INDIANS BEGIN STATE TITLE QUEST THURSDAY; JOHN PANNELL HONORED WITH SPECIAL AWARD
Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians Brenden Asher makes a play at second base, as teammate Kael Siemers looks on during the recent Stan Musial Tournament at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium in Bartlesville. The Indians are set to play in the Oklahoma American Legion Baseball tournament on Thursday in Ada.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
July 20, 2025
By Mike Tupa
Will the Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians be celebrating like it’s 1978?
That’s the last time Bartlesville won the state championship of Oklahoma American Legion Baseball — but the stars might be lining up next weekend for the Indians to break the drought.
Veteran Bartlesville manager/head coach John Pannell said only two of his players won’t be able to play, due to American Legion age rules — Brett Eaves and Bryce Sickler.
Otherwise, Pannell’s entire slate players will be eligible to participate in this year’s state tourney, which begins this Thursday at East Central University (Ada).
The Indians open up at noon Thursday by playing the Ada A’s.
The tourney kicks off at 10 a.m. with Duncan playing the Oklahoma A’s.
At 2 p.m., The Braves take on the Duncan-Oklahoma A’s winner.
There will be one losers’ bracket game at 4 p.m. Thursday.
The winners’ bracket semifinal is set for 10 a.m. Friday, followed by two elimination games. The presumptive championship game is set for 4 p.m. Friday.
Should there be a need, an “if” championship contest is provided for at 10 a.m. Saturday.
At stake — in addition to the state crown — is a spot in the American Legion Mid-South Regional, the final hurdle to playing in the American Legion World Series.
Tug Baughn served as Bartlesville’s manager/head coach for the 1978 team that won the state title and advanced to the regional.
Pannell’s 2025 squad appears like it could have the right stuff as well — deep quality pitching; versatility in defensive personnel, particularly at catcher and on the infield; several batters capable of delivering quality at-bats; momentum (the team won 12 games the past three weeks); some college experience; and a resume of several come-from-behind rallies.
“Definitely our pitching,” Pannell said about what he feels the difference-maker might be. “If we get our defense to play well we’ll have a really good shot. … We know we have the ability to do it.”
In an interesting dichotomy, the Indians didn’t face any of the other Oklahoma Legion teams during the regular season, but they did show up strong against some very respected Legion teams from surrounding states.
In related news, Pannell recently received the AABC B.O. Brown Sportsmanship Award — a national honor — during the Stan Musial World Series.
Pannell is closing in on 400 career victories with the Indians and is second in all-time wins.
Bartlesville Doenges Toyota Indians manager/head coach John Pannell received the AABC B.O. Brown Sportsmanship Award — a national honor — during the Stan Musial World Series.
Photo provided