By Staff

Mar. 29 Baseball Power Rankings

Every other week O-Zone will release the Top 15 Power Rankings based on dominance by class, so essentially their pound-for-pound comparison to the best the area and the state have to offer. Records are as of Mar. 28.

(Class and record in parenthesis)

Kickapoo (C5, 3-2) – The Chiefs are coming off a third place state finish and hopes are once again sky high. Despite losing their top pitcher (Logan Wiley) and hitter (Danny Crews) from a year ago this Poo squad is reloaded with ace Kaleb Schmidt (signed with D-1 Central Arkansas), Tristan Stevens and Adam Link rounding out one of the best rotations in the area. The lineup is stacked with future college players including catcher Westin Gann and outfielders Kyle Giefer and Riley Herron; all returning starters. The Chiefs went 3-2 in the “Best of the West Tournament” in Tennessee last week. They’re first local test comes Tuesday hosting Ozark.
Conway (C3, 6-1) – Why are the Bears so high? Well, they return nine starters from a 27-5 district championship team, including ace and Missouri State signee Hunter Dame, who struck out 17 in a 6 inning complete game 1-hitter against Clever Saturday. If that wasn’t enough, number two starter Andrew Huckaby already owns a no-hitter and 1-hitter this season. Number three starter Ethan Medlock is coming off a 7-2 junior campaign and the guy they label as the number four starter, Lebanon transfer Dylan Dampier, struck out 14 in his debut. Despite a 4-0 loss to Forsyth last Monday the Bears figure to be one of the best Class 3 teams in the state this season.
Stockton (C3, 5-1) – The Tigers are the second of three ridiculously good Class 3 teams in our area. Coach Henderson returns eight starters from a quarterfinal team a year ago led by 2^nd team All-State catcher Alex Wheeler (.395, 25 rbi), 2^nd team All-State infielder Colton Brown (.434, 24 rbi) and All-Mid-Lakes OF Garret Burns (.353). Collin Burns is the ace, earning All-State honors a year ago with his 7-0, .78 ERA season. Eli Hubbard was extremely close behind at 6-3 with a .934 ERA. The Tigers’ lone loss came to Bolivar (C4) in the Bolivar Tournament. This is a senior dominated team that has played together for as long as they can remember.
Mtn Grove (C3, 3-1) – It’s already been a tremendous year for MG athletics and there’s plenty of reason to think that will continue this spring. Coach McGownd returns five of the Panthers’ eight All-SCA players from a year ago, headlined by ace Alex Moore (6’7”, 250 lb), who is committed to Missouri State, but is also getting some draft attention after a big summer. D.J. McNew, Blaine Halford and Cory Allen are others who will play a big role this spring. The goal is a trip to the Final Four, but the Class 3 road is a bumpy one to say the least!
Carl Junction (C4, 4-1) – Class 4 is another deep and talented class in our area, but we feel the Bulldogs are currently on top of that list. Coach Darnell’s club returns eight of nine starters from a quarterfinal team that includes returning All-State players Ethan Frack and Justice Hylton. CJ did drop a 1-0 game to Branson (C5), but have four other quality wins over Nixa (C5), Webb City (C5), Rogersville (C4) and Republic (C5).
Walnut Grove (C1, 1-3) – The Tigers return everything from a 20 win team, which included five loses by a combined seven runs to a quality schedule. Leading the way are sophomore All-State shortstop Logan Thomazin and junior All-State pitcher Hayden Jeffryes; a duo that combined to go 15-1 on the mound last spring. The Tigers dropped their first three games to Strafford (C3), Aurora (C4) and Clever (C3) before closing out the Clever ROTB Tournament with a 4-3 win over Spokane. This is a flat out loaded Class 1 team and I won’t be surprised to see them match the boys basketball team’s Final Four run.
Hurley (C1, 0-1) – The Tigers made it to the Class 1 Final Four last year after beating Dadeville 15-14 in one of the craziest games you’ll ever see. A return to state isn’t out of the question this season. Senior All-State outfielder Justice Jones returns to lead the way. Junior All-State catcher/SS/pitcher Isaac Carlson is another major piece. Another All-State player, Tucker Moore, transferred out of the district. Don’t be surprised if Coach Jones and the Tigers start slowly this season as they regroup, but expect them to be squarely in the picture by postseason time.
New Covenant (C1, 3-0) – If you build it, they will come. After playing their inaugural season entirely on the road the new-look Warriors return with a brand new, $475,000 baseball field known lovingly as “The Fed”. That field will house Coach Hartley’s robust hitting team that outscored its first three opponents 54-1, led by returning 1^st baseman John Isbell (.433, 27 rbi). Matt Searson leads a pitching staff that also includes Minnesota transplant Cody Malan. Despite going just above .500 last season (12-11) there are high hopes for this relatively new program this spring. We should get a better idea of the caliber of this group Friday when NCA travels to fellow state ranked Walnut Grove.
Monett (C4, 4-0) – The Cubs are another team that has a lot of holes to fill this spring following the graduation of five seniors, three of which earned All-District honors. But for veteran coach Michael Calhoun he’s got an ace in the hole with All-State outfielder/pitcher Cameron Witt, a multi-sport athlete/leader that seems to have taunted opposing Big 8 teams for nearly a decade. Witt and the Cubs are off to a perfect 5-0 start that includes a win over previously undefeated Bolivar.
Bolivar (C4, 3-1) – The Liberators won their district for the first time since 1988 last spring and don’t be surprised if they do it again this year. The graduation of lefty starter Clay Long will be tough to replace, but junior MSU verbal commit Connor Sechler, who touches 90 mph on his fastball is a nice place to start. Coach Roweton’s infield is loaded with All-District and All-Conference players. Scoring runs won’t be an issue, but finding depth beyond Sechler in the rotation will be the major factor in making a deep playoff run.
Galena (C2, 5-1) – Apparently the book is out on the Bears. When asked who are the best Class 2 teams in the area coaches overwhelmingly responded with Galena. Former Forsyth coach Byron Richardson takes over the program rich with pitching and returning four seniors led by All-SWCL pitcher/outfielder Jake Baker who hit .384 with 25 stolen bases last spring along with a 7-2 record on the mound. If their 20-4 fall record is any indication the Bears will be a tough out this spring, but I’m kind of scratching my head on their 14-0 loss to Cassville last week.
Webb City (C5, 4-2) – The Cardinals are currently just ahead of several quality Class 5 teams in the area this spring. Returning their top two starting pitchers, Calem Nutting and Derrick Newby is a big reason why. The duo combined to go 13-4 with an ERA in the area of 1.40 last season. Throw in shortstop Dack Sanborn (.354) and 2b Andrew Greek along with Nutting’s bat (.378, 29 rbi) and you’ve got a recipe for a winner in the stacked COC Large. So far the Cardinals have dominating wins over Republic, Branson and Rogersville. Don’t penalize them too much for an 8-4 loss to Carl Junction as it was their sixth game in seven days; tough for any high school roster.
Plato (C2, 4-1) – The Eagles are one of the lesser known teams in the area, but consider they were 21-7 last year and return seven starters, including 17 wins on the mound and you’ve got a pretty solid contender in Class 2. Oh by the way, Coach Vaughn’s club went 16-6 in the fall with wins over state ranked Conway, Dixon and Crocker. This spring they have quality wins over Eminence and Hartville with the lone loss coming to 2^nd ranked Greenville, 3-1. Circle the calendar for Tuesday this week as the Eagles travel to Conway.
Rogersville (C4, 1-4) – Good luck replacing a St. Louis Cardinals draft pick and three other college players. That’s the task at hand for Coach Casey Ledl this spring. But he’s not worried and apparently neither are the other coaches statewide as the Wildcats were ranked number two in Class 4 in the preseason poll. Despite the key losses there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic with the return of the senior captain trio of Brett Denny, Jacob Zahn and Jordan Fitzpatrick. The schedule is doing no favors for the Wildcats early and neither has the box score as L-R already owns lopsided losses to Carl Junction and Webb City along with a one run losses to Republic and Branson. They do however have a quality 10-5 win over Nixa.
Billings (C1, 2-2) – This spot figures to be up for grabs in the next couple weeks, but so far so good for the Wildcats. Coach Davis and this storied program roll on with the likes of Nolan McCain who is returning from injury last season and looks sharp early with a 3-inning no-hitter against Dadeville to start the season. Kyle Kimberling is another name to watch along with Wyatt Gold (team leader in HR and SLG %) , Kaleb Clinton (team leader in BA) and Reed Harter, a 4-year starting leadoff hitter with a .400+ average and great speed on the bases.