Between little league, high school, junior and senior Legion and now college baseball, Chase Plymell and Steven Bradbury have worn more than five different jerseys each at Liberty Park in Sedalia.
Donning State Fair Community College blue and white, the pair represent a majority of the Roadrunner baseball roster makeup: central Missouri natives who play baseball year-round.
In the program’s first spring game since 1988, Plymell pitched five-plus scoreless innings and Bradbury scored the first run of a 14-0 takedown of NAIA opponent, Evangel University.
Head coach Jud Kindle said Monday’s season opener was an ideal premiere.
“Extremely excited,” Kindle said of starting the spring schedule. “We’ve been working extremely hard this year to get to where we’re at. It’s a long season, but to get the first one out of the way and play the way we did, I was extremely pleased.”
Bradbury, who reached on a hit by pitch, scored on a double that DJ McNew punched to right field.
State Fair scored six runs on three Evangel errors in three innings. After a scoreless fourth, the Roadrunners doubled its lead in the fifth frame. Bradbury ripped a 1-out, RBI double to the center field wall to spark the 6-run rally.
The Sedalia native and middle infielder said the emotions, excitement and significance of beginning a new era of SFCC baseball was difficult to describe.
“I was sitting there on the step just thinking about how much (Liberty Park) has changed, and how it’s great to have State Fair here,” Bradbury said. “It’s overwhelming. It’s amazing. I’m so glad State Fair is here.
“It’s almost impossible to put into words. Just thinking how long I’ve been here, and this is the rebirth of State Fair, and it’s coming together again. It’s a great win, that’s all I can say.”
The Roadrunners breached the Evangel bullpen with one out in the second inning, and collected 17 hits in nine frames.
One the mound, Plymell was precise under pressure. He cruised through three innings, and struck out two Crusaders to escape a 1-out, two-baserunner jam in the fourth.
Plymell, who exited with one out in the sixth, said establishing his fastball and pitching to contact early paid dividends with runners on base.
“The thing that really helped me today was getting ahead with the fastball, just pitching to contact,” Plymell said. “They were really going after that first-pitch fastball and getting themselves out, pretty much. That allowed me to not have to use as many pitches and kind of hide some of the pitches that I had.”
Connor Jonas and Brett Wilbanks completed the game pitching for State Fair, with Willbanks recording the final out on strikes.
SFCC continues 1 p.m. Wednesday, hosting a doubleheader with Allen County Community College at Liberty Park in Sedalia.
