Knights Manager Tries to Make the Most of a Frustrating Season

Jef Fletcher’s second season as the manager of the North Knights Senior American Legion team has been a frustrating one.

Promoted from an assistant with the junior team two years ago, Fletcher was tasked with rebuilding a struggling program that saw numbers decline so much in 2010 that the Knights could field just one team.

This year, they’re back with two squads – freshmen and senior – but the results on the field are less than desirable.

The Senior Legion team is 2-10 and the freshmen are 1-17, getting their first victory Tuesday night against Clarksville. Fletcher is the manager for both teams that draw most of their players from Francis Howell North. He said the combined 3-27 record has made it a “very frustrating” season.

“The freshman team, the kids had never really played together,” said Fletcher, who also helms his 12-year-old son’s team. “Howell North had always been a really big SLABA program. The kids aren’t really being forced to play SLABA anymore. It’s just, ‘hey go play summer baseball.’

“The freshmen are getting blown out, but we are getting better every game. By the time they’re seniors, they’ll be pretty good. They are a great group of kids and they’re fun.”

Fletcher said the senior team has been in every game and the two victories were a 3-2 win against the Central Spartans and a 3-1 victory against St. Peters when Matt Meier tossed a no-hitter.

“It was a great ball game,” Fletcher said. “I didn’t even realize it was a no-hitter until his dad came up to me at the end.”

Meier is “by far” the ace of a staff that has had its pitching woes. Fletcher thought he had a couple of pitchers committed, but they decided to play elsewhere – adding to the challenge of rebuilding the program.

At the plate for the Knights, who call C&H Park home, Austin Haywood, Tyler Ehlmann and Jon Richardson have done the most damage for the varsity squad.

Managing three teams, Fletcher hasn’t had time to compute all of the stats but estimated Haywood’s batting average around .400 and said Ehlmann and Richardson are in the .350-.380 range.

Fletcher said Haywood “will play anywhere” but is mainly used in the outfield and at first base.

“He’s one of the reasons I’m coaching,” Fletcher said of Haywood, who is in the lineup at either the third or fifth spot. “He’s a great kid and has fun at the games.

“He puts the ball in play and that’s all you can ask. You put the ball in play and let the other team make the play.”

Ehlmann, who batted .450 last spring for Howell North, is the cleanup hitter. Richardson, who Fletcher describes as “an aggressive hitter” who “does his job well,” is the leadoff man.

“If it’s close, we tell our kids to hit it,” Fletcher said. “We’re not looking for a lot of walks.”

Fletcher added that, defensively, Richardson is one of the team’s best.

“He’s made some plays this year that I am just in awe of how he can make those plays,” Fletcher said of the shortstop.

With the District 9 tournament right around the corner, Fletcher is hoping to surprise a few teams. The freshmen wrap their regular season on Saturday in Washington, the likely site of the District 9 South Division tourney. The varsity squad will finish its regular season next week and will be in a Fourth of July tournament this weekend at Lindenwood University.