By Chris Parker
Pleasant Hope baseball won 16 games last year, which was the most for the program since at least 2008. A strong senior class featuring four all-conference seniors was a big reason the Pirates went from seven wins in 2018 to 16 last year.
“Our senior group will be missed greatly,” Pleasant Hope head coach Page Jones said. “They came in and set the tone for what we want our program to be about. They worked hard and were great in the classroom and in our community. They showed how much dedication and drive it takes to be successful at this level.”
It will be next man up for the Pirates to keep the success going.
“Our returners I believe have picked up where our veterans left off, with a good work ethic and are set on keeping the winning momentum going,” Jones said. “We had five underclassmen able to put up quality stats and get valuable experience last year, which should help them this spring.”
Leadership this year will come from juniors Chris Agee (shortstop/pitcher), Cole Davis (pitcher/outfield/first base), Landon Davis (pitcher/outfield/first base) and sophomore Levi Marshall (outfield/pitcher).
Jones on Agee: “He has started at second base since he was a freshman. He takes pride in his defense and is developing his swing and has good speed.”
Jones on the Davis twins: “They are twin lefties had both given us quality innings pitching and both are solid at the plate.”
Jones on Marshall: “We believe Levi is one of the best sophomores in SWMO. He will be at the top of our rotation and will be counted on to drive in a lot of runs for us. He has the potential to be a special player.”
Marshall and the Davis twins will be atop the rotation. Sophomore Kyron Highfill and freshman Zach Laney are also in the mix for innings on the mound.
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Sophomore Jake Hickman started at second base as a freshman, but will move behind the plate this year.
The lineup around the infield will likely be: Hickman behind the plate, Landon Davis at first base, Laney at second base, Agee at shortstop and Highfill at third base. Sophomore Duane Hickman will fill a utility role.
The outfield will feature Cole Davis, Marshall, Rapheal Arciniegas and Trevor Tucker.
Many players can pitch, but will need to get used to throwing big varsity innings.
“We feel like we have a lot of kids that can pitch, but they haven’t been stretched out over several innings and then will need them to bounce back every four days. We feel good about our pitching going forward,” Jones said. “Maturity level is going to be a big thing for us early on, since we will have a lot of youth on the field.”
Pleasant Hope opens the season Mar. 19-26 with its home tournament.
“We will have high expectations with our talent, but we have so many new faces we will have to come together, work hard and be ready to compete every time we hit the field,” Jones said.
