MSU Summer Baseball Diaries, Part Four
8/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 7, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Greetings, Spartan Nation, this is Kyle Day checking in from the great city of Hays, Kan., or locally referred to as "Hays America." In 1996, Hays was declared an All-American City by the National Civic League. Hays is home to my summer collegiate team, the Hays Larks, which participates in the Jayhawk Wood Bat League consisting of six teams throughout the Kansas and Missouri areas.
Fellow Spartan Mike Monterey has made the voyage out to Hays with me for the summer. He has enjoyed great success for the Larks out of the bullpen establishing himself as the team's closer. Mike has had great outings as our go-to-guy when the game is on the line. Mike has really just made opposing batters look foolish and was recently mentioned in Baseball America for his success on the mound.
I have been lucky enough to be hosted by the Dechant family for the summer. My host dad, Keith, manages a screening and embroidering company called "Gone Logo." My host mom, Brenda, works at a print shop where she greatly enjoys her work. I have two host siblings, Jake and Jessie. Jessie will be a senior at Hays High this upcoming school year and plays volleyball and softball for the high school. She is very outgoing and fun to be around. Jake will be in the second grade and plays baseball, flag football and soccer. Jake is a Kansas University fan, but has recently been halfway converted into a Spartan fan. It has been a truly great experience staying with them.
The Hays Larks are coached by Frank Leo. Coach Leo has been the head coach for the Larks and the Hays High School Indians for 25 years. He is well-known and well-respected across the state of Kansas for his success and coaching experience. The Larks have been crowned Jayhawk League Champions in five of the last six years. It has been a great experience playing for Coach Leo this summer. He pushes all the players to get better and makes sure we are working hard at all times. He is also an aggressive coach who will hit and run, steal and bunt. He likes to put pressure on the defense.
In many ways Coach Leo has a similar coaching mentality and approach to Michigan State Head Coach David Grewe. Both are aggressive and put pressure on the defense and make sure the team is filled with hard-working and determined players. They both bring intensity to the field but at the same time make sure the players are having fun and enjoy the great game of baseball.
The Hays Larks team is compiled of players from colleges across the country such as Baylor, Missouri, Notre Dame and Kansas State among others. I am fortunate to be around a group of teammates this summer that care about the game of baseball and work hard. The team reminds me the Spartans with all the talented players who have the desire to win.
The Larks home field is right off Main Street in downtown Hays. It is a great ballpark and averages about 200-300 people per game. Larks Park, as it is formally called, is also home to the Fort Hays State University Tigers, an NCAA Division II team, which has had a lot of success in the last several years. The people in the community are very friendly and support the Larks with passion. The team has been playing very well this season and has remained at the top of the league standings throughout the season. We are currently in first place and hopefully will get a bid to play in the National Baseball Congress World Series. Teams from all over the country will come to play in this event in Wichita.
This has been a wonderful summer and a great experience. The Larks organization is top notch with a strong winning tradition with alumni such as Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols having donned Larks' uniforms. I will always remember my stay in "Hays America."
