The Mon-Clair League playoff championship series took place Saturday at Borsch Park in Valmeyer, pitting the host Lakers against the rival Waterloo Buds. 

After winning game one, 3-1, the Lakers sealed the deal in game two with an 8-0 victory. Valmeyer ace lefthander Jacob Thompson was dominant on the mound like he had been all season, securing the playoffs MVP honor. 

The title was particularly special for Lakers manager Mike McCarthy, whose father passed away last Tuesday.

“I went from having a pretty low first part of the week to a high at the end,” McCarthy said.

Valmeyer advanced to the finals with a 1-0 shutout over the Belleville Rockies on Aug. 3, getting a nine-inning complete game from Thompson. 

In game one on Saturday, pitching again dominated for Valmeyer as southpaw Philip Reinhardt went five solid innings and Luke Gasser secured a two-inning save. 

Kameron Hanvey, who led the Lakers in hitting during the regular season at .393, went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jacob Rowold and Kenny Otero also had RBIs for Valmeyer. 

In game two, Thompson continued where he left off the game prior. He threw a seven-inning shutout to clinch the title for the Lakers.

“He was clearly the (playoffs) MVP,” McCarthy said of Thompson, who pitched 16 scoreless innings in the postseason after going 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 41 innings pitched during the regular season. “He’s been our best pitcher the past few seasons.”

At the plate in game two, Hanvey went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, with both Trevor Davis and Cole Juelfs going 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Waterloo reached the finals by virtue of upsetting defending league playoff champion Millstadt on Aug. 3. The Green Machine won the regular season title with a record of 18-7 after also winning the Valmeyer Midsummer Classic over the July 4 holiday.

McCarthy said Waterloo’s win over Millstadt was huge for his squad.

“Without a doubt, that helped us,” he said. “Millstadt has a great team and always plays us tough.”

In addition to the previously mentioned players for the Lakers, other key offensive contributors all season for Valmeyer included Matt Helm (.368, 24 RBIs) and Evan Davis (.352, 20 RBIs). 

The Lakers were without the talents of infielder Evan Davis for the finals, as he had to leave for college. McCarthy said that forced a change in his defensive alignment, moving Hanvey from behind the plate to the infield.

“He really can play anywhere,” McCarthy said of Hanvey.

This move led to longtime Lakers player Mark Nappier – one of Valmeyer High School’s all-time best baseballers – catching all 14 innings Saturday in the searing heat. In addition to catching two solid pitching performances, Nappier collected a hit in each game of the finals.

“He really stepped up for us,” McCarthy said.

The Lakers manager was also impressed by the play of former Gibault standout Brady Biffar, who came up with some big at-bats in the playoffs.

The playoff title comes after Valmeyer won the league’s trifecta in 2023, which is the Valmeyer Midsummer Classic title, regular season title and playoffs title.

Valmeyer also won the playoffs title in 2022.

McCarthy heaped high praise on his longtime assistant coach, Brad Juelfs, for a great deal of the team’s success.

“He’s a smarter baseball guy than me and I consult him on every decision,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy was open with his team about the emotional roller-coaster he was riding due to his father’s passing and was more than pleased with the positive ending to this season.

“I told the team how proud of them I was,” he said.

McCarthy also felt there was a strong force up above guiding his team to victory.

“He’d been a Lakers fan for 35 years, and I know he was looking down on us Saturday,” McCarthy said.