By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The St. Joseph Mustangs put the bow on another memorable season last week - one that ended with a MINK League Championship.
One that ended with a string of furious postseason comebacks - one against Chillicothe, one against Clarinda and another against Sedalia.
The Mustangs won the second game of the championship series 12-2 against Sedalia to claim its seventh league title as a franchise.
General manager Ky Turner, who just completed his seventh year with the Mustangs, is already looking ahead to next season, but is thankful for the season that just was.
He called it the Year of the Comeback. Not only because fans came back after no 2020 season, but also because of the comeback victories in the postseason.
"It's a special thing," Turner tells The Post. "It's certainly a treasure for us. It's always bittersweet when a season ends, just because there's so much work and it's exciting the way it ended. But, boy we don't want it to end at all. So, we're already looking forward to 2022 and what we can make special for next season, but we're going to remember this one for awhile."
There were well over 2,200 fans present for Friday's championship, which may have been the largest crowd ever for a postseason game, according to Turner.
"That crowd was electric," he said. "The atmosphere was incredible. So, for us, without looking at the numbers, it was certainly a record crowd for the playoffs. So, it was just so much fun."
The seven MINK League titles are by far more than any other team in the league. Sedalia has the second most with three. Coach Johnny Coy said much the same last Friday after the championship - what makes the organization so successful are the people.
Particularly, the ones in the stands.
"Each year, we may have a few different players and our roster changes, but the people that make the organization and make the atmosphere, they stay the same," Turner pointed out. "So, it's just a special little thing here in northwest Missouri and something we look forward to every summer."
Turner was optimistic that the city would vote in favor of the half-cent sales tax increase that will go toward revamping St. Joseph’s parks and facilities, including Phil Welch Stadium, which will receive over 1.5 million of the nearly 60 million dollars the tax increase would generate over the next 10 years.
Over 5,300 people, or 71 percent of the voters, voted in favor of the parks tax. Turner says that funding can help improve the fan experience at a stadium first built in 1939.
"We appreciate the city of St. Joseph and the parks department and all of the work that they do," Turner said. "Because, it's not just Phil Welch. It's Missouri Theater, Krug Park, Civic Arena. They do a tremendous job, so we just want to make sure that whoever attends a Mustangs game at Phil Welch is not only comfortable, but also safe, and so some of that money will help go toward that experience."
The money allocated to Phil Welch Stadium would go toward press box repairs, seating repairs, grandstand concrete and other things.
"Some general maintenance issues with it that just need to be corrected," Turner said. "As well as putting some different wood in the outfield fence. So, just some stuff that's going to help the team, but also allow us to devote some attention to some other projects we have in mind, too if we can get these taken care of."
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