By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
“Breakthrough” is the primary term to describe the 2018 Rolla Baseball season. The Bulldogs set a program record with 23 wins and captured the Class 5, District 10 Championship after three straight failed attempts.
Those types of seasons aren’t easily forgotten, but the Bulldogs have designs on making it the norm going forward. That will be a challenge after losing 10 seniors, seven of which are playing the game at the college level.
Marty Hauck also resigned as head coach after two years to focus on coaching wrestling. That drew the interest of Kenny Hohe, a former coach at Cuba and Braymer. He was already part of the faculty at Rolla and jumped at the chance to rejoin the baseball ranks after a two-year stint as the athletic director at Cuba.
“While I enjoyed being an athletic director, it just wasn’t the same as coaching,” Hohe said. “You teach and get to deal with the kids on a day-to-day basis. When I was hired to teach here, I knew there were several options. I’ve coached football and softball, but now that we’re getting ready for the season, I know everyone is excited.”
The seven Gasconade Valley Conference titles and four district championships that make up Hohe’s resume add fuel to that excitement. He is no stranger to Rolla, having played them during his time at Cuba, and knows the job he has in front of him.
“Once fall sports ended, we averaged 15-20 guys per night. I think the numbers and the excitement will be there. With all those guys that graduated last year, there are still a lot of jobs to be won. Guys are battling to put themselves in good positions.”
The Bulldogs’ biggest asset could be the front end of their pitching rotation, captained by seniors Blayne Yarger, Treyton Ruth, and Cole Daniels. Ruth compiled the most innings of any returner in 2018, putting together a 5-1 record and 1.45 ERA in five starts, including the district championship win.
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Yarger saw limited time on the mound and is coming off Tommy John surgery, but still managed to turn in a Second-Team All-Ozark Conference campaign in the outfield. Daniels is more of a wild card as he expects to find himself in his biggest role yet after a quiet junior season on the stat sheet.
“Those three guys, with their ability to pitch and play the field, plus how they’ve led throughout the fall and winter, I’m excited about the job they’ve been doing,” said Hohe.
Offensively, Hohe plans to emphasize aggression on the base paths. He will want his team to hit-and-run, bunt, and put pressure on defenses.
The Bulldogs must replace their top five run producers, but Yarger was still one of the most productive bats last spring. He racked up 34 hits and 16 RBI with a team-high .420 average.
Juniors Collin Woods and Parker Yoakum saw limited time at the plate in 2018, but expect to be bigger cogs in the offense after combining for just 11 at-bats. Drew Johnson will also be in that mix, while sophomore Ethan Stephenson, Rolla’s starting quarterback in the fall, will also contribute.
Hohe does not want to put a benchmark on his first year at the helm, but knows the value of keeping the momentum of the program trending upward. He wants his players to focus on their day-to-day tasks and let the results come.
“The most important thing for our guys to understand is that every day is an opportunity to prove yourself,” he said. ‘I’m an upbeat, positive guy. The only thing I ask is that I get a good effort every day. If they work hard and do it the right way, things will go our way.”
