The 1913 season was opened with great fanfare in Kearney. The Kearney Hub printed a proclamation from Mayor W. H. Knagg as follows:
"It is my desire, that Thursday, May 15, opening date of the league baseball season in Kearney, be generally appropriately observed by making the afternoon of said date a half holiday and that all merchants close their place of business from at least 2 o'clock in the afternoon until the close of the game. A good baseball team is one of the best advertising mediums that a city can have; therefore, let us show our appreciation of Kearney's team by giving it a big crowd on Thursday afternoon."

Special trains were commissioned to take fans from the "highline" area to the game to be returning after the contest. A lot of fans from Gibbon and Shelton were expected.

The days program began with a street parade from Central Avenue north to Athletic Park. The Normal Band provided the music for the parade. An opening day crowd of over 1,100 was on hand to watch the Kapitalists beat York 5 to 0 with Maples pitching the shutout.

Some Sunday games were played in Gibbon. A special train was engaged by the fans to go from Kearney to Gibbon and back for 50 cents.

Regulars:

Manager Harry Berte was a forty two year old twenty four year veteran from Covington Kentucky. He played minor league ball as a youngster and had a four game career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1903. He came to Kearney as manager in the middle of the 1911 season. His offseason was spent on his farm in Lee Summit Missouri. He died in 1952 in Los Angeles California.

Second baseman Ben T. Acock made his debut as a pro with Hutchinson Kansas in 1910. Originally from Lees Summit Missouri, he also played for Kewanee Illinois before coming to the Kapitalists. He was married and spent his off season time in Lees Summit as a landscape gardner. He held a .333 average for the 1913 season.

Alfred Horace Erixson played catcher and right field for the Kapitalists. He was a twenty year old rookie from Omaha Nebraska. He found the NSL pitching to be difficult as he managed a .237 average for the season.

Homer W."Dolly" Gray alternated with Erixson at catcher and in right field. From Nokomis Illinois he was a twenty nine year old veteran of the minor leagues. He broke into the minors with the Cairo Illinois club. He played with the Kapitalists in 1911 and 1912. In 1911 he took a day trip to Grand Island with a Miss Chloe Salzgabber and they came back as Mr. & Mrs. Gray. They set up their home in Kearney and worked at a "picture" business when not playing baseball. In 1912 he averaged .258 and his average improved to .411 in 1913.

First base for the Kapitalists was held down by F. H. "Red" Herriott. He was born in Canton Illinois and went back to Canton for the off season. He batted .297 for Kearney in 1912 and .363 in 1913.

Pitcher Joe Lotz was from Remson Iowa. He was 26-9 in 1912 and 16-14 in 1913 playing both seasons for Kearney. In 1910 he played for Omaha in the Western League. In 1916 he made it to the major leagues, pitching in 12 games for the Cardinals. He was 0-3, pitching a total of 40 innings in the major leagues.

Pitcher LeRoy Plympton had a 17-9 record for Kearney in 1913. The twenty six year old from Galesburg Illinois was a six year veteran of minor league ball. He started his professional career with Vicksburg Mississippi. He played for Great Bend in the Central Kansas League in 1912 where he led the team to the pennant with a 16-8 record. He also had a 4-2 record in the NSL in 1912. His offseason time was spent with his family in Burlington Iowa.

PitcherRolla H. "Lefty" Maples (also spelled Mapels in some papers) was also 17-9 for the Kapitalists in 1913. He started with Great Bend in the Central Kansas League and also played at Ft. Worth Texas. He called Fort Scott Kansas home in the off season. He made it to the show in 1919 and had a 0-3 record with the St. Louis Browns.

Pitcher A. J. "Pat" Patrick was a twenty six year old from Arlington Kentucky. He started in professional baseball when he was twenty years old with Jacksonville Illinois. He was 4-1 for Kearney in 1912 and 3-2 in 1913.

Left Field was held down by John Singleton from Richmond Virginia. He batted .337 in the 26 games he played for the Kapitalists. He played for Minneapolis Kansas in 1912 where he batted .263 and lived in Oklahoma City Oklahoma in the off season.

Center Fielder Hugo Scheuron was a twenty two year old from St. Louis Missouri. He batted .287 for Kearney in 1912 and .373 in 1913.

Third base was held by Frank Synek. He batted .311 for the season improving on his 1912 average of .261. (his name was also spelled Synk, Seynk and Synak by various publications). He was born in Omaha and lived in Niobrara Nebraska. He started in professional ball at McPherson Kansas and was twenty five years old in 1913.

Shortstop Frank "Woodie" Woodruff was a twenty one year old from Omaha Nebraska. According to the Kearney Hub he played in 1912 for Nebraska City but the Spalding guide does not list him with the Nebraska City MINK franchise. In 1913 he batted .308 in 112 games.

Pitcher William Wright was from Ft. Scott Kansas. He started his professional career with Kearney in 1912 and had a 5-6 record.

Nebraska State League Standings 1913

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