SKOWHEGAN — In the final practice before opening day, the Skowhegan American Legion Senior baseball team got an ultimatum: Put up the wins, and the coaches will put up the money.

Going into the year, head coach Corey Hight and assistant Al Wilson wanted the team to play for something a little more than baseball itself. So, for every win, the two coaches have combined to donate $150 to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program through the Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge.

“We decided we wanted to play for a cause this year, and this seemed like a great one,” Wilson said. “The Elks Lodge runs a big fundraiser for the program, so that’s who we’re running it through. We told the boys, and they took right off with that; they loved it.”

It’s had this Skowhegan squad playing with an extra bit of juice this summer. Now, with the biggest part of the season approaching, one of the state’s stronger teams is hoping to put some more wins under its belt along with the cash for a cause that will come with them.

At 9-6, Skowhegan enters the American Legion state tournament as the South Zone tournament champion. The team has the best run differential (+29) in the region and the second-best in the state behind the Trenton Acadians (+62). It will enter the tournament on a three-game winning streak.

With Wilson donating $100 per victory and Hight tacking on $50 per victory, Skowhegan, then, has raised $1,350 for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program through its coaches alone. Wilson said others outside the program have also donated undisclosed amounts following wins.

“I think it’s given us a motivation to play even harder,” said catcher Brenden Dunlap. “It’s a really good idea that’s given us something to play for; it keeps us playing hard and doesn’t let us get lackadaisical with the game of baseball, which is super awesome.”

Knowing the money is going toward children who need it, Dunlap and pitcher Noah McMahon agreed, has made the wins even sweeter. A lot is because of the relatability of the cause, which outfielder Chance Tibbetts said is sadly one that hits close to home for many.

“It means a lot (more to win now),” Tibbetts said. “I have family that have died of cancer, and it sucks. I don’t like cancer at all, and I want to help do what I can to beat it. What Coach Hight and Coach Wilson are doing for these kids with cancer is awesome, and it makes us want to win even more.”

Most of Skowhegan’s roster consists of players from Skowhegan Area High School’s varsity team, including Dunlap, McMahon, Chance Tibbetts, Jackson Hight and Silas Tibbetts. There’s also Griffin Aldrich and Xavier Estes from Madison and Fisher Tewksbury from Valley.

It’s a collection of players from the more rural parts of central Maine, something this group of boys fully embraces. Unlike league foes such as Franklin County (Flyers), Bangor (Comrades) or Quirk Motor City (Riverdogs), Skowhegan lacks an official nickname. There is, though, one it takes on: “Country Boys.”

“It’s a name we came up with a couple years ago,” McMahon said. “It just kind of fits with the personnel we have on the team because that’s our identity and who we are. Everybody is there and working hard, and that’s just kind of how it fell into place for all of us.”

Skowhegan is set to begin the state Legion tournament at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the Old Town/Orono Twins (3-9) at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor. The team would advance to the winners’ bracket against either the Riverdogs or Boothbay 36ers. A loss would send it to the losers’ bracket against the Quirk Motor City-Boothbay loser.

Playing some of its best ball of the year entering the tournament, Skowhegan likes its chances to rack up even more wins. Doing so could mean a long tournament run — and, more importantly, an even bigger chunk of money toward helping some children who need it most.

“That’s the main goal, to help the kids,” Chance Tibbetts said. “Right now, our bats are starting to heat up, and we’re hitting a lot better. Our pitching has always been there for us, so if we can just be consistent, I think we’ve got a pretty good shot.” 

Franklin County, which topped the Southern Maine standings at 11-3, will also look to make a deep run out of central Maine with just one defeat in its past 12 games. The Flyers will battle Bangor (9-5) in their tournament opener at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Also competing out of central Maine is Capital Area (8-6), which will face the North Zone champ Trenton Acadians (11-2) at noon Saturday. The Acadians won the state title last year and also claimed the Northeast regional championship.