Editor’s Note: This is the first of a twopart series.

Excelsior Springs’ Class 4 state championship run this spring in baseball is a hint of seasons to come, according to Coleman Weber.

Weber, Excelsior Springs’ head junior varsity (JV) coach, predicted a bright future when he spoke to players and fans during the high school baseball program’s end-of-season banquet, held June 22 in the high school commons area.

Weber opened his speech by recapping the JV team’s season. As he pointed out, it opened with the boys trouncing Raytown 21-5.

“Started off really, really hot,” he said. “Then, we hit a tough skid. We lost a couple tough games against bigger schools that we thought we could compete against – and we competed, but it was just too much in the long run.”

Specifically, the JV Tigers dropped four straight, as Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) records state, including back-to-back losses to Class 6 schools – North Kansas City and then Lee’s Summit West.

But the JV Tig…