Papio South coach Bill Lynam hoping third trip to American Legion regionals will be the charm

Longtime Papillion-La Vista South baseball coach Bill Lynam is hoping his team’s third trip to the American Legion regional tournament is charmed.

The first two, not so much.

Lynam will lead his squad sponsored by Gene’s Auto to the Central Plains Regional in North Dakota that begins Wednesday. The 35-16 Titans will play host to West Fargo in a 7 p.m. first-round game of the eight-team, five-state event.

Lynam, in his 22nd season as coach, guided the Papio South Legion teams to regionals in 2008 and 2010. The Titans were sent to the competitive Mid-South Regional both years, going 1-2 the first time and 0-2 the second.

“Those were some really tough teams,” Lynam said. “Kendall Wehrle pitched for us in 2008 and we beat the host team, so that was pretty much the highlight.”

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The Titans went winless two years later as the regional host Oklahoma City Bandits went on to capture the Legion World Series. J.T. Realmuto, later a three-time MLB All-Star, played for the Bandits.

Lynam is hoping the eight-hour bus trip up I-29 will bring better regional memories for his squad.

“We told our guys to just go out and play,” he said. “We’ve been playing really well the past few weeks, and we want to keep that going.”

State champion Papio South will have company at the regional as runner-up Elkhorn also will be part of the tourney. The Antlers shared the bus ride with the Titans on Tuesday.

Lynam said his squad, which lost five straight in early July, refocused at the 96-team Gopher Classic in Minnesota later in the month. The Titans won their pool and made the quarterfinals of the nation’s largest Legion tourney, losing an elimination game 1-0.

“I thought that was when we came together as a team,” he said. “We won some close games and had fun, and that was a turning point.”

Papio South went 10-1 in the postseason, winning the area and division tournaments. The Titans capped that run with a 4-0 victory over Elkhorn in Saturday’s state final, the first time Papio South had captured the championship since 2010.

“Winning the title gave us some sense that we were doing things correctly,” Lynam said. “We got hot at the right time, played well and also had a little luck on our side.”

Cam Curtis, Isaiah O’Brien and Brycen Botos combined on a three-hit shutout in the state final. Curtis, moved to right field late in the game, started a double play that clinched the championship as he caught a fly and doubled a runner off second base.

“Pitching and defense have been our trademarks this year,” Lynam said. “And when we’re also swinging the bats well, we’re a tough team to beat.”

The Titans also had the added motivation of missing the state tournament in the spring after qualifying two of the previous three years.

“We have a young team, and I think young players flush a bad memory like that sooner,” Lynam said. “We just went back to work this summer.”

Papio South will open the double-elimination tournament against host West Fargo.

“I’m sure they’ll have a big crowd rooting for them,” Lynam said. “We’ll need to show some toughness to overcome that.”

Wednesday’s first-round games: Renner (South Dakota) vs. Farmington (Minnesota), 9:30 a.m.; Swisher (Iowa) vs. Osseo (Minnesota), noon; Elkhorn vs. Fargo (North Dakota), 3:30 p.m.; Papillion-La Vista South vs. West Fargo (North Dakota), 7 p.m.

Papio South’s roster

4, Griffin Minderman, 2B/SS

7, Donnie Rosenthal, LF/CF

18, Tyler Andringa, LF/2B

Photos: 2024 Nebraska high school state baseball championships

Millard West players celebrate with the trophy after defeating Lincoln East to win the Class A boys state baseball championship, at Werner Park in Papillion on Friday, May 17, 2024.