"Some guys need time off," current Clarke assistant coach and former Clarke shortstop Dan Spain said. "If mentally you're drained, you need that. For me, I need to play more."

Numerous summer baseball leagues offer Spain and others this chance. This summer, several Crusaders gravitated to the Key West Ramblers, an eastern Iowa amateur team located just south of Dubuque that plays every year from May until August in wooden bat leagues. Nine current or former Clarke players donned a Key West uniform for at least one game over the summer.

"I definitely want them to play (over the summer)," Clarke head coach Chad Harris said. "They have to get better. They've got to work on things.

"We send some to leagues throughout the country, and some stay local. Key West seems to be a good fit for many of them."

Outfielder Jared Munson

Clarke leadoff man and centerfielder Jared Munson, who last season led the Crusaders in numerous categories, including batting average (.351), hits (54) and total bases (73), played his first season with the Ramblers this summer. He thrived, hitting a team-best .404 with a .507 on base percentage for Key West.

Playing for Key West provided the opportunity to become closer with his Clarke teammates and stay in Dubuque rather than return to his hometown of Reno, Nevada. It was an experience too good for Munson to pass up.

"We had a great group of guys," Munson said. "It was always fun. We're all pretty close."

Munson's play for Key West closely resembled his play at Clarke, where he was an MCC Gold Glover in 2010 and a force at the top of the lineup.

"The best word to describe him is catalyst," Harris said. "He's the best two-strike hitter I've ever coached. He'll find a way to put the ball in play, and when he gets on it's almost a guaranteed run. He's got a high baseball IQ. He's a team captain and a good kid on the team."

Munson teamed with fellow Crusaders in Spain, outfielder Cory Davidson, pitcher Chris Brewer, shortstop Ryan Kelly, outfielder Alex McKinlay and Clarke newcomer and middle infielder Roberto Rivero to make Key West one of the top amateur teams in the area. Spain has played with the Ramblers since 2007 and quickly started a Clarke pipeline leading to the small town of Key West.

"I'm loyal to Key West," Spain said. "I believe in the team and in the coaching staff. I enjoy the guys we play with. Some of the guys don't get to play as much, but they still come-that shows a lot about them. We have a bunch of great guys."

Spain, a 2009 Clarke graduate, batted .381 with a pair of homers and 28 RBI for the Ramblers this season. Chris Briggs, who played the past two seasons with Clarke, led Key West in home runs (7), RBI (35) and total bases (78). Rivero, a native of Venezuela, who comes to the Crusaders by way of Southeastern Illinois College, cracked seven hits in 22 at bats as a Rambler.

All owe their membership with Key West to Spain, who is already drawing rave reviews as an assistant coach. His combination of knowledge and passion for baseball made him an easy choice for Harris' staff.

"He's always been an upstanding person as a player and as a student assistant coach last year," Harris said. "He definitely knows baseball. He's another good character guy to be around our players. He's really ambitious. I think it's the beginning of a successful coaching career."

Harris and the Crusaders hope summer baseball helps keep the team sharp for a new season next spring. Harris believes strongly in the usefulness of learning to hit with a wooden bat, as many Clarke players did with Key West. Munson, who was amazingly once cut from his high school baseball team in Nevada, probably wishes the season would begin tomorrow.

"I can't wait-senior year," Munson said. "It's all I got left."