East Newton won five games last season and will field a young team this year, which coach Shawn Trent sees as a strength.
“Our strength is our youth. We have a lot of younger guys who have impressed me to this point. Guys who are willing to work for a spot and make our team better,” Trent said. “They are going to push our juniors and seniors and make us better as the season goes on. We only have three returning starters. So those freshman may earn a job early or could see a considerable amount of playing time throughout the year. It will make us better in the long run.”
Those three returning starters are: Brett Pendergraft, Hunter Liveoak and Isaiah Stewart. Pendergraft is a junior who returns after hitting .304 with seven RBI at the plate to go with a 6.07 ERA on the mound last year. Liveoak will be behind the plate and brings back a .250 average and speed that saw him swipe six bases last season. Stewart, a senior, will be another pitcher to watch after going 2-3 last year. He will play outfield when not on the mound.
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Some key new players to varsity to watch are sophomore Kaden Cook (SS/3B/P) and freshmen Ethan Burmmett (Util/P) and Jake Anderson (SS/2B/P).
East Newton will compete in a tough Big 8 conference and Class 4, District 12 that both feature defending Class 4 state champion Aurora.
“We are very young and that comes with a lot of growing pains. My expectation for this team is to work on the simple things and make the routine plays and just learn the game. We want to keep it simple. For many, playing in the Big 8 will be the toughest competition they have faced. They seem up to the challenge and I am excited to see how we will finish,” Trent said.
East Newton opens the season on Mar. 16 in Springdale (Ark.) against Cassville.
