By nearly every measure, the St. Joseph Mustangs exceeded expectations in their inaugural season. Crowds surged all the way until a record 4,000-plus cheered on the Phil Welch Stadium finale. The team started 12-0 at home, then nearly battled to a MINK League North division title before succumbing during the last regular-season series.

And it all started with two simple philosophies. First, compile a roster built with speed and defense as the top priority. Next? Just have fun.

"At the first meeting, I think the first thing I said was, 'Hey, you guys got to be able to laugh at yourself. If you can't, you're on the wrong ball club,'" said Matt Johnson, the team's first-year manager. "Because we're going to poke fun at each other and just enjoy ourselves. That's our approach."

Attitude proved to be the key ingredient to the on-the-field success the Mustangs enjoyed this year, Johnson said.

"Team chemistry was incredible," Johnson said. "I loved the atmosphere. I think everyone did."

The decision to build for speed and defense paid off, too.

"We were extremely fast and put a lot of pressure on defenses," Johnson said.

The speed helped the Mustangs steal nearly 120 bases in their 45 games. And the team hit well for average - nearly 20 percentage points ahead of the second-best team in the league - while also showing some unexpected power.

Brent Seifert, for example, displayed that explosiveness when he knocked a ball completely over both left field walls in the home finale.

"It was nice to see some power come along with these guys swinging with wood bats," Johnson said. "They were way above expectations."

Seifert, from Cameron, Mo., stands as an example of another strength: players with local connections. Outfielder Ryan Hook, infielder Johnny Coy and catcher Landinn Eckhardt - all from St. Joseph - also provided critical contributions.

"I've always known there was a ton of talent here in St. Joe," Johnson said. "That was one of the things I really wanted to do, was get them involved and give them a chance."

General manager Rick Muntean said the nuts and bolts of the team won't change much next year. Johnson will be back, and the organization will recruit players with the same priorities in mind: speed and defense with an emphasis on finding local contributors.

"The local guys really did us justice," Muntean said. "Not only were they great baseball players, but they were excellent with the fans. That's a big deal. They wanted to do things for community."

One shift, Johnson said, is that he'll try to build better pitching depth.

"It got to be a long season. We had a couple of guys get injured, and that caused us some problems," Johnson said. "It can be wearing on a few guys when they've been throwing all fall and spring, and then keep it up in the summer. If we have just a little more depth, then I think we'll be a lot better off."