On May 30, Cape Girardeau’s Prospect League team - the Cape Catfish - will travel to Quincy, Illinois, for the first game of their summer season, going head-to-head with the Quincy Gems.
The city announced their participation in the collegiate wood-bat league in January of last year, making the Catfish one of twelve teams throughout Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. General Manager Mike Hogan says when organizers were looking for local owners for the team, businessman Andy Patel stepped up to bat, with help from local banker James Limbaugh, and then-mayor Harry Rediger.
Their home opener will take place on June 4 at Capaha Field, where they’ll be playing against the DuPage Pistol Shrimp.
“I think it’s going to be a fantastic experience,” Hogan said. “As many years as I’ve coached, I’ve never coached a first year team.”
The season goes until August 5th, when the top two teams in either the east or west divisions play in the championship, based on their scores out of sixty summer games.
“We’re hoping to be in it this year,” Hogan said.
They're expecting to play nearly every day this summer with only ten days off - a schedule that Hogan says will make for a "very demanding" season. They will also be traveling to several different locations as they play every team in the West Division, and one team in the East: the Terre Haute REX.
“We’re going to learn and grow from this experience,” said Hogan. “You will probably be able to see some future obvious Major League drafts and maybe some guys that make it into the big leagues.”
And yes, fans can snag team gear at the Cape Catfish store, located at 83 South Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau.
For ticketing information, visitwww.capecatfish.com. You can track the team’s progress this season on social media as well.