By Staff

May 10 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 May 9. These will be the final rankings until the end of the season.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DISTRICT BASEBALL BRACKETS

(Class, record and previous ranking in parenthesis)

Conway (C3, 24-2, 1) – The Bears are the top Class 3 team in the state and why not? MSU signee Hunter Dame tossed his second no-hitter of the season Monday night, passing 100 strikeouts in just 52 innings. Summit Conference champs, district top seed, loaded pitching (1.10 team ERA) and a solid lineup (.335 team batting average). Good luck everyone else! With all that said, there’s some really good Class 3 teams out there, several of which reside in the Ozarks.
New Covenant (C1, 17-4, 2) – The Warriors keep on rolling! Confidence and experience gets better and better each week as they push toward the playoffs as the Class 1 District 7 top seed and host. NCA won five of six over the last two weeks with four shutouts and a sweep in the Mark Twain Conference tournament. The lone loss came in extra innings to Class 4 Reeds Spring. Senior pitcher Cody Malan, a transfer from Minnesota was named “Leadoff Club” city MVP Monday after going 5-0 on the mound with a 1.70 ERA and hitting .426. One veteran area coach called them the best Class 1 team he’s seen in 20 years. So circle your calendar for May 17^th when the Warriors figure to face Walnut Grove in the district championship; the winner has a great chance bringing home a state title.
Stockton (C3, 19-3, 3) – The Tigers are flawless against Class 3 and below competition this season with their three losses coming in two close meetings with Class 4 ranked Bolivar and Class 5 Lebanon. The team batting average is .340 and the team ERA is 1.50, but none of that matters when they open the playoffs as the Class 3 District 11 top seed at Ash Grove. They’re heavy favorites to win the district with an anticipated 1 vs. 2 in the state showdown against Conway in the sectionals.
Kickapoo (C5, 21-6, 4) – The Chiefs are the top seed in Class 5 District 11 at Branson and well deserved, but it won’t exactly be a cake walk to the title with potential upsets looming against some of the best the COC Large and OC have to offer. Central Arkansas signee Kaleb Schmidt earned “Leadoff Club” Pitcher of the Year with his 6-0 mark. Drury signee Riley Herron was named Offensive Player of the Year, hitting .424 with 5 home runs. Making a return trip to the Final Four is the ultimate goal, but beating Joplin for a share of the Ozark Conference title (with Glendale) is next on the checklist.
Aurora (C4, 16-2, 13) – Just like George and Weezy, the Houn’ Dawgs are moving on up! Aside from a bit of a surprising 3-0 loss to Cassville on April 26 the Dawgs have been great. Last week they beat three consecutive ranked teams (C4 #2 Monett 13-6, C3 #9 Sgf Catholic 7-6 and C4 #7 Carl Junction 5-2). Zac Shoemaker (.583 ERA) Wyatt Sparks (1.52 ERA) are one of the best 1-2 punches in the state. Throw in Austin Erickson (1.81 ERA) and Matthew Miller (1.94 ERA) and you’ve got a rock solid staff. They’re Big 8 champs for the first time in any of these kids’ lifetime and top seed in Class 4 District 11 at Hollister.
Walnut Grove (C1, 17-6, 6) – The Tigers have more losses than many of the top Class 1 teams in the state, but have played a gauntlet of a schedule with the likes of Aurora and Strafford. Their only Class 1 loss came at the hands of New Covenant and you can bet they’re itching for a rematch in the Class 1 District 7 championship next Tuesday at New Covenant where you can bet their full arsenal will be ready to rock.
Monett (C4, 21-3, 5) – The Cubs are Big 8 Conference co-champs (with Aurora) and the Class 4 District 12 top seed. Jonathon Hawkins, Cameron Witt and Ian Meyer are studs on the hill with a lineup loaded with .400+ hitters. The only real blemish on the schedule is a 13-6 loss to Aurora last week, but the Cubs are hoping they’ll get a chance to rectify that with a potential sectional meeting May 23^rd.
Carl Junction (C4, 23-7, 8) – The Bulldogs seem to be an underdog in the Class 4 community, but don’t sleep on CJ! Despite one of the toughest schedules in the area they managed to beat some of the best while pitchers Justice Hylton, Ethan Frack and Hunter Adams have a collective ERA of just over 1.0. They’re the Class 4 District 12 number two seed next week at Monett where they hope to meet the host Cubs in a rematch of a game they lost 4-3 back on April 21^st.
Galena (C2, 16-2, 9) – The Bears remain the top area team in Class 2 despite losses to New Covenant and Strafford over the last two weeks. They are the top seed in Class 2 District 11 at home and should be heavy favorites.
Plato (C2, 20-4, 11) – The Eagles are the Class 2 District 9 top seed and while their pitching is great; Wiley Miller (7-2, 2.52 ERA), Conner Hathaway (4-1, 1.68 ERA) and Gage Crews (5-1, 41 Ks), it’s their hitting that’s really impressive; Jesse Bohannon (.484 avg., 26 RBI), Miller (.434 Avg., 31 RBI), Crews (.423 Avg., 26 RBI) and Hathaway (.400 Avg. 33 RBI). There are some good Class 2 teams in Southwest Missouri and Plato is certainly among them.
Mtn Grove (C3, 13-3, 7) – The Panthers are SCA Conference champs for the third time along with Class 3 District 10 top seeds. Brock Coffman, DJ McNew and Treye Collins are all swinging hot bats with averages over .400 the last two weeks, while MSU signee Alex Moore and Blaine Halford are two horses on the mound. They’ve dominated against lesser competition all year, but have struggled in key matchups, including losses to Rogersville and Carl Junction the last couple weeks, both games started by Moore. Those games against bigger competition should pay dividends come playoff time.
Bolivar (C4, 14-2, 12) – The Liberators were rolling along with 10 straight wins until a head-scratching 8-0 home loss to Willard. The game was closer than the outcome would indicate, but Coach Roweton’s team has its work cut out as the top seed in Class 4 District 10 at Osage Beach featuring two-seed Jeff City Helias.
Dixon (C3, 16-6, 15) – It’s been an up and down last few weeks for the Bulldogs, but help is on the way. Senior ace Andrew Meier returned from injury Monday night and pitched three scoreless innings. If the SBU signee can get back in form by next week don’t be surprised of Dixon makes a run in Class 3. However, consider that they’re just the four-seed in Class 3 District 9 featuring #10 Blair Oaks, defending state champ Fatima and Cuba.
Willard (C5, 20-9, NR) – It seems as though no one wants to claim these bottom two spots, so we’re going with the hot hand and the potential of Coach McGee and the Tigers. Yes, they have nine losses, many of which are against other area Class 5 teams, but momentum is a big part of these rankings and just look at what they did last week. Dalton Morrow struck out 12 in a 5-0 shutout of defending Arkansas Class 5 state champ Harrison. A day later, it was senior Kyle Smith who twirled a gem in an 8-0 shutout at Bolivar. Now can they keep it going next week as top seed in Class 5 District 12 on their own turf.
Purdy (C2, 17-5, NR) – Flip a coin and the final spot goes to the Eagles. That’s not to say they’re not deserving of recognition. Purdy is hot with wins over Fair Grove, Sarcoxie and Pierce City to win the Miller Tournament. Their body of work was good enough to earn the top seed in Class 2 District 12 at Pierce City where they will likely meet the host Eagles in a championship rematch.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: Lincoln (C2, 21-2, NR), Catholic (C3, 19-6, 4), Forsyth (C3, 17-7, NR), Hurley (C1, 13-6, 10), Mansfield (C2, 14-4, NR), Crocker (C2, 17-4, NR), Eminence (C1, 13-10, NR)