By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Following a 9-17 record in 2018, Republic baseball showed considerable improvement last season.
The 14-12 Tigers reached the second round of the district tournament, falling to eventual champion Webb City.
Head coach Curt Plotner, now in his third year at the helm, was pleased with the team’s development throughout the season, particularly with respect to its younger players.
“Overall, we had a really good season in 2019,” Plotner said. “I thought that we had the talent to produce a winning season, but we had a lot of sophomores playing, so there were some questions on how they would handle varsity competition. They did a really good job and our experience will be an asset for the 2020 season.”
That experience will need to pay quick dividends, as Republic must fill holes vacated by its five graduated seniors.
Tyler Cavener, Clayton Crowley, Jaden Duvall, Jacob Crosswhite and Blade McCroskey all depart the program.
Cavener, an all-conference and all district selection, hit .385 last season with 13 RBIs and five stolen bases. He also compiled a 2-0 record on the mound with a 1.24 ERA.
Cavener will continue his baseball career this spring at Drury University.
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“Tyler led our team in several offensive categories last year,” Plotner said. “He really matured as a player during his senior year, and we are going to miss his production in the middle of our lineup.”
Graduation losses aside, Republic does return a host of talented and experienced upperclassmen.
The Tigers will be led by senior Easton Prevo, an Evangel University commit. Prevo hit .293 last season with 9 RBIs.
“Easton is a four-year starter at shortstop for us, and he was an all-district selection a year ago,” Plotner said. “He is an excellent fielding shortstop that showed a lot of growth at the plate last year, as well. He will be someone that we expect to lead our team this spring.”
Junior Jared Hughes, an all-conference and all-district selection in 2019, finished the season with a 3-3 record on the mound, 54 strikeouts and a 1.53 ERA.
Jared will be the ace of our staff this spring, and he will also play first base when he isn’t on the mound, Plotner said. “He is another guy that I look for to improve offensively this season.”
A trio of returning seniors join Prevo in pitcher/infielder Nicholas Rose (.145 BA, 3 RBI, 1-0, 0.58 ERA), pitcher Evan Smith (1-0, 1.05 ERA) and pitcher Jordan Carter (3-3, 2.35 ERA).
Carter is committed to pitch at Kansas Wesleyan University next year.
“Nicholas will return to play either of the corner infield positions as well as DH,” Plotner said. “He will also be a guy that we will count on to eat some innings this spring. Evan will be a valuable weapon out of our bullpen this spring — he is a submariner that can get you out of a tough spot with guys on base. Jordan is a left-hander that has the ability to mix his pitches and keep hitters off balance.”
Four juniors also return for the Tigers, including catcher Kyle Hill, outfielder/pitcher Ryker Harrington, infielder/pitcher Vincent Pyeatt and infielder Carson Neff.
In addition to its returning cast, Republic welcomes a host of varsity newcomers eager to compete for playing time, including Luke Long, Josh Calhoon, Brandon Mackey, Cole Murray, Bryce Messier, Richard Potter, Gavin Walker, Chandler Igert, Logan Beck and Brady Usgaard.
“We have a lot of talent on our roster with a lot of returning lettermen,” Plotner said. Our depth is going to be a strength for us this year, and there will be a lot of competition on our roster for playing time. Each of these guys have unique skill sets that will be valuable to our team.”
At the plate, Plotner believes the team’s patient approach and gap-to-gap hitting will produce improvements on offense this season.
“I think that we are going to have a pretty deep lineup this year,” Plotner said. “We don’t have a lot of guys that are going to hit a lot of home runs, but I think that we have a lot of guys that will have the ability to drive the ball into the gap. If we can cut down on our strikeouts, and be a little better at situational hitting, I think our offense will be improved this year.”
While Republic’s offense will need to produce runs, its pitching and defense will serve as cornerstones for the team’s potential.
“We always kind of place an emphasis on our pitching and defense, and this year will be no different,” Plotner said. “I think we have worked hard in the off-season to improve our offense, but pitching and defense will continue to be the areas that will win us ballgames.”
Republic’s challenging schedule features a host of traditional powers both in and out of conference, including Nixa, Ozark, Glendale, Willard, Webb City and Rogersville.
“I think we have the pieces to have a really good season,” Plotner said. “As always, our conference is going to be as competitive as any conference in the state from top to bottom. If you don’t show up ready to play in our conference, you will get beat. We are going to try and go out and compete each and every night, and I think that our kids are ready for the challenge.”
Republic opens its season Monday, March 23, in the Lael Leadoff Tournament.
