By Dana Harding
This season’s Blue Eye baseball squad has a new look, a new coach and a new reason to be excited about 2017’s outlook.
First-year coach Dustin Ewers takes over in the dugout for the Bulldogs. A four-year assistant for Jack Dickey, Ewers influence is already paying dividends for the program with notable improvements during the fall season.
“My philosophy is simple and that it is to take it one day at time and one pitch at a time,” Ewers said. “If we can focus on doing the little things right, good things will happen. We know that if we compete on every pitch and focus on the little things wins will follow.”
The 2016 Bulldogs graduated three seniors in Tanner Snowden, Brady Christensen and Peyton Stumpf.
Despite the losses, Blue Eye returns several key players and will rely on a solid pitching rotation.
Seniors include pitcher/first baseman Jacob Porter), catcher Weston Parton, second baseman Luke Dawson and pitcher/infielder Jacob Bahr.
Porter led the team in 2016 with a .444 batting average, 9 RBIs and a lot of responsibility on the mound for the Bulldogs with 16 innings pitched, a 3.5 ERA and a 2-1 record.
Parton is the team’s anchor behind the plate. He posted an average of .391, drove in 14 runs and proved to be a key contributor in the middle of the lineup.
Middle-infielder Dawson hit .364 with 12 RBIs.
Bahr led the team in innings, wins, ERA, and RBIs. He pitched 39.2 innings for the Bulldogs, while posting a 2.12 ERA and 4-2 record on the mound. Bahr also had a batting avg. of .372, with two home runs and 16 RBIs.
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Junior Ryan Reagan spent the last part of the season with an injury but, when playing, was Blue Eye’s lead-off hitter and a key contributor on the mound.
Reagan posted a .300 average and OBP of .533. The shortstop speedster also had ten stolen bases. On the mound, Reagan pitched in 16.1 innings on the mound with close to a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
With improvements at the plate this fall, junior Riley Linscott also looks to be a key contributor this season. The Bulldogs’ third baseman hit .308 in 2016.
Impact newcomers for the Bulldogs include junior Jacob Crouthamel (P/OF), sophomore Chase McClenathan (C/OF) and freshmen Nathan Garnett (P/UT) and Jeremiah George (P/UT).
Ewers believes Blue Eye’s solid pitching rotation will play a major role this season.
“Our biggest strength is our pitching staff,” Ewers said. “This experience will allow us to compete and stay in ball games. We firmly believe that our pitchers will throw strikes and if our defense plays well we will have a shot to compete night in and night out. Our understanding of the game and situations will need to improve but we have seen that take place during our fall campaign.”
In a district full of quality teams, recent improvements must continue if Blue Eye is to compete for a championship. Galena, Crane, Marionville, Billings and state runner-up New Covenant Academy all lurk within the deep Class 2 District 11 field.
Ewers believes consistent pitching and defense will pace the Bulldogs’ success.
“If we can focus on four pitches or less per hitter and two or less defensive errors per game, we will be a successful program” Ewers said. “We will continue to work on this as well as our situational hitting, understanding that getting a hit is not the only way to have a quality at-bat. If can take care of the ball and be a tough out at the plate, good things will happen.”
Blue Eye opens jamboree play at Galena on March 10. The regular season begins March 21 at Bradleyville.
