Their top pitcher is now in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system, three other top standouts from last season secured college scholarships and their veteran pitching coach got a college job, too.
No reason to panic – at all – says Rogersville Wildcats baseball coach Casey Ledl, who actually enjoyed the preseason.
This despite graduating a senior class that was part of 70 wins, three Central Ozark Conference Small titles, three district titles and two Final Four runs.
“I know we have a lot of moving parts, but we have a lot of competition,” Ledl said. “In years past, we had kids who knew their spots, and there wasn’t quite (an overwhelming) competition for their jobs. So it’s kind of refreshing to get back to that competition.”
When the curtain rises on the baseball season, Rogersville obviously will have one of the largest targets on its collective back after a run of amazing success. But can these Wildcats handle the spotlight? That’s the obvious question – and one that Ledl is optimistic that his club will answer well.
In essence, the pitching staff returns a number of experienced arms, and the offense has some horses, too. Among them are senior captains Brett Denny, Jacob Zahn and Jordan Fitzpatrick.
It’s their show now, so to speak, and Ledl has done the wise thing in the preseason. He’s casually asked the trio to take on leadership, rather than demand it. It’s a strategy that guards against the natural tendency of high schoolers twisting themselves in knots trying to over-do everything following the departures of big names.
It would be understandable for players to try to over-compensate for what Rogersville graduated. The headliner was left-hander Jacob Schlesener (6-2, 2.93 ERA), who was signed away from a commitment to the University of Arkansas thanks to a hefty offer from the Cardinals. Others included Drury-signee Connor Pomering (4-3, 1.62), College of the Ozarks signee Tad Mitchell (.440 hitter) and Westminster signee Denver Brell. Plus, pitching coach Justin McMillin is now in the same role at C of O.
“As far as having a Schlesener throwing 92 (mph), we don’t have that guy,” Ledl said. “But we feel like we have five or six guys who can give us a chance win. We’re pretty excited about these guys.”
Look for Denny (2-1, 5 saves), Zahn (2-3, 3.95 ERA), Bailey Rettman (1-0, 5 saves, 1.07 ERA), Logan Eury (2-0, 1.95 ERA) and Ryan Gruener (1-1, 5.09) as likely starting pitchers.
Denny is a three-year letterman, Zahn is a crafty lefty who pitched against tough competition last year, and Rettman worked well in relief a year ago.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL SPRINGS SPORTS PREVIEWS
They are now under the watchful eye of one of Ledl’s former players, Chris Thompson, who spent previous seasons as pitching coach for Ozark High School.
“I don’t think the transition will be rough at all,” Ledl said. “The only thing that’s changed is the terminology.”
Adding a wrinkle, though, is the fact the Wildcats will have a new catcher following Pomering’s graduation.
Sophomores Christian Casanova and Devin Radke will be the other half of the battery. Ledl, who works with the catchers, has put them to the test on side-to-side slides, blocking balls in the dirt and everything else you can think of.
“They definitely have some skills,” Ledl said.
Offensively, Rogersville likely will try to use its athleticism more and rely less on power.
Fitzpatrick, who worked with Team USA last summer, is the big name in the lineup, having earned All-State as a freshman and sophomore as he hit better than .400 each season. He also is moving primarily to shortstop, giving Shane Gruener an athletic double-play partner.
Zahn likely will return to leadoff, although Ledl is kicking the tires on dropping him down in the order. That may prove difficult, considering Zahn hits for average.
The rest of the lineup will be a patchwork. Denny, senior Nathan Ashley, junior Isaac Ashley and junior Nathan Chainey will share the corner infield spots and designated hitter role. Nathan Ashley is back after suffering a knee injury last year. Radke is big body with some power.
“We’ve been able to sit back and hit a lot,” Ledl said of recent years. “Now we’re looking at some small-ball type of (strategy). Everybody hates that word. But we definitely want to put guys in motion. We want to take advantage of their athleticism.”
The Wildcats certainly will be put to the test. Ledl has scheduled 13 games against Class 5 schools, and they’ll have big matchups against other teams that were state ranked last season: Monett, Bolivar, Mountain Grove and Carl Junction.
That’s by design, of course. The focus is on being battle-tested come postseason time.
For Ledl, he has emphasized to his players to stay on an even keel.
“Don’t put too much stock into winning and losing early,” Ledl said of his words to his team. “If we play good baseball, we’ll win our share of games.”
Rogersville Wildcats
Coach: Casey Ledl (70-19 record in 4 seasons)
Last year: 19-10 (Class 3 state sectionals)
Key pitchers: RHP Brett Denny (2-1, 5 saves), LHP Jacob Zahn (2-3, 3.95 ERA), RHP Bailey Rettman (1-0, 5 saves, 1.07 ERA), LHP Logan Eury (2-0, 1.95 ERA) and RHP Ryan Gruener (1-1, 5.09).
Key hitters: Leadoff – Zahn, SS Jordan Fitzpatrick (.400 hitter), Denny, Zahn, Rettman, R. Gruener, Shane Gruener
Newcomers: Nathan Ashley, Issac Ashley Nathan Chainey, Brett Carter, Christian Casanova, Jarrett Stiles, Teagan Rambo, Devin Radke, Cameron Chesick, Brayden Sell, Adam Melgren, Chesley McDonald.
Schedule:
March
(First five games at Lael Leadoff Tournament): 19-24 — at Carl Junction; 21 – vs. Nixa; 22 – at Republic; 23 – at Webb City; 24 – at Branson; 20 – vs. Mount Vernon
April
2 – at Willard Festival; 4 – vs. Aurora; 5 – at Buffalo; 7 – vs. Bolivar; 8-9 – at Hollister Invitational vs. Prairie Grove, Greene County Tech & Brookland; 12 – at Springfield Catholic; 14 – at Hillcrest; 16 – at Parkview; 16 – at Carthage; 19 – vs. Marshfield; 26 – vs. Reeds Spring; 27 – vs. Mountain Grove; 28 – vs. Ava; 30 – at Willard & Kickapoo at Kickapoo
May
2 – at Hollister, 5 – at Cassville; 6 – vs. Webb City; 10 – at Republic; 12 – vs. Monett; 14-18 – District Tournament at Hollister
