The Scorpions will have their first practice Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. in the North Vernon Armory.  Practices will then be every Sunday at the Armory at 5:00 p.m.

They will play in the Columbus Babe Ruth League, just like last year, and also play in the Greensburg Travel Tournaments.  The main goal this year is to win the Babe Ruth 14 year-old State Tournament.

THE SCORPIONS FINISHED THE 2010 SEASON WINNING THE CERALAND FALL BASEBALL SEASON ENDING TOURNAMENT SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 25.  THE SCORPIONS FINISHED THE REGULAR FALL SEASON 3-5 AND IN THE SIXTH SEED.  THREE OF THE 5 LOSSES WERE BY SCORES OF 2-0, 6-5 AND 4-3. 

FIRST UP WAS THE #3 SEED, THE SEYMOUR SLUGGERS.  THE SLUGGERS HAD DEFEATED THE SCORPIONS 2-0 AND 6-5.  MATT MOWERY PITCHED GREAT AND EVERYONE HIT.  THE SCORPIONS WON IN 7 INNINGS 5-3.

NEXT UP WAS THE #2 SEED, THE SEYMOUR THUNDER.  THE SCORPIONS HAD DEFEATED THE THUNDER IN THE FIRST WEEKEND OF THE REGULAR SEASON.  ONCE AGAIN, THE ENTIRE TEAM SWUNG THE BATS AND HIT GREAT.  HARRISON FUNKE PITCHED A COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT 13-0.  TERRY ANDERSON AND MAX MARCOUX MADE A GREAT PLAY BETWEEN 3RD AND HOME IN THE FIRST INNING, WHICH SAVED THE SHUTOUT.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WAS AGAINST THE #1 SEED, THE CARDINALS.  IN TWO PREVIOUS GAMES,THE CARDINALS HAD DEFEATED THE SCORPIONS 2-1 IN 2009 AND 4-3 IN 2010.  MATT MOWERY AND TERRY ANDERSON PITCHED GREAT, AND THE ENTIRE TEAM HIT AGAIN.  JACOB WINGATE AND THAD BOWLING HAD THEIR BEST GAMES AS A SCORPION.  JACOB AND THAD WERE 2 OF 3 THIRTEEN YEAR-OLDS ON THE TEAM.  SCORPIONS 11, CARDINALS 2.  ONLY THE SECOND PLACE FINISH AT THE STATE TWO YEARS AGO MAY HAVE BEEN SWEETER.

IN 2010 THE SCORPIONS WON THE BABE RUTH LEAGUE AND TOURNAMENT; WON THE BABE RUTH DISTRICT; AND WON THE CERALAND FALL BASEBALL TOURNAMENT.  THE SCORPIONS FINISHED 2010 WITH A 22-9 RECORD.

THE 2010 SEASON AND THE 2008 SEASON WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE TWO BEST YEARS FOR THE SCORPIONS.  BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE WHO PLAYED FOR THE SCORPIONS  SINCE 2002.  SPECIAL THANKS TO NICK BEAMISH, TERRY ANDERSON AND MITCHELL GRIDER FOR PLAYING WITH US THIS FALL SEASON.

HOPEFULLY, NEXT YEAR THE HIGH SCHOOL COACH WILL ALLOW THE INCOMING FRESHMAN TO PLAY TOGETHER AND WIN THE BABE RUTH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

HAVE FUN THIS WINTER, AND DON'T GET HURT!

     THE JENNINGS COUNTY SCORPIONS FINISHED THE 2010 BABE RUTH LEAGUE UNDEFEATED AGAINST THIRTEEN YEAR-OLD TEAMS 9-0.  OVERALL, THEY WERE 10-2, DEFEATING THE COLUMBUS 14 YR-OLDS, BUT LOSING TWICE TO BROWN COUNTY'S 14 YEAR-OLDS.

     HARRISON FUNKE LED THE TEAM WITH A .555 BATTING AVERAGE.

     JARED GALLIHER WON 4 GAMES WHILE HARRISON FUNKE HAD 2 WINS AND 6 SAVES PITCHING FOR THE SCORPIONS.

     THE SOUTHERN INDIANA DISTRICT 3 BABE RUTH TOURNAMENT WILL BE HELD JULY 8-11 AT THE JENNINGS COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL'S BASEBALL FIELDS.  THE TOP 2 TEAMS FROM THE DISTRICT ADVANCE TO THE STATE FINALS IN BLOOMINGTON THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND. 

     Practice begins Sunday, January 10, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. inside the North Vernon Armory.  Practices will last until 5:30 p.m. and will be held every other week thereafter, until March 21, 2010.  These practices are mandatory and attendance will be taken.  Players who don't show and then later ask why they aren't pitching or playing first base will already know the answer.  Weather permitting, we may take batting practice outside or at the batting cage and take fly balls.

     Beginning the week of March 21, 2010, we will have three practices per week, unless we are playing games on the weekend.  Days and times for these practices will be announced at practice on February 7.

THE JENNINGS COUNTY SCORPION 12u ALL-STAR TEAM WON THE SOUTH WAYNE TOURNEY ROUND-ROBIN BY WINNING ALL FIVE GAMES.  THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WAS ACTUALLY THEIR FIRST GAME AGAINST MOORESVILLE 2-0.  ETHAN JARVIS AND ALAN SHARP THREW GREAT PITCHING, SHUTTING OUT THE PIONEER BATTERS AND HARRISON FUNKE HIT AN OPPOSISTE FIELD HOMERUN.

THE SCORPION PITCHERS NO-HIT SPEEDWAY, STRIKING OUT EVERY BATTER.

HARRISON FUNKE ADDED ANOTHER HOMERUN AGAINST BEECH GROVE, WENT 2 FOR 2 LEFT HANDED AND PITCHED NO RUN BASEBALL.

JARET FOX PITCHED GREAT ALSO.  JAKE REAGAN GOT OUT OF HIS HITTING SLUMP.

THE SCORPIONS WILL HAVE A TEAM MEETING ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2008, AT 7:00 p.m. EITHER AT THE ZION BAPTIST CHURCH OR THE NORTH VERNON NATIONAL GUARD AMORY.  THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING WILL INCLUDE TEAM AND PLAYER EXPECTATIONS, COMMITTMENTS, UNIFORMS, PRACTICE SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE.

THE FIRST PRACTICE FOR 2009 WILL BE SATURDAY, MARCH 21 AT 6:00 p.m. AND EVERY SATURDAY UNTIL THE N.V.P.&R JULY 4 TOURNEY IS OVER.  THEN PRACTICES WILL BE TWICE PER WEEK UNTIL FALL BALL IS COMPLETED. 

FOUR SCORPIONS WERE CHOSEN FOR THE SOUTHERN INDIANA ALL-STATE TEAM!  HARRISON FUNKE, ETHAN JARVIS, DAN LEACH AND MATT MOWERY WERE ALL CHOSEN AS MEMBERS ON THE 15 PLAYER TEAM.  GREENFIELD, NORTH VERNON, CONNERSVILLE AND SHELBY COUNTY ALL HAD PLAYERS CHOSEN.  A BANQUET WILL BE HELD OCTOBER 5, AT 1:00 p.m. AT THE BLOOMINGTON CONVENTION CENTER FOR THE TEAM MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.  I WILL BE GOING WITH HARRISON, SO IF ANYONE DOESN'T HAVE A RIDE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.

HARRISON PLAYED SHORTSTOP AND PITCHED A GREAT GAME AGAINST NEW PALESTINE; ETHAN BATTED LEAD-OFF AND PLAYED SECOND BASE; DAN PLAYED CENTERFIELD AND PITCHED; AND MATT PLAYED THIRD BASE, CENTERFIELD AND PITCHED.  LANE STAPLES AND JARED GALLIHER SHOULD BE MENTIONED AS ALSO HAVING A GREAT STATE TOURNEY.  LANE PITCHED A GREAT GAME IN THE SEMI-FINAL AGAINST CONNERSVILLE, AND JARED HIT THE BALL THE BEST HE HAD ALL YEAR.  CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THESE PLAYERS.

THE 2008 VERSION OF THE ANNUAL SCORPION TOURNEY WAS ANOTHER SUCCESS.  23 TEAMS COMPETED IN THE 6, 7 AND 8 YEAR-OLD AGE GROUPS.

MASON, OHIO DEFEATED BEDFORD FOR THE 8 YEAR-OLD TITLE.  THIS WAS A REPEAT OF LAST YEARS 8U CHAMPIONSHIP, WITH MASON WINNING THIS YEAR.

WHITELAND ALL-STARS WENT UNDEFEATED THROUGHOUT THE 7U TOURNEY FOR THEIR SECOND TITLE IN AS MANY YEARS.  (THEY WON THE 6U TOURNEY IN 2007.)

BROWNSTOWN CAME FROM THE FOURTH SEED ON SATURDAY TO WIN THE 6U CHAMPIONSHIP ON SUNDAY. 

I HOPE EVERYONE COMES BACK NEXT YEAR, JIM.

THE JENNINGS CO. SCORPIONS ALMOST WENT ENTIRELY THROUGH THE LOSERS BRACKET TO FINISH SECOND AT THE STATE TOURNEY HELD IN GREENFIELD, INDIANA JULY 11-14. 

THE SCORPIONS LOST FRIDAY NIGHT TO CONNERSVILLE 8-2.  THE SCORPIONS HAD RUNNERS ON 2ND AND 3RD IN THE FIRST 2 INNINGS WITH NO OUTS AND COULDN'T SCORE.  CONNERSVILLE HAD 2 BLOOP HITS TO SCORE 3 RUNS AND JENNINGS CO. COULDN'T COME BACK.

SATURDAY, AFTER A TWO AND ONE-HALF HOUR RAIN DELAY, THE SCORPIONS BEGAN PLAYING NEW PALESTINE, BUT AFTER THE SCORPIONS BATTED, THE RAINS BEGAN AGAIN.

SUNDAY THE GAME RESUMED AND JENNINGS COUNTY DEFEATED NEW PALESTINE 7-4 IN SEVEN INNINGS.  HARRISON FUNKE PITCHED 3 AND 1/3 INNINGS OF SHUTOUT BALL.  THE DEFENSE SHOWED THEY WERE THE BEST IN THE STATE.  LANE STAPLES PICKED UP THE WIN IN RELIEF.

THE SCORPIONS WATCHED GREENFIELD DEFEAT CONNERSVILLE IN THE WINNERS BRACKET GAME BEFORE THEIR GAME AGAINST SHELBY COUNTY.

JENNINGS COUNTY POUNDED OUT HIT AFTER HIT AGAINST SHELBY COUNTY AND THE DEFENSE ONCE AGAIN PLAYED FLAWLESS.  THIS VICTORY SET UP A REMATCH AGAINST CONNERSVILLE.

THE SCORPIONS HIT THE BALL SO HARD ON MONDAY NIGHT AGAINGST THE CONNERSVILLE DEFENSE THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS COMING AT THEM NEXT.  THE FINAL SCORE WAS AN IDENTICAL 8-2 FINISH, BUT THIS TIME JENNINGS COUNTY WAS CELEBRATING.  LANE STAPLES PITCHED 4 INNINGS OF THE BEST BASEBALL I HAVE SEEN HIM PITCH (ONLY LAST YEARS OUTING AGAINST ELLETSVILLE WAS BETTER).  MATT MOWERY PICKED UP THE SAVE IN RELIEF.

JENNINGS COUNTY HIT THE BALL HARD AGAIN AGAINST GREENFIELD, BUT THE BALL SEEMED TO FIND THEIR MITTS.  WE ONLY HAD ONE STRIKEOUT, BUT ONLY 4 HITS.  SAM LEACH COULDN'T GET ANY RYTHMN PITCHING, HARRISON FUNKE DID GREAT IN 2 INNINGS HE PITCHED, DAN LEACH FALTERED AFTER PITCHING GREAT ALL WEEKEND AND MATT MOWERY PITCHED ONE INNING, FACING ONLY 3 BATTERS.

OVERALL IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND.  WE NEED TO PLAY A BETTER FIRST GAME IN TOURNEY'S.  OUR DEFENSE IS OUR STRONGPOINT AND STRENGTH, IF WE PLAY OUR NORMAL POSITIONS AND NOT PLAY WHERE WE AREN'T USE TO.  OUR PITCHING DOES GREAT WHEN WE DON'T GIVE UP WALKS.  EVERYTIME WE WALK A BATTER, THAT PERSON SEEMS TO SCORE.  THE OFFENSE IS NOT CONSISTENT ENOUGH.  WE NEED TO GET RUNNERS ON AND MOVE THEM OVER.

I AM VERY PROUD OF ALL OUR PLAYERS, COACHES AND PARENTS.

THE JENNINGS COUNTY SCORPIONS FINISHED SECOND IN THE SEYMOUR FALL LEAGUE WITH A 6-2 RECORD.  THE SCORPIONS HAD A MUCH TOUGHER SCHEDULE THAN THE FIRST PLACE TEAM FROM SEYMOUR, WHO PLAYED THE  TWO LAST PLACED TEAMS TWICE.  THE PITCHING WAS SURPRISINGLY GOOD, BUT THE HITTING WAS INCONSISTENT.  OUR DEFENSE AND BASERUNNING WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE.

THE FIRST PRACTICE FOR NEXT YEAR IS MARCH 29, 2008.   

TWENTY-THREE TEAMS ENJOYED THE NORTH VERNON CITY PARK LAST WEEKEND IN THE FOURTH ANNUAL SCORPION TOURNEY.  SIX FIELDS WERE USED FOR THE 6, 7 AND 8 YEAR-OLD TEAMS.  THE TEAM MADE $2,600 FROM THIS TOURNEY, WHICH IS A BIG INCREASE OVER THE $900 MADE FROM LAST YEARS TOURNEY.  THANKS TO ALL THE PARENTS AND PLAYERS WHO HELPED AT THIS TOURNEY, ESPECIALLY MY WIFE, SHARON; MARSHA STAPLES, ASHLEY STAPLES, DENA, DARBY, BILL & PAM REAGAN, DEAN & DEBBIE JACKSON, STEVE MOWERY, SHEILA, JEANNETTE MOWERY AND ALL THE UMPIRES, WHO DID A GREAT JOB.  EVERYONE I TALKED TO  LOVED THE TOURNEY AND COMMENTED ON THE GREAT UMPIRES WE HAVE, THE QUADPLEX AND THE PLAYGROUNDS.  CONGRATULATIONS TO JAKE REAGAN ON WINNING THE FRANK ROBINSON BOBBLEHEAD RAFFLE.

6 YEAR-OLD WINNER - WHITELAND

RUNNER-UP 6 YEAR-OLD - BROWNSTOWN

7 YEAR-OLD WINNER - FLOYDS KNOBS GOLD

RUNNER-UP 7 YEAR-OLD - FLOYDS KNOBS GREEN

8 YEAR-OLD WINNER - BEDFORD BOY'S CLUB

8 YEAR-OLD RUNNER-UP - MASON, OHIO (FERGUSON FURY)

SPECIAL THANKS TO RODNEY LEDFORD AND HIS FURY TEAM FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS TOURNEY THE LAST THREE YEARS.