Jud Kindle’s dream of bringing collegiate baseball to Sedalia has finally come true.

The Smith-Cotton graduate and all-state catcher received the go-ahead for a collegiate wood bat summer league baseball team to call Sedalia home this summer.

The Sedalia Sluggers will compete in the Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas League beginning in May and continuing through the first week of August.

“We’ll have a lot of area kids,” Kindle said. “We’ve got four from UCM, a couple from Mizzou, four from Missouri State, some from Crowder and one from Arkansas.”

Kindle said former Sedalia resident Kyle Zimmerman has already committed to play, and he is pursuing Knob Noster graduate Kyle Rosine and Sacred Heart graduate Jaric Reid.

Other teams in the M.I.N.K. League are defending champion Beatrice, Neb., the second-place Chillicothe Mudcats, the third-place Topeka, Kan., Golden Giants, the Clarinda, Iowa, A’s, the FCA Grays and Mac ’n Seitz, both of Kansas City, and the Ozark Generals.

The Sluggers won’t be the only new team in the league. The Nevada, Mo., Griffins and the St. Joseph Saints are moving from the Jayhawk League to the M.I.N.K.

The teams will meet Oct. 12 in St.. Joseph to finalize schedules.

The team has a working budget for next season that covers all expenses, Kindle said. The former Missouri State catcher, who managed the Chillicothe Mudcats last season, said his main concern now is finding homes for the players.

“They become part of the family. I still keep in touch with my family (from Beatrice, Neb.),” Kindle said. “ ... The guys will be good role models for the kids. If they’re not good people, they won’t be around. ... The kids worshiped my players at Chillicothe.”

People interested in hosting a player for the 2009 season should contact Kindle at 287-4722 for more information.

The Sluggers will play a 40-game schedule.

The league champion receives an automatic bid for the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan. All M.I.N.K. League teams will play in a regional tournament with the winner advancing to the nationals.

Kindle will be both the manager and general manager of the team.

“I want to do things the right way,” he said.

If everything goes well, Sedalia will have a chance to keep the team.

Kindle tried to start a team here in 2005 but was turned down by the Park Department, which is in charge of Liberty Park Stadium.

Mark Hewett, Director of Parks and Recreation, said two leagues were interested in bringing teams to Sedalia, the M.I.N.K. and Central Plains Baseball leagues. He said that people from out of town were running things, and he dropped it at that point.

So what made the difference this time around?

“Having local people involved sealed the deal with me,” Hewett said.

He said the success of the exhibition game between Kindle’s Chillicothe Mudcats and Mac’ n Seitz played a pivotal role.

“The exhibition game had a lot to do with it,” Kindle said. “... We had 450 tickets sold. About another 100 to 150 came in after the fourth inning. It was nice to see that many people.”

Hewett said, “They had a great turnout, but with anything new ...  It gave us a reason to try it.”

Hewett said that the Sluggers are guaranteed only one season in Sedalia.

“This is only a trial season, a one-year experiment,” Hewett said. “We’ll see how things work out.”

One of Hewett major concerns is how the summer league team will fit in with the senior and junior Legion teams.

“We’re kind of concerned with the number of games played on that field,” Hewett said. “I think we can absorb 20 or 25 more games at the stadium. We need to discuss who’s preparing the field (and) providing the material and use of the lights.”
Hewett said that the Park Department provides the basics, use of lights and materials for the field. Smith-Cotton maintains it.

As for admission, “The team gets the money, but we want some accountability to where the money is going,” Hewett said.

Hewett said that if the money is going to a private company, the Park Department might have to handle the money disbursement itself.