MOUNT VERNON – The Tom Craze All-Star Classic was an opportunity for outgoing seniors to put on their caps one more time as high school baseball players.
Certainly, that was the case for Centerburg’s Joe Tepper, who crushed a grand slam to lead the Blue Team to a 19-6 win in six innings over the Red Team on July 13 at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
“It’s definitely pretty sad for me,” Tepper said of his last high school game. “But all good things must come to an end. It was sad, but it was definitely heartfelt – stepping out here one more time.”
Tepper is headed off to Ohio Wesleyan University next fall, where the opportunities to pick up a bat may come few and far between.
Proceeds for the game – totaling $1,220 – went to Warrior Bags, an organization that gives care packages, bags, to cancer patients. It’s run by Lisa Manns, Joan Logan, Mary Cunningham and Mandy Craze, whose husband Tom coached baseball at Fredericktown and is the namesake of the game. Tom passed away just before Christmas in 2019.
“It was pretty cool to honor Tom Craze in this way,” East Knox’s Weston Melick said. “He loved baseball and had a passion about it.”
Melick and Fredericktown’s Ty Hatfield, rivals during the high school season, have played together in summer ball. Wednesday provided them one more opportunity to play on the same team.
“It was great to get to play with some of my teammates (and) some of my friends for the last time,” Hatfield said. “That was fun (playing with Weston). We play together in the summer, but (Wednesday) was probably for the last time.”
Hatfield will play at Tiffin University and Melick is headed off to Muskingum University. Melick has already dubbed a new nickname for himself – the Husky Muskie. During the game, Melick drove in three runs on a couple of hits. Ever the competitor, it was the out he made that’ll stick with him.
“I got out on a bases loaded grounder to third,” he said. “That’s gonna eat me up at night.”
He participated in the Home Run Derby earlier in the day, describing himself as “a contact hitter” after finishing without a long ball.
Highland’s Wyatt Groves got to be a centerfielder for an inning – one more than his entire career with the Fighting Scots.
Highland’s Kadin Johnson pitched a couple of innings, Mount Vernon's Konner Daughriety played second base and Utica’s Brock Pfister started the game and threw a scoreless inning. That last part was pretty run-of-the-mill. But he provided the biggest All-Star oddity at the plate, starting the at-bat left-handed before switching over to right to crush a solo home run.
While the seniors were enjoying one more time on the field as high school players, it was a freshman that announced himself in a big way. Mount Vernon’s Konner Daughriety won the home run derby, beating Ian Craze in the final.
“It feels good,” Daughriety said. “I hope to be able to defend it next year. It was a lot of pressure, but I was able to put that away and have a lot of fun. It was a fun experience.”
Craze, who is Tom’s cousin, played Minor League ball with the Kansas City Royals organization in 2007. He was feeling his age afterwards.
“I’m exhausted … absolutely exhausted,” Ian said. “It’s funny because I came out here thinking, ‘I’ve taken BP all my life.’ I’m not super-old yet, but 36 and taking that many swings. I thought we were just doing one round.
"Then, they said ‘Second Round’ and I was like ‘Oooh.’ Then third round and I was like, ‘Man, I thought we were only doing one round. I don’t know if I can do this anymore.’”
Tom’s brother Tim made the trip all the way from Houston to throw out the first pitch.
“This is amazing,” Tim said. “(Tom’s) been deserving of some recognition and this was the most perfect thing. I hope they do it again and I’d like to come up every time they have it.”
After the game, Mandy Craze pulled out a photo of Tom.
“He was here,” she said.
It was Mandy’s first game since Tom died.
“It just warmed my heart,” Mandy said. “I just know so many people because of baseball.”
