The Mustangs established their power in St. Joseph this summer, drawing thousands of people a night to Phil Welch Stadium.

Today, the organization hopes to earn itself status as a regional powerhouse.

The Mustangs open play in the Central USA Regional Tournament today in Clarinda, Iowa. They face the Omaha Strike Zone at 4:30 p.m.

"We're all real excited about this," Mustangs outfielder Ryan Hook said. "We're trying to get the Mustangs on the map."

The Strike Zone builds its team much like St. Joseph did this past year, relying on Omaha- and Lincoln-area players.

One of those is Omaha pitcher Ben Stedronsky, who will start today against the Mustangs and is well known to St. Joseph coach Matt Johnson. Stedronsky plays college ball at Northwest Missouri State, where Johnson is an assistant coach.

"We've been texting back and forth," Johnson said. "I say, 'I hope you do well but not too well.'"

Stedronsky pitched mostly in relief for the Bearcats. But Johnson said he's done well in the starting role at Omaha.

"He's not going to blow anything by you," Johnson said. "He mixes speeds well and locates well. But hopefully he'll miss some spots, and we can hammer him a few times."

A few days off this week charged up the Mustangs, Hook said, and the team enters the tournament ready to convince the region that it belongs among the best.

"I don't think one team beat us this year; pretty much every loss, I really believe we beat ourselves," Hook said. "Mistakes and a lack of intensity cost us sometimes, especially on the road."

But those issues are unlikely to resurface today, Hook said.

"We know this is a you-lose-you're-out situation," he said. "These are the last games we're going to be playing with each other, and we want to keep it going as long as possible. We're going to be focused."

Blake Thomas - with a 4-1 record, an ERA just over 4 and 45 strikeouts in 46 innings - will start for the Mustangs.

And if Hook, Thomas and the Mustangs emerge from the five-team field, they'll earn a berth to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., where play begins on Aug. 1.

"All of us, our dreams are to play at the next level, and the NBC is known for having scouts galore," Hook said. "We want to get there to have the chance to be looked at and showcase our skills."

Sports Editor Scott Pummell can be reached at scottp@npgco.com