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 History |
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1997
The team was formed during the spring of 1997 and played coach pitch in the Olathe Babe Ruth Baseball organization (now Olathe Youth Baseball). Players were primarily from Bentwood Elementary. The team posted a 13-1 record and won the 7 year-old division.
1998
The team played machine pitch in the Johnson County 3&2 Baseball league. Mostly comprised of players from the prior year, the team posted a regular season record of 13-1. After winning the division, the Yankees advanced to the playoffs and won the championship (out of 32 teams in the league). The Yankees also qualified for the USSSA State Championship by placing second in a tournament at Heritage Park. During this tournament, the team placed second behind Mac-N-Seitz, losing the game 11-6.
1999
Participating in Johnson County 3&2 for the second year, the team played within the competitive division, placing third overall. One of the memorable moments of the year included defeating the Steve Oliver Dodge Cardinals 6-5 with a game winning double in the bottom of the 6th. The team went on to defeat the Leawood Cardinals and earned a berth in the State Tournament in Augusta, Kansas.
The Yankees went all the way to the championship game in the Kansas USSSA State Tournament and lost 10-9 to Varsity Sports from Newton, Kansas.
2000
2000 was a defining year for the team, officially elevating it's status to a triple A competitive level. In addition, the team moved to the Wyandotte County Sports Association to play in the open division.
The team participated in eight tournaments during the year and accumulated enough points to rank 2nd in Kansas. The team had a successful year by earning a berth in the Kansas USSSA AAA State Championship. The Yankees also took first place in the Super Series Nationals Qualifier and earned a berth to go to Houston, Texas.
During the National Championship, the team placed third in the American Division (AAA).
2001
The team had a successful year by qualifying and participating in the Kansas State Tournament, the Super Series Nationals in Des Moines and the USSSA World Series in Kansas City.
The team also won the championship in two USSSA tournaments during the year.
Michael Benham, who was with the team for four seasons moved to New Hampshire in July. At the end of the National Championship in Des Moines, a going away party was held for Michael, and his jersey was retired in his honor (#4).
2002
The team posted a .700 winning percentage during the regular season and won three tournaments. The Yankees finished first in points for both Kansas and Missouri and entered the state tournament as the number one seed. Unfortunately, the team did not play well during a critical game in the state tournament and finished the post-season in a dissapointing fashion. However, as the team has done every year, the competitive level of the team increased significantly in 2002.
2003
The O.P Yankees had the best year in its history by winning the Kansas State Championship for the AAA division. During this tournament, the team went 6-0 and scored 79 runs. The team posted 50 wins during the season and finished 1st in three tournaments, 2nd in two tournaments and 3rd in three tournaments. The team also finished the year ranked 12th in the nation. It was a fun year overall and the players took pride in knowing that they were in an exclusive club of teams being crowned as State Champions.
During 2004, the team will be elevated to a "major team" status and the players and coaches are up for the challenge.
Thursday, May 4
2004
The Yankees had a solid year with its first year designated as a major team. With 50 wins under the team's belt, the highlight of the season occurred in Steamboat Springs, Colorado at the Triple Crown National Championship. The Yankees went 7-0 and were crowned 14-under national champions. At the end of September, the team was honored during a pre-game ceremony at Kaufmann Stadium. However, the team's manager (Pete Ingles) became a disappointment to the team by bouncing the ceremonial first pitch in front of the catcher, his long-time coaching partner, Jeff Brueggemann.
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