Monarchs Gold and Monarchs Blue teams qualify for the NABF College World Series to be played in Toledo, Ohio August 5th through 8th.

Both Monarchs Gold and Monarchs Blue concluded play last week that is for the regular season, as the two teams successfully qualified for the 2010 LineDrive Sportz NABF College World Series.

Of the two teams, Monarchs Gold clinched their berth first as they finished atop the standings in the Toledo League with a spectacular 11-1 record. Led by a high-powered offense, Monarchs Gold brings a team .314 batting average with ten regulars all above the .325 mark. Among those are table setters for Monarchs Gold, leadoff hitter and shortstop Corey Lehman, and catcher Adam Yunker, who bats in the two hole. Lehman, at .340, leads the team hits and also has a .405 OBP. Lehman, who wears #1, is also tied for first on the team in runs scored, third in RBIs, and second in total bases. With 18 steals from the catbird seat, Lehman trails only his running mate Yunker, who has 20. Yunker brings in a .347 batting average and a .404 OBP. Yunker is also tied for first on the team with 21 runs scored. With power hitters like first baseman Drew Kuns, third baseman Brett Howard, and left fielder Casey Winckowski, who have combined to hit 62 RBIs on the year, Lehman and Yunker will need to consistently get on base. Their productivity will be a key factor in determining how far the Monarchs Gold will go.

Re-print with permission from Toledo Blade

College players seek extra at-bats, chance to win with Ohio Monarchs

Ryan Mouch, a St. John's grad who plays at Oberlin, scores for the Ohio Monarchs Gold while Ohio Monarchs Blue catcher Michael Fahle, a Woodmore grad who plays at BGSU, waits on the throw. ( THE BLADE/LORI KING ) Zoom | Photo Reprints

Former high school baseball rivals have banded together this summer in pursuit of a World Series title.

Players from 22 area high schools who now play at the college level have teamed up as part of the Ohio Monarchs amateur baseball team. The Monarchs have Gold and Blue teams that compete in the National Amateur Baseball Federation. They are in the midst of a 50-game summer schedule.

Gold coach Ed Mouch, who also coaches at Southview High School, said his team consists of the best collegiate players who competed in the City League, Northern Lakes League, and other area conferences.

"They were rivals. But now that they've gotten together, they all get along very well," Mouch said. "When they were on opposite teams they were highly competitive with each other, especially in high school when you're competing for championships. But in this situation, they all respect each other and they all know what they can do."

Re-print with permission from Press Publications

As far as Drew Kuns is concerned, the NABF College World Series won't get here soon enough.

“I can't wait,” said Kuns, a designated hitter/first baseman for the Ohio Monarchs Gold team. “It's going to be great. Our team's good; we're on a streak right now.” 

“We're hoping to go in there and dominate like they did two years ago - go in there and win,” Kuns said. “We have great chemistry because we're all from around Toledo. We all played with each other in high school and now we can join together to make a good team. It's up there with the teams I've played on. It's the second-best team I've played on in the summer. There's some great talent on this team.”

Kuns, a Clay graduate, was the City League Player of the Year in 2009. A sophomore-to-be at Bowling Green State University, Kuns said he's looking forward to helping the Monarchs regain the NABF World Series title they won in 2008.