Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Some of the top American Legion Baseball teams in the state will be in Plover this weekend for the 29th Annual Dan Schlutter Central Wisconsin Classic Thursday through Sunday, July 12-15.

The 10th-ranked Plover Black Sox are set to play four games in three days heading into the final day Sunday, which will be capped with the Championship Game at 1:30 p.m.

“We like to bring in some teams that play good baseball and give us a test,” said Plover manager Wayne Sankey. “And hopefully might be a little bit tougher than some of the teams that we’ll see in the playoffs.”

Included in this year’s tournament field are programs that won the last four AAA State Titles in Plover (2014), Madison Impact (2015 and 2016) and Eau Claire (2017).

Pool Play will start Thursday, with all of the tournament games set for Memorial Park in Plover, expect for one game Friday and two Saturday at Woyak Park in Plover.

Outfielder Mason King and the Plover Black Sox will open the 29th Dan Schlutter Central Wisconsin Classic against Manitowoc at 8 p.m. Thursday July 12. (John Kemmeter photo)

The Black Sox are in Pool 1 along with fourth-ranked Fond du Lac, Madison Impact and Manitowoc, while Pool 2 consists of ninth-ranked Eau Claire, Neenah, Sheboygan and Watertown.

“We always bring in big teams, like Eau Claire, Madison, and Fond du Lac,” said Sankey. “Watertown’s got a really nice Junior College pitcher on their team (Trevor Tietz) that we’ll probably end up seeing, and Sheboygan’s usually pretty decent.”

Plover is set to open Thursday night against Manitowoc at 8 p.m., and then will play in a non-Pool Play game against Watertown at 8 p.m. Friday.

The Black Sox will wrap up Pool Play with a pair of games Saturday night, as they are scheduled to take on Madison at 5:30 p.m. and Fond du Lac at 8 p.m.

The tournament will conclude Sunday, with the second-place finisher from Pool 1 set to play the second-place finisher from Pool 2 at 11 a.m., followed by the Pool 1 winner against the Pool 2 winner in the Championship Game at 1:30 p.m.

“It’s usually really good baseball, and there are so many games,” said Sankey. “You don’t necessarily have to come and sit at all five like we do; I enjoy it, but come out and have a burger or something and watch some baseball.

“There’s going to be nice weather, and for me and some other people, there’s no other better place to be, than watching kids give maximum effort in playing a fun game,” he said.

29th Annual Dan Schlutter Central Wisconsin Classic

Thursday, July 12

Game 1: Fond du Lac vs. Madison (two points), 3 p.m. at Memorial

Game 2: Neenah vs. Sheboygan (two points), 5:30 p.m. at Memorial

Game 3: Plover vs. Manitowoc (two points), 8 p.m. at Memorial

Friday, July 13

Game 4: Madison vs. Sheboygan (one point), 10 a.m. at Memorial

Game 5: Manitowoc vs. Neenah (one point), 12:30 p.m. at Woyak

Game 6: Eau Claire vs. Fond du Lac (one point), 12:30 p.m. at Memorial

Game 7: Eau Claire vs. Watertown (two points), 3 p.m. at Memorial

Game 8: Manitowoc vs. Fond du Lac (two points), 5:30 p.m. at Memorial

Game 9: Plover vs. Watertown (one point), 8 p.m. at Memorial

Saturday, July 14

Game 10: Neenah vs. Eau Claire (two points), 10 a.m. at Memorial

Game 11: Watertown vs. Sheboygan (two points), 12:30 p.m. at Memorial

Game 12: Manitowoc vs. Madison (two points), 3 p.m. at Memorial

Game 13: Plover vs. Madison (two points), 5:30 p.m. at Memorial

Game 14: Eau Claire vs. Sheboygan (two points), 6:30 p.m. at Woyak

Game 15: Watertown vs. Neenah (two points), 8:30 p.m. at Woyak

Game 16: Plover vs. Fond du Lac (two points), 8 p.m. at Memorial

Sunday, July 15

Game 17: Second-place Pool 1 vs. Second-place Pool 2, 11 a.m. at Memorial

Game 18: Pool 1 Winner vs. Pool 2 Winner, Championship Game, 1:30 p.m. at Memorial