Mustangs reclaim MINK League title
By Jacob Meikel
The St. Joseph Mustangs are MINK League champions once again after defeating arch rival Clarinda 3-1 in Game 3 of the MINK League Championship series on Saturday night.
The low-scoring bout between the top two teams in the league ended in the Mustangs winning their ninth MINK League title in team history.
It took nearly four total innings before either team could strike first on the scoreboard. The Mustangs were able to score a run in the bottom of the fourth, and two more in the bottom of the fifth to give themselves just enough cushion with a 3-0 lead, all that was needed was to play solid defense to close it out.
The Mustangs finish the season with 40 wins following their championship victory on Saturday on their home field. Saturday was also a night of redemption, as the Mustangs fell in the exact same series last season to the Jefferson City Renegades.
“It’s not just for us. It’s for the city, too. I mean, we’re here to play a game,” right fielder Easton Bruce said after the victory.
Capping off the season with a league title was exactly the storybook ending select players were looking for. Local product Noah Bodenhausen had spent the past four seasons playing for the Mustangs, but Saturday marked the last time he’ll play for the Mustangs in his collegiate career.
“I’m just glad that my last season ended this way,” Bodenhausen said. “You can’t ask for a better way to end it.”
Mustangs head coach Johnny Coy led the team to yet another MINK League Championship in 2024, capping off a memorable baseball season for the do-it-all coach from St. Joseph. In May, Coy led Benton baseball to a second place finish in the MSHSAA Class 4 state tournament. Coy reflected on the year, saying he’s lucky to be surrounded by so many good players.
“It makes my job easy when guys come to play every single day, do all the extra work and do whatever they can to be the best baseball player they can be,” Coy said.
