Love of Legion baseball runs deep for Great Lakes Regional tourney hosts

The connection between Ken Schaake and American Legion baseball runs deep and strong. It’s in his blood.

Not only did Schaake play four years with Edwardsville Post 199 from 1969 to 1972, he has been coaching Legion baseball teams in Edwardsville since 1978 and managing since 1981, first in Edwardsville and later in Alton.

On Wednesday, Schaake will take his fourth team to the Great Lakes Regional. He managed Edwardsville to a pair of regional appearances and the 1989 squad made a memorable playoff run that culminated with winning the the Legion World Series.

Schaake’s Metro-East Bears have made back-to-back Great Lakes Regional appearances as the host team, reaching the championship game last season before losing to Midland, Mich.

The Bears will host the 2016 Great Lakes Regional, which begins Wednesday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Simmons Baseball Complex.

“Being around these kids and helping them, whether it’s to become a better ballplayer or become a better person and to see them change over the years, is satisfying for me,” said Schaake, now 62 and in his 36th season as a Legion baseball manager. “You want to compete and you want to do well, but you want the kids to leave your team with a good feeling about the game of baseball. The kids make you feel young and you enjoy being around them.”

Eight teams from six states will be competing for a shot at the World Series. Play begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday at SIUE’s Roy Lee Field with Madison, Wis. (33-3) taking on 38-1 Bay City, Mich. Shelbyville, Ky., (23-7) faces Beloit, Wis. (29-7) in the 1 p.m. game, with Illinois state champ Danville (35-4) taking on Rockport, Ind. (27-1).

The host Metro-East Bears (17-6) begin their title quest at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Pickerington, Ohio (41-11). The regional winner advances to the Legion World Series Aug. 11-17 at Shelby, N.C.

Tickets are $5, but full-day passes are available for $10. An all-tournament pass is $30. For more information, visit http://legionbb.com/.

“Last year we ran out of pitching, but we made it to the final game,” Schaake said. “We’ve been one game away a couple times now. You know what’s sitting there at the next level for these kids and the experience that they’ll have.

“Some of the ’98 kids came back to the regional banquet last year and they still talk about some things that went on in that season. I’m sure every manager’s the same away, you always wish some of your kids can experience the better things and things they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

The Bears also played host to the regional last summer, but have shifted from Alton’s Gordon Moore Park to the all-turf field at SIUE this summer. Bears general manager and longtime Alton manager Dennis Sharp said more than 20 local businesses and the city of Edwardsville kicked in approximately $30,000 to help defray costs of hosting the tournament.

Sharp said seeing a tournament of this magnitude in the metro-east is extremely special. He said the tourney begins with 5,000 teams across the country feeding into eight regionals, with 64 teams remaining alive for a shot at eight World Series berths.

“It’s a sense of pride and it gives me a chill that I can’t even comprehend,” Sharp said. “When I see these athletes come in it really puts a lump in my throat. I know that in a few short years they’re gong to look back and go ‘Wow, this was awesome.’

“It’s a unique privilege that we have in order to bring this event to the Midwest. It’s a pretty tough tournament to put on and it takes a lot of time and effort and volunteers. I’ve got a remarkable team of people who have caught the vision of this and also the spirit of the military, which is where the American Legion baseball program began.”

Now retired from RP Lumber in Edwardsville, Schaake recalled the days when he would go into work at 6 a.m., get home, and head to the ball diamond for another game.

During most of the years of his coaching career, parents Don and Evelyn Schaake have been at every game. If it’s too far for them to drive, Schaake will drive them himself.

“Even when I was playing I can’t remember them every missing a game,” Schaake said.

Sharp played Legion baseball for Alton in 1976. Alton’s coaches at that time were Bob Lyons and Curt Hagen and Sharp cherishes the memories.

“It is a unique experience for a young man,” he said. “You’re introduced into a very competitive world that challenges you to hone your skills. The game challenge you mentally as well as physically and the grind of the season takes its toll.

“These tournaments really have a lot hanging on them.”

Sharp is happy he stayed involved in Legion baseball as a coach, manager and now general manager.

“I think it was a sense of paying it forward,” he said. “I’ve always loved the game and when I was given the offer to coach the program, I felt the spirit of paying forward what guys like Curt Hagen and Bob Lyons had sacrificed for us. I got hooked and it’s tough to break.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Love of Legion baseball runs deep for Great Lakes Regional tourney hosts."