With only a 12-man roster, it might be understandable if coach Beau Davis dropped an edict on his Billings Wildcats to play it safe. No outfielders diving for Texas League singles. No crazy stuff on the base paths.
Well, right? Not by a long shot.
“My philosophy is aggressive baseball in every aspect,” Davis said. “I played that way. If injuries hit us, we’ll deal with them as they come.”
Such a strategy actually may energize Billings even more as the season gets under way. After all, why not let it all loose? The team finds itself ranked No. 9 in a Class 1 preseason poll and returns three starting pitchers and an apparent lights-out closer who can work two innings. Plus, the offense offers intrigue.
“You have to let them play baseball,” Davis said, “and I don’t hold them back.”
Billings’ lofty ranking likely will raise eyebrows, given the team finished only 11-13 last year. What folks may not realize is that the team lost No. 1 starter Nolan McCain to an elbow injury last April and also lost 1-0 in the district championship to Hurley, which went on to place third in the state tournament.
That’s only added fuel to the Wildcats’ fire.
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McCain is back after he nursed an elbow issue after only a few starts. He was 4-1 with a 2.52 earned run average, striking out 31. Because he is a lanky, 6-foot-2 left-hander, he has the potential to set up hitters well. Which also helps explain why he is drawing interest from juco coaches.
“He had a great fall last year and we expect to ride on his back,” Davis said.
McCain has a nice mix with an 80 mph fastball, curve, change-up and splitter.
“He’s not going to blow the gun out of any scouts’ hands,” McCain said. “But his command is what’s going to get him to college. … He’s going to stay inside. When he misses, he misses small. I’m not worried about him putting one over the plate.”
The other two starters are Kyle Kimberling and Kaleb Clinton, both seniors. Kimberling was 5-3 with a 4.50 ERA last year, when Clinton was 1-1 with a 3.11 ERA. Both need to eat innings, and Davis is confident they will after handling the workload post-McCain last spring.
Reed Hunter can cover the final innings.
They all will be pitching likely to a freshman, Tyler Essick, whose older brother Austin set the school home-run record a few years ago. The younger Essick has some catching experience and, in reverse order from most other programs, it will be the upperclassmen pitchers guiding him through games. Well, Davis will factor, too. You see, Davis calls pitches. It helps that Essick’s pop times to second base are 2.0 seconds.
“He’s going to be good as a sophomore, junior and senior,” said Davis, a 1999 Republic High School graduate who also pitched at Southwest Baptist before graduating in 2006. “For a freshman, he’s going to work on his blocking. But I’ve had seniors not block as well as him.”
The lineup calls for Harter batting leadoff, followed by Clinton at shortstop, second baseman Wyatt Gold, first baseman Kyle Kimberling, McCain, Essick, catcher/third baseman Aiden Hunter, left fielder Peyton Gold and right fielder/second baseman Luke Johnson.
Gold is the big stick in the lineup. He batted a team-best .541 with 40 hits a year ago. Davis is optimistic that Hunter and Clinton can get on base ahead of him, especially after a recent jamboree at Seymour, where Gold crushed a three-run home run.
“That’s what you want to see the first day of the season,” Davis said with a bit of a chuckle.
Gold is a junior and showed improvement last season as Davis coached the Republic varsity summer program.
“He did excellent,” Davis said. “As far as playing all 5A schools, he was an above-average player.”
Kimberling is looking at Central Methodist and Hannibal-LaGrange. He hit .367 and is back at cleanup.
“He’s a big-body kid but he moves well,” Davis said. “People try to pitch around him. But he can hit to the opposite field or pull it.”
With Harter, freshman Peyton Gold and Luke Johnson, Billings should cover a lot of ground in the outfield. The roster includes Grant Seager, Ethan Mooneyham and Duncan Hunter.
“In my five years of coaching, this will be the fastest outfield I’ve had,” said Davis, now in his second season at Billings after previously coaching at Pierce City. “I’m excited to see how that plays out. I think that’s going to be a big boost for us.”
Billings should contend in the SWCL, but the district could be challenging. It includes Hurley, Exeter, Verona, Wheaton and Bradleyville.
And Davis assumes the word is out about Billings’ No. 9 ranking. But …
“The kids are excited. They don’t buy into the preseason rankings too much,” Davis said. “They know it’s how they play that determines if you win. If we keep healthy, we’re got a good shot of going on.”
Billings Wildcats
Coach: Beau Davis (2nd season)
Last year: 11-13
Schedule
March: 18 at Lockwood, 21 vs. Dadeville, 22 vs. Wheaton, 25 at Seymour, 28 at Marionville, 31 vs. Cassville
April: 1-2 at Monett Tournament, 5 at Sparta, 8 at Ash Grove, 12 at Spokane, 14 vs. Galena, 15 vs. Forsyth, 18-23 at Strafford Wood Bat Tournament, 25 vs. Miller, 28 vs. Clever
May: 2 at Exeter, 3 vs. Blue Eye, 5 vs. Norwood, 7 at Monett, 10 at Crane, 13-21 at District Tournament.
