlesville Indians 6
1986: Springfield Hillcrest 17, Bartlesville Indians 3
1987: Bartlesville Indians 12, Springfield Hillcrest 4
1988: Springfield Hillcrest 19, Bartlesville Indians 7
1989: OKC Reynolds 6, Springfield Hillcrest 5
1990: OKC Reynolds 6, Enid 3
1991: Enid 6, Elk City 1
1992: Bartlesville Indians 4, Springfield Kickapoo 1
1993: Bartlesville Indians 10, Enid 4
1994: Bartlesville Indians 9, Elk City 7
1995: Shawnee Mission 14, Fayetteville 6
1996: Bartlesville Indians 10, Springfield Hillcrest 3
1997: Enid 5, Lawrence 3
1998: Bartlesville Indians 7, Elk City 2
1999: Ft. Smith Kerwins 8, Bartlesville Indians 6
2000: Owasso 8, Bartlesville Indians 5
2001: Bentonville 17, Springfield Hillcrest 8
2002: Springfield Hillcrest 12, Bartlesville Indians 9
2003: Bartlesville Indians 12, Ft. Smith 2
2004: Ft. Smith Kerwins 11, Springfield Hillcrest 2
2005: Ft. Smith Kerwins 4, Lawrence 2
2006: Lawrence 4, Bartlesville Indians 0
2007: Tourney flooded out
2008: Rogers County 8, Tahlequah 4
2009: Rogers County 10, Bartlesville Indians 9
2010: Emporia 7, Lawrence 6
2011: Emporia 8, Springfield Hillcrest 7
2012: Enid Majors 5, Rogers Optimist 1
2913: Ft. Smith Kerwins 14, Enid Majors 2
2014: Ft. Smith Kerwins 9, Enid Majors 0
2015: Branson (Mo.) Pirates 13, Enid 4
2016: Bartlesville Indians 7, Ft. Smith Sportsman 6
2017: Ft. Smith Sportsman 4, Springfield Hillcrest 0
2018: Bartlesville Indians 5, Springfield Kickapoo 4
2019: Ft. Smith Sportsman 12, Mountain Home Lockeroom 3
2020: Mountain Home Lockeroom 5, Springfield Hillcrest 2
2021: Sioux Falls West 5, Mountain Home Lockeroom 3
The only two teams that have played in every Winget the past 62 years are the Bartlesville Doenges Ford Indians and Springfield Hillcrest.
The Indians have made it to the championship final a record 30 times — and won 18 times.
This year’s Indians team brings an 18-8-1 record into the event. They are 6-4-1 at home.
This year’s field includes 10 teams: Bartlesville Indians, Bartlesville United Linen Braves, Springfield Hillcrest Merchants, Ft. Smith (Ark.) Sportsman, Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo, Southern Elevation (Davis), Three Rivers Bandits, Oklahoma Mudcats (Elk City), Bryant (Ark.) Black Sox and Mountain Home (Ark.) Lockeroom.
The Indians will be looking to return to the final for the first time since 2018, when they defeated Springfield Kickapoo, 5-4.
Since 1998, the Indians have advanced nine times to the championship game (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2016, 2018) and won it four times (1998, 2003, 2016, 2018).
This year’s team has superb parity and depth on the offensive side.
One of the constants has been Kaeden Young, who has batted in the leadoff spot in 15 of the Indians last 17 games. He is batting .338, has scored 28 runs and has successfully stolen a base in each of the past three games.
But, one of the Indians’ strengths is they also boast another leadoff-hitting threat in Evan McClendon.
He hit one-hole in the first eight games and delivered a sizzling .542 batting average, with 14 runs scored, stole eight bases in nine attempts and drove in seven runs.
McClendon went on vacation shortly after that, but has been working his way back into the offensive equation.
Karson Lee is a dynamic and indefatigable hitting force in the middle of the order for the Indians.
He has batted in 26 of the Indians 27 games.
Some of Lee’s numbers include a .310 batting average, 15 RBIs, 16 BBs, nine doubles and two triples and 6-of-7 stolen bases.
Harrison Clark, who also hits in a power spot, has batted in a team-best 25 straight games.
Clark is on a three-game hitting streak and is hitting .306, with a team-high 12 extra base hits (eight doubles, three triples, one homer). The versatile talent also has been hit nine times with a pitch and stolen nine bases in 10 attempts.
Daniel Barham has driven home a team-high 18 runs and is batting above .300.
Luke Fox, who has moved around all over the lineup is a unique menace for opposing pitchers.
He is hitting .383 in 21 games, has scored 19 runs and driven in 10, and is 17-of-18 on the basepath. Significantly, Fox has struck out only two times in 60 at-bats.
Brenden Asher, also a versatile component who can bat successfully toward the top or the bottom of the lineup, is hitting better than .300 in 21 games, has driven in 10 runs and walked 21 times.
Cole Hancock, who has excelled in the nine-hole or other parts of the lineup, is hitting .320 in 17 games, with four doubles and four-of-five bases stolen.
There are several other Indian hitters capable of big production, as well.
John Pannell is in his 10th season as the Indians manager/head coach.
The Indians are scheduled to play Kickapoo — a rematch of the 2018 Winget final won by the Indians — at 8 p.m. Friday.
Bartlesville’s other pool games include a showdown at 8 p.m. Saturday against seven-time Winget champion Fort Smith and at 8 p.m. Sunday against long-time rival Three Rivers.
Friday’s schedule is:
11 a.m.: United Linen vs. Three Rivers
1:15 p.m.: Fort Smith vs. Bryant
3:30 p.m.: Mountain Home vs. Hillcrest
5:45 p.m.: Mudcats vs. Southern Elevation
8 p.m.: Doenges Ford vs. Kickapoo
Games on Saturday are:
10 a.m.: Hillcrest vs. Southern Elevation
12:30 p.m.: Mountain Home vs. Elk City
3 p.m.: Kickapoo vs. United Linen
5:30 p.m.: Bryant vs. Three Rivers
8 p.m.: Doenges Ford vs. Fort Smith (followed by fireworks).
Sunday’s and Monday’s schedules will be shown in the weekend paper on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: WINGET TIME: Bartlesville Doenges team looks to make powerful showing
