‘Like a big family’: Kane County Cougars returning many key players in bid for 3rd straight title
Pitcher Konnor Ash doesn’t even fully remember the moment when the Kane County Cougars won the Miles Wolff Cup Finals last season. He blacked out.
In the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 5 of the Finals with Kane County leading 7-4, Ash threw a splitter that was grounded to third base. Thrown to second. Thrown to first. Double play. Game over. Championship.
“I was so freaking happy,” Ash said. “It was crazy. I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ It was a breath of fresh air.”
Ash is one of many key Cougars returners, who are seeking their third consecutive American Association championship. Kane County opens its season at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva against the Kansas City Monarchs at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Infielder Todd Lott is set to enter Year 4 with the Cougars, having been part of the team’s previous two championship squads. In a league in which continuity can be rare, manager George Tsamis and Kane County have cracked the code by retaining much of their key talent. Lott credited the team culture for this.
“We’re just like a big family,” Lott said. “Most of the dudes came here three, four years ago, and we all just clicked here. We’re all comfortable here. George did a good job with everything that he did from his standpoint. It’s just a great spot.”
The Cougars are returning four 2025 East Division All-Stars from last season, including Ash and Lott. Ash is coming off a season in which he led Kane County in innings pitched with 124, posting a 2.76 ERA in the process. Lott paced the Cougars with a .320 batting average, 166 total bases and 58 RBI.
“When the season ends, guys can go anywhere they want, but all these guys, it was their choice to come back here, and that just tells you what a great place it is to play in Kane County,” Tsamis said. “Guys love the atmosphere, the big crowds. It’s a great organization. It’s really important to have the core guys back.”
Kane County is just the third team in American Association history to win two consecutive titles. The 2026 independent minor-league baseball season presents the organization with the historic opportunity to become the first team to win three straight titles.
Tsamis is making sure to remind his squad that winning isn’t a given, something the Cougars learned in the 2025 regular season. Entering the playoffs, they were 49-51, the third seed in the East Division. They were pushed to the brink in each round of the postseason, going the full three games in the first round before playing the full five games in the semifinals and finals.
“I don’t care what level — if you’re in Little League, if you’re in the big leagues, it’s pretty hard to win a championship,” Tsamis said. “To do it back-to-back years, that is really tough to do. It just tells you about the guys. They were determined.”
In the 2026 season, Kane County will lean on its championship DNA and experience. A gritty group of grinders, according to Ash and Lott, the Cougars are aiming to make American Association history.
“We’re all shooting to win a championship,” Tsamis said. “That’s what our goal is. That’s what every team in the league, that should be their goal, and that’s what it is. To have a chance to three-peat, at whatever level it is, is an amazing thing, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”