By Chris Parker
Fordland baseball is looking to win double-digit games for a fifth consecutive season. The Eagles have won 12 games in each of the past three seasons.
They will look to keep that streak up behind the leadership of seniors Jack Coursey and Kadin Kindall along with junior Carson Koster and Cameron Crowe according to coach Sam Waterman.
Waterman on Coursey: “Jack is coming off a really good junior season. Last season he was an all-district and all-conference selection. He is our spark on offense. When he gets on base, we can usually score. He hits for a high average and is always a threat to steal a base. He will start in centerfield for us.”
Waterman on Kindall: “Kadin is a good athlete who helps us in many different ways. He will play middle infield for us and hit towards the top of the lineup. He is a threat to steal bases and will be looked to score runs.”
Waterman on Koster: “Coming into this season, Carson is our best pitcher and will be called upon to pitch our big games. He continued to improve last season and by the end of the year was probably our best guy. He was named to the all-district team as a sophomore. When not on the mound, he will play corner infield and hit in the middle of the order. He has worked hard in the weight room over the off-season and I look for him to have a good year at the plate.”
Waterman on Crowe: “Cameron was honorable mention all-conference last year as a sophomore. He has the potential to be one of our best hitters. He will play corner infield and pitch for us this season.”
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Coursey was an on-base machine last year with a.467 on-base percentage. He scored 28 runs and stole 23 bases. Kindall hit .242 with 19 runs scored last year. Koster drove in 10 runs with a .318 batting average and .438 on-base percentage as a sophomore. Crowe was second on the team in RBI last year with 18 while tying for the lead in runs scored with 20. He it .303.
Koster will serve as the team’s ace on the mound with Bryce Fries (junior), Crowe, Cole Woodruff (freshman) and Logan Venable (freshman) also in the rotation.
Koster threw 40.2 innings with 58 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA last year. Fries had 17 innings and 15 strikeouts as a sophomore. Crowe was third on the team in innings pitched last year with 30.1 innings and 50 strikeouts leading to a 4.61 ERA.
Junior Logan Swanson and freshman Logan Venable are both candidates at catcher.
“Logan has been our primary catcher for the past few seasons. He is a good athlete and works hard behind the plate. We are hoping to be able to transition him to the outfield if our younger catchers can step up and carry some of the load,” Waterman said. “(Venable) has caught for us the past few years in junior high baseball. He has the chance to take over as our primary catcher this year as a freshman.”
The infield lineup will have Crowe at first, Kindall at second, Koster at third, Fries at shortstop with Khristian Sommerfeld serving in a utility role.
The outfield will feature Swanson in left, Coursey in center, Bellue in right while also serving as the designated hitter and Woodruff in right.
“We should be able to compete with every team on our schedule. The juniors this year have played varsity since their freshman year. They have taken their lumps the past few seasons, but are ready to compete every day at the varsity level,” Waterman said. “We need to improve on team consistency. We have put together good games on the mound, good games at the plate and good games in the field, but have had breakdowns in one of those areas in many games. If we can put it all together, we have a chance to surprise some teams.”
Fordland opens the season Mar. 19-26 at the Pleasant Hope Tournament.
“I expect our kids to come out and compete each and every day,” Waterman said. “I hope we put together competitive at bats all the way throughout the lineup. I want our pitchers to command the zone and make the other team swing the bat.”
