Welcome Home for Wooden Shoes

The State Champion Teutopolis Wooden Shoes baseball team were welcomed home Sunday with a parade through the village atop two fire engines and a reception in J.H. Griffin Gym.

Teutopolis Athletic Director Mike Wilson served as Master of Ceremonies for the half-hour ceremony that featured brief remarks from several speakers.

Teutopolis Village Board President Greg Hess proclaimed Sunday "Wooden Shoe Baseball Day" in the village. Remarks were also shared by Teutopolis Sportsbackers representative Brian Hardiek and parent representative Rich Hartke.

Some of the players backed player spokesman Lane Belleville as he spoke at the podium, aiming his thanks particularly to the parents and to the coaches.

The final speaker was varsity coach Justin Fleener, who thanked the players for their efforts and the parents for their investment in their sons. Fleener noted that there are always good players; his hope for his players is that they will be "good daddies, good parents, just as your parents have been for you." He also discussed the end of the championship game. He shared that as he headed to the mound with one on and one out in the seventh inning and Eric Kremer approaching his pitch limit, he was going to pull Kremer for Belleville but, instead, changed his mind and reminded Kremer that if he wanted to stay in the game, he had to get a double play to end the contest. Kremer, of course, got the next batter to hit a one-hopper back to the mound that Kremer and company turned into the twin-killing that ended the contest.

The coach made note that the Wooden Shoes outscored their postseason opponents by a margin of 57-8. That, of course, includes outscoring Orion and St. Joseph-Ogden 21-2 in the two state tournament games.

Teutopolis finished its state championship season with a 31-6 record. It's the third baseball state championship for Teutopolis.