Capahas will hold tryout Sunday

It wasn't the smoothest offseason for the Plaza Tire Capahas baseball team, but with the season quickly approaching manager Jess Bolen is ready to finalize the roster.

The Capahas will hold an open tryout and practice at 2 p.m. Sunday at Capaha Field.

Bolen, who will manage the team for the 48th year, said that there are several spots available that he's looking to fill.

"We're just looking for baseball players," Bolen said. "If we had last year's team we wouldn't be looking for anybody, especially because we were a pretty good team. But every year there's guys that for one reason or another play somewhere else or are not playing at all."

Players have to be out of high school to play for the Capahas, which began play in 1894 and is one of the oldest amateur baseball teams still in existence.

The team was in jeopardy after 10-year sponsor Plaza Tire announced it would not sponsor the team this season on April 7.

Plaza Tire, along with a group of anonymous donors, decided to support the team for one more season, it was announced in a press release issued by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce on April 19. The team will seek new sources of funding before next season begins.

There also will be open tryouts and practice at 7 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. May 25 at Capaha Field.

"Anybody that has college games left this year, we can't have them at practice even if the coach says they can," Bolen said. "I just don't want them to come out and get a turned ankle or something and miss out on the end of their college season."

Bolen said that those players still in their college season can contact him to let him know they're interested as well as anyone that has questions about the tryouts. He can be reached at 573-979-1089.

The Capahas open their season on June 1.