By Chris Parker
After COVID took what would have been Adam Grisham’s first year as head coach, he made up for lost time by leading his alma mater to the program’s first district title since 2016 and an appearance in the Class 1 state quarterfinals for the first time since the 1990’s.
It was a dream season for Grisham and the Tigers.
“I came home in 2018-2019 year and coached the junior high, then COVID shut down my first year as the high school coach, so last year felt like a long wait to finally get started,” Grisham said. “I grew up on that field. My cousins were on the last team to go to quarterfinals in the 90s. I got to coach a great group of young men that included my little brother and two cousins. The incredible support from the whole town. It was special.”
If the Tigers are to make another deep post-season run, they will have to fill the shoes of No. 1 starter and leader Dylan Gallup. Gallup was an all-state selection as a senior after he struck out 115 batters over 64.1 innings posting a 0.87 ERA. He also hit .397 with 33 runs scored and 25 RBI and three home runs. All of those numbers except batting average were team-highs.
“Gallup leaves some giant shoes to fill,” Grisham said. “He will be starting his next chapter of baseball at Evangel this year. I can’t say enough about him. Evangel got the deal of the state. Gallup commanded the mound. When he was on it, there was always a feeling of confidence. He has a love of the game that becomes infectious to those around him.”
Fellow all-state selection Jamie Kramer also graduated. He led the team in hitting at .409 with a .473 on-base percentage.
“He (Kramer) brought unique speed to the basepaths and was a foul-line to foul-line outfielder,” Grisham said. “He was an automatic steal, never got caught.”
Dylan Snider will be asked to step up this year after earning honorable mention all-conference honors as a pitcher last year. He threw 49 innings with 45 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA.
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“I think Snider had success as a sophomore because he loves the game and never stops working on it. He trusts the people around him. He never stops working,” Grisham said.
When not pitching, he will play all over the field.
Elijah Kerr and Hank Eggerman both also earned all-conference honors as underclassmen last year. Kerr, a catcher, scored 18 runs last year and had a .338 on-base percentage. Eggerman, a middle infielder and pitcher, hit .286 with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored to go with a .416 on-base percentage.
“Kerr has become a force behind the plate. If coaches don’t know his name yet, look out. He has made such improvement at the catching spot over the last few years. And he brings speed to the base paths. Eggerman had an impressive freshman year. Improving as a hitter and an overall fielder,” Grisham said. “I expect for both of them to turn a corner in their ability. Kerr threw six runners in a row in a five-game stretch last year. I expect other teams to start to take notice. I expect Hank to grow as an infielder and to cut down on freshman errors.”
Sophomore Skyler Weimer earned second-team all-district honors last season. He served as the team’s DH and played in the outfield. Weimer is the team’s top returning hitter in terms of batting average after he hit .327 with 14 RBI and 12 runs scored.
In addition to Snider and Kerr, senior outfielder Landon Stump will be looked to for leadership.
Snider, Weimer, Eggerman, Stump, Nik Theiman, Kaden Gallup, Rayder Boyd, Kamon Cooper, Blake Cossins and Izaak Taylor are expected to compete for innings on the mound.
Taylor, Eggerman, Snider, Boyd, Kane Cooper, Theiman and Gallup will look to compete for time on the infield. Cossins, Stump, Cooper and Weimer are all candidates for time in the outfield.
“I think defense will be our greatest strength,” Grisham said. “We play a lot of catch and think it’s starting to show in this group. I think we also have great depth on the defensive side. We have a lot of utility guys that can move around.”
Clayton Robertson (senior), Logan Wells (junior), Kameron Burton (junior), Nash McGuire (sophomore), Gerry Lawman (sophomore), Brett Winefeldt (sophomore) and Logan Pittsenbarger (freshman) are other players to watch for Lockwood.
“I’m expecting a dog fight in our conference,” Grisham said. “We have a lot of talented young men in the Southwest Conference. It’s going to be exciting to see it all play out.”
