There were times last season when coach Jason Daugherty had to have wondered if the baseball gods were giving him and his team a learning lesson.
After reaching the state finals in Class 3 in three of the prior four years – including winning a state championship in 2014 – Springfield Catholic’s Fighting Irish finished only 12-12.
“I lost weight. I lost hair. It was just a really rough season on me,” Daugherty said recently, and figured his players had a much more difficult time.
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However, from that learning experience emerged a group that regained its footing – and confidence – in summer ball, and the Irish look to be much more competitive this season.
Start with the pitching staff, which is strong in numbers.
Austin Larson, a senior right-hander, returns as the likely No. 1 starter. But he’s not a one-man band. Far from it. Mason Dickemann, a junior right-hander, returns along with Jake Neff. And add in an intriguing freshman, Will Duff.
Despite a 5-4 record, Larson finished with a 2.63 earned run average.
“(Larson’s) got a lower arm angle, so he’s got some movement on the ball,” Daugherty said. “He’s not going to blow it by anybody. But what makes him good is he’s a competitor. He’s mid-70s (on his fastball). He locates and gets groundball outs.”
Dickemann likes to challenge hitters with a high-80s fastball, but he may be better by dialing it down a notch or two.
“He can wing it. But last year what got him in trouble was he lacked command,” Daugherty said. “I’ve see him lately and his command is looking better already. Is he going to paint all day? Probably not. But he’s got a deuce and his change-up isn’t bad.”
The slight improvements Daugherty is spotting in preseason is a carry-over from last summer, when the Irish appeared to begin to mature.
Their slow maturation process was probably to be expected. All of last year’s starters were junior varsity players in 2014, when the Irish finished 28-4 as part of a tremendous four-year run.
“I thought we did some good things in the summer,” Daugherty said. “We were really competing. It was a different attitude. This group, they were always in the shadows. All of a sudden, expectations were on their shoulders. We made so many mistakes (before settling down).”
Which is why Daugherty is eager to see the progress continue.
The lineup features second baseman Ben Rash, who was the team’s best hitter last year. Also look for Larson, Duff, Neff and Dickemann in the mix along with Grant Schoen and Luke Shelangoski and Landon Kelly.
Rash, a first team all-conference and first-team all-district, hit a team-best .375 with 14 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
“(Rash) really isn’t a drive-it-out-of-the-park type of hitter, but he can hit the ball to all fields,” Daugherty said. “He’s had a lot of line drives.”
Duff could become an X-factor. He’s athletic enough to play either shortstop, third or outfield and make varsity starts on the mound. However, he missed most of last summer after suffering a broken collarbone.
“He’s quick and has a pretty good idea,” Daugherty said. “He hit the ball out of the park with a wood bat the other day. He’s definitely one of the best freshmen in the area.”
Should Duff keep the line moving, it could help set up the Irish’s power hitters, Grant Shoen and Luke Shelangoski.
“We had zero home runs last year,” Daugherty said. “Shoen has shown improvement since last spring. He hit one out at Hillcrest last summer. And Luke’s swing is really starting to come around.”
Look for a trio of catchers in Tristan Gumucio, Hayes Hutter and Kody Zarechi. Gumucio probably throws it the best, and Zarechi, a sophomore, is intriguing – but both are in their first year of catching. Hutter blocks it well and is a heads-up ballplayer.
Look for Zach Cole, a freshman, in the outfield while Tate Hutter also should be in the mix.
Overall, it’ll be a spring in which the Irish can show everybody what they learned last year, tough as it was.
“I think it makes you hungry. There is only so much you can take,” Daugherty said. “I think now we have something to prove.”
Springfield Catholic Fighting Irish
Coach: Jason Daugherty (266-101 overall, 199-65 at Catholic)
Last year: 12-12
Pitching staff: RHP Austin Larson, RHP Mason Dickemann, RHP Will Duff, Justin Haake, Kody Zarechi, Zach Cole
Lineup: 2B Ben Rash, Austin Larson, Will Duff, Jake Neff, Mason Dickemann, Grant Schoen, Luke Shelangoski, Landon Kelly, Tristan Gumucio, Tate Hutter.
Bench: Seth Kamykowski, Fintan Long, Drew Davis, Michael Ruhlman, Lincoln Jones, Hunter Brown, Hunter Puckett, Casey Console, Parker Nichols, Alex Ricci, Tanner Merz, Austin Goans, Ramiro Avila, Paul Kalapathy.
Schedule
March
18 – vs. Mount Vernon, 21-26 – at Bolivar/Buffalo Tournament, 30 – vs. Strafford
April
2 – VS. Chouteau, Okla., at Hollister & at Hollister; 8-9 – at Harrison, Ark., Tournament 12 – vs. Rogersville, 14 – at Reeds Spring; 18-23 – at SW Wood Bat Classic; 25 – vs. New Covenant Academy; 26 – at Bolivar; 28 – at Marshfield; 30 – vs. Parkview & Pleasant Hope at Parkview
May
4 – at Aurora, 5 – vs. Buffalo, 9 – vs. Seneca; 10 – at Republic; 14-17 – District Tournament; 23-25 – Sectionals/Quarterfinals
