July 11, 2020

By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net

Baseball fans have been keeping an eye on when Major League Baseball will return and their favorite players will take the field again. One league is playing baseball as scheduled this summer and that’s Ban Johnson Baseball where teams have been playing twice a week.

The 93rd season of Ban Johnson League baseball is under way with most of the league games being played at the Creekside Baseball Park, located in Parkville, MO. Ban Johnson is Kansas City’s premier wood bat league for college and college-bound players. The last three weeks of the regular season some games will be played at the recently renovated 3&2 complex in South Kansas City on Bannister Road.

A total of 15 players representing four different high schools in Lee’s Summit are playing for a number of teams in the league. Every high school except for St. Michael the Archangel has a former player seeing playing time this summer. Games are played on Monday and Wednesday nights.

One former player at Summit Christian, Clayton Medlin plays for North Kansas City Apartment Giants. Medlin says, “it’s really nice to get out on the field.” Medlin, now in his third year playing in Ban Johnson says he “heard about the league” and feels the experience helps him prepare for college baseball.

Getting to play this summer means for Medlin “a chance to keep playing, have the advantage to hone my skills while most guys aren’t on the field at all.” Medlin has also been “working out with trainers to get stronger and more effective.”

Medlin, a Summit Christian Academy graduate, spent some time with the current group of Eagles players this past spring. Medlin states he “helped out at 4 or 5 practices before they got shut down.” Going to college in the metro area allows Medlin to “still see a lot of the guys.” This fall Medlin hopes to go back to classes at Rockhurst University and next spring return to the baseball field at the NCAA Division II school.

Another Lee’s Summit native playing in the Ban Johnson League this summer is Sam Derks, a Lee’s Summit High grad who plays for the Legends team. Derks is very happy to be playing in the league this year saying “it’s such a tradition, heartbroken to not play.” Derks adds, “Pretty cool to play through all this stuff.” For Derks personally, the year “has not been going as usual, but the team is doing well in his fourth year.” Derks says of the Legends team “[We] have really good chemistry.” This fall Derks will be playing his final year at Park University.

While playing Ban Johnson League games are nothing new this summer, playing them at the Creekside Baseball Complex in Parkville, MO is. The teams play games at the Complex twice a week on Monday and Wednesday. After July 11 the league and many teams will be able to use the 3&2 baseball facility. Derks says he, “Enjoys playing at the stadium and looks forward to playing closer to Lee’s Summit.”

Other Lee’s Summit players playing this summer in Ban Johnson League are Jackson Boenker, Chase Goeringer, Elliot Keys and Bryan Payton all from LS West. In addition to Sam Derks, Lee’s Summit HS is represented by Seth Kilbourn and Austin Sawyer. Lee’s Summit North Broncos has Dylan Lankford, Travis Nichols and Justin Root involved in the games. SCA has Elijah Rash, Aidan Satterfield in addition to Medlin.

To keep up to date on how everyone from Lee’s Summit is doing the league website is http://www.bjbaseball.com.