By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Purdy High School baseball team saw their playoff hopes cut short for the first time in recent memory this past spring.
Coming off two straight district titles, Purdy, who posted a 14-8 overall record (5-0 in Ozark 7 play), is looking to return to that pinnacle after falling to conference rival McAuley Catholic in the Class 2, District 12 final game in 2017.
A few months later, the Eagles saw three lettermen walk across the graduation stage by May, including two starters in Ricky Aldaba and James Hughlett.
“We have a huge hole to fill with the loss of James and Ricky to graduation,” Purdy head coach Joshua Hughes said. “Two key pitchers and defenders for us. Ricky was our ace on the mound and did a lot for us. He will be hard to replace all over the diamond. James was our hard-nosed player. He played center field and had been a three-year starter. His experience and athleticism will be missed.”
Purdy will look to plug those holes with eight returning lettermen and seven starters, headlined by a trio of quality seniors in Hunter Cook, Adam Humphrey, and Jose Sanchez.
Cook, a shortstop and pitcher, hit .343 with eight of his 23 total hits going for extra-bases while driving in 14 RBIs and swiping 13 bags. He also posted a 3-1 record on the mound with a 2.65 ERA.
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“Hunter has been our everyday shortstop since he was a freshman,” Hughes said. “He has impressed over the past two seasons and last fall. We look for a huge senior year. His presence on the mound as a junior has given us high hopes for his senior campaign.”
Humphrey, a third baseman and pitcher, posted a .375 average with 24 total hits and 19 RBI while boasting a 6-2 W-L on the bump with a 3.32 ERA for the Eagles last season.
“Adam has been a starter for all four years,” Hughes added. “He projects to be a middle of the order bat and our work horse on the mound. We have huge expectations for Adam.”
Sanchez, who is a utility player, hit .443 with 27 hits (seven extra-base hits) while knocking in 21 RBI and stealing ten bags.
“Jose plays everywhere and will continue to log innings in almost all positions,” his coach said. “He was a huge bat for us his junior season and even tasted some lead off this fall. I look for him to move into a middle of an order guy this spring. We expect another big year out of Jose.”
Purdy will also be supplemented by a strong group of juniors – Mason Schallert (first baseman), Kyler Propps (second baseman), and Carl Hughlett (catcher). Schallert and Propps each posted .323 averages while Hughlett had a .355 batting clip this past season.
Hughes said Schallert will be a big potential bat for the Eagles and will continue to play first and have an opportunity to log innings on the mound. While he’s a primary second baseman, Propps will serve in a swiss-army knife type role for Purdy with the chance to earn time at short and center field as well as getting mound time. Hughlett is the backbone behind the plate for the Eagles and will also be used as a reliever and spot-starter.
One to watch out for this upcoming season for Purdy will be sophomore outfielder Andrew Martinez, who led the team with a .472 average, 34 total hits (five doubles, two triples, and one home run), and drove in a team-high 27 RBIs. Martinez also recorded 16 thefts on the base paths.
“Andrew had one of the better freshman campaigns around,” Hughes said. “He quickly moved into the middle of our order and produced. He will continue to be that middle order guy. As he progresses his defense, he will be fun to watch.”
Hughes listed seven top newcomers, including two sophomores in Zane Brown (pitcher) and Ezequiel Gaucin (third baseman). Freshman Clay Henderson (infielder), Jake Brown (outfielder), Osiel Aldava (infielder), Rylee Boyd (pitcher), and Andres Aldaba (infielder) could also play a factor on varsity for Purdy as well.
Brown is expected to jump right into the rotation after a great fall season for the Eagles while battling for an outfield/infield spot. Per his coach, Gaucin’s bat can play at the varsity level and could receive some big at-bats as his defense progresses.
Hughes described Henderson as an all-around player, who will push for middle infield time. Brown projects to start in center field for Purdy and is expected to have a big freshman season while Hughes said Aldava is a strong player, who can just hit the baseball. Boyd has a big arm and is learning to become a pitcher, according to his coach. Coming off knee surgery, Aldaba looks to be a key part for the Eagles this spring.
“This year will be fun as a coach,” Hughes said. “We will actually have battles in almost every position at every practice. As a coach, that is fun to have. We will be deep and very competitive. Our JV lost one game this fall and we ended our varsity season with a 19-3 record.
“We have to learn to overcome the mental side of the game and out work our opponents at practice every day. If we do that, we could have success.”
Purdy opens the season at home in against Monett and Spokane on March 17.