Kenny Keller played in the Class B American Legion baseball tournament in 2007 and 2008.

The prospect of playing in another is one of the reasons why the 19-year-old catcher from Harvey returned this summer for one last legion season.

"Any time you play in a state tournament, it's a great time," said Keller, who completed his freshman year at Jamestown College last month. "We have a good legion program at Harvey and we always think we have a chance to go to state. This is my last year playing baseball. It would be nice to end it that way."

Harvey's summer baseball campaign begins today at the Bismarck "B" Classic. Eight other teams will also play in the annual pool-play tournament at Bismarck's Municipal Ballpark and Haaland Field. A total of 18 games will be played today, Saturday and Sunday.

Keller said winning the tournament would be a feather in Harvey's cap, but noted that the team's primary focus this weekend is to prepare for the season ahead.

"It's the start of the year and we want to get an idea of where we're at, and what we need to work on to be competitive," Keller said. "For one thing, we have some new people and we want to see how they're going to fit in. This will be a good experience for us. We'll get a chance to play some good teams right away."

Keller will settle in behind the plate, a position he occupied the previous two seasons. Brad Birdsell, the new Harvey coach, said having a veteran catcher is always an advantage.

"Kenny's been at it a long time and he's one of the best (catchers) in our section," Birdsell said. "He does a nice job calling pitches, handling our staff and keeping things under control. One of the things that sets him apart is his arm. He makes it awfully tough for teams to run against us. He's thrown a lot of guys out over the years."

Keller is also productive at the plate.

"Kenny's one of our power guys," Birdsell said. "He'll bat in the fourth or fifth spot. We have kids ahead of him who do a good job setting the table. Kenny can certainly bring them in."

Harvey lost two significant players from last summer's state tournament entry - Bryan Krahler and Tanner Lorenz. Both were solid hitters and pitchers, but Keller said Harvey has some prospects who are ready to step in and fill the void.

"Harvey had a pretty good high school team. They're ready to go," he said. "They didn't make it to state, but I think they're a hungrier group because of that."

Birdsell expects Keller and Lorenz - an assistant coach this summer - to be big contributors in the development of the younger, inexperienced pitchers.

"It'll be good for them to have guys like Kenny and Tanner to help lead them along," Birdsell said. "They'll provide lots of wisdom and leadership."

Harvey's other veteran players include Michael Leier, Jacob Goldade and Bobby Bartz. All three played spring baseball, and also played huge roles in Harvey's Class A football state championship run last fall.

"Those kids are winners. They know what it takes to get to the top," Birdsell said. "They've got the right attitude, and it rubs off on the younger players."

Harvey, which went 1-2 in last summer's state tournament, also picked up three players from the disbanded Maddock legion program. They include Andrew Backstrom, one of the top pitchers in the area.

"Backstrom is a big addition," Birdsell said. "He's really going to help us."

The "B" Classic will be a homecoming of sorts for Birdsell, a 1987 graduate of Bismarck High School. He served as a coach in Bismarck's Parks and Recreation and Babe Ruth programs for seven years.

"I'm really looking forward to coming back there and coaching," Birdsell said. "I spent a lot of time at the ball parks (in Bismarck)."