Last year was a milestone season for Bolivar, which won its first district championship since 1988 before losing a 6-4 heartbreaker to eventual Class 4 state runner-up Sullivan in the sectional round. With the bulk of last year’s 19-9 district champions back this season, expectations are sky high for a deep state tournament run in May.
“We had a nice year last year,” said head coach Brad Roweton. “For a few weeks, things clicked. We were disappointed when the season ended but we have to give credit to Sullivan. They were also playing well at the time and advanced to the state title game before losing. We are excited about the upcoming year. We have a chance to be competitive, but there are a lot of really good teams on our schedule. If we don’t play well it could be a long year. If we do play well then we have a chance to play in some exciting games.”
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The Liberators, who are receiving votes in Class 4 in the preseason rankings released by the Missouri Baseball Coaches Association, will need to find a replacement for departed southpaw hurler Clay Long, a 1st-Team All-District honoree.
“When Clay threw you knew your team was going to compete,” said Roweton. “It is very hard to replace people like that. He was a leader and a great kid. He will be missed.”
Although losing a starting pitcher hurts, and especially a left-handed one, the Liberators feature a deep and talented top-to-bottom lineup. The loss of Long will be offset by the return of another talented southpaw in junior Connor Sechler, who has already verbally committed to play collegiately for local powerhouse Missouri State.
Sechler received 1st-Team All-District honors last season, as well as 2nd-Team All-Conference honors in the loaded COC-Small.
There were plenty of postseason accolades to go around for the Liberators last season, including 1st-Team All-Conference and All-District honors for senior infielder J.D. Murders, who has committed to play for Big 12 powerhouse Texas Tech next season. Versatile infielder Camden Burns also garnered 1st-Team All-Conference and All-District recognition, while infielder John Michael Cates, catcher Gavin Morris and infielder Jackson Abdon all received 1st-Team All-District honors. Cates and Morris also were named 2nd-Team All-Conference, as was speedy senior outfielder Aaron Samek.
“We return several starters and players with some experience,” said Roweton, who is in his fourth season at the helm. “Our strength would be experience. We have depth in our pitching staff and have experience with our regulars. That being said, sometimes your strength can be your weakness in that we need to maintain our daily discipline and keep paying attention to the details. So far baseball has been moving right along and we have been having good practices.”
Although there is plenty of talent in the Bolivar lineup, Roweton knows that his Liberators must be consistent, which will be a big key for the team’s success. Of course, staying healthy is a key for any team. In addition, despite some gaudy numbers put up last season, any team can hit better.
“We need to play well every night,” said Roweton. “We have some experience, which is good, but we need to keep working on a daily basis to get better. Injuries are always a concern for coaches. We need to stay healthy. We have some depth but need to stay as healthy as possible.
“A team can always hit better,” added Roweton. “Hitters usually start behind the pitching and catch up as the season progresses. We need to keep working on our hitting to get caught up with the pitching as quickly as possible.”
After last season’s success, Bolivar will not be sneaking up on anyone. And despite a loaded lineup, no one will be handing anything to the Liberators this season, including a conference crown, as perennial conference heavyweight Logan-Rogersville, the preseason #2-ranked team in Class 4, also returns a host of talent.
“In the COC-Small, Rogersville has dominated the conference title over the last several years,” said Roweton. “There have been a few other winners here and there, but Rogersville has been a constant. The same can be said about this year. There are several good teams that will compete for the conference crown, but Rogersville has to be viewed as the favorite.”
This is the second season of the two-year district cycle, which means Bolivar will look to defend its Class 4 District 10 title again against the likes of Helias, Southern Boone, Osage, Eldon and Buffalo. The Crusaders enter this season as the top-ranked team in Class 4, while Southern Boone returns several key players from last year’s district runner-up team.
“Last year we won three very close games to advance to the sectional game,” said Roweton. “As some would say we got hot at the right time. It will take the same kind of hot run as last year to advance out of our district. Jefferson City Helias and Southern Boone were very good teams last year and will be again this year.”
Although the excitement of defending a district title and making a deep state tournament run can cause some to look too far ahead, Roweton and his Liberators know that it is the daily grind of getting better day in and day out that will determine just how long Bolivar’s season will last this spring.
“We just need to play well and try to get better on a daily basis,” said Roweton. “If we take care of those things then we can be proud of our efforts. Right now we have the goal of getting better on a daily basis. We think that is key for us every year, to have goals as we improve throughout the season.”
The Liberators will get a good idea pretty quick of how they match-up against the state’s best in the regular season opener on March 28, as preseason Class 4 #8-ranked Monett pays a visit to Bolivar. In addition to the usual suspects in COC Small play, the Liberators also will host Class 3 #3-ranked Stockton on April 28.
