Baseball highlights the week for local high school and KIT teams

As busy as last week was with state high school championships, the OVC tournament and sectional baseball and soccer, this week's schedule isn't slowing down much.

Two Southeast Missouri teams are still in the hunt for a state high school baseball championship, and both play semifinals Wednesday starting with West County vs. Houston at 10 a.m. and Valle vs. New Haven at 4 p.m. The semifinals and finals will be in Springfield.

Moving up a level, the Sikeston Bulls of the KIT League begin their second season Friday at Owensboro, Ky., with new management, including first-year coach Jamie Puckett, a Sikeston High School graduate. Fred Johnson is the team's new general manager. The Bulls open the home schedule the following Thursday.

The KIT's Farmington Firebirds also open the season Friday on the road at Fulton, Ky., and open their home schedule the following Friday.

The Capahas, Cape Girardeau's amateur summer baseball team, begin their 41st season Friday against Valmeyer, Ill.

This week's other local baseball option is the Frontier League's Southern Illinois Miners, a new Class A team in Marion that opens their home season tonight against Evansville at the new Rent One Park. But good luck getting in: The game is sold out.

Another big debut is set for Friday with the opening of Fredericktown Raceway, which last competed in late 2004 and has underdone massive renovations over the past several months. Crate-division late models and modifieds are among the classes scheduled to compete each week.

One last racing note: The Midwest All Star Series event that was rained out Friday at Auto Tire & Parts Racepark near Benton is expected to be rescheduled, but no date has been set.