By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
A 19-16 record might have been deceiving for Webb City’s baseball team last spring.
“I would venture to say we probably played one of the harder schedules in the state of Missouri,” said new head coach Andrew Doennig, who was an assistant last year. “Our overall record doesn’t look great but obviously playing in the state quarterfinals was a good accomplishment. We lost to the eventual state champion in Platte County. There were a lot of first time varsity kids on last year’s team who are coming back so that’s one big positive for this year.”
It was the eighth straight season Webb City posted a winning record, and the Cardinals claimed their fifth district title in that span. Nine of the 16 losses came against teams that won at least 25 games.
Now Doennig takes over for Flave Darnell after spending nine years at Webb City as an assistant. He’s a Monett graduate who played baseball at Missouri Southern.
Doennig’s first year at the helm will feature four returning starters in the field and two of the team’s top pitchers, as well as a few others with varsity experience.
The returners include senior Kenley Hood at first base, senior Cy Darnell at shortstop, senior Kaylor Darnell on the infield and senior William Hayes in the outfield.
Cy Darnell earned second team all-state honors last season and was named to the first team in the Central Ozark Conference as well as the all-district team. He batted .405 with 24 RBI’s and nine doubles, three triples and a home run.
Kaylor Darnell earned second team all-conference honors as a pitcher, as well as all-district honors. He was a .305 hitter with five doubles and a triple along with 18 RBI’s.
CLICK HERE TO FIND LINKS TO ALL OF OUR SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS
Hayes earned all-district honors in the outfield after hitting .333 with six doubles, three triples, 28 RBI’s and eight stolen bases.
And Hood was a .318 hitter with 18 RBI’s.
The two returning pitchers are Kaylor Darnell (3-2, 3.56 ERA) and senior Walker Sweet (three saves, 2.62 ERA).
Additionally, senior Gage Chapman returns after playing some varsity last season, both in the field and as a pitcher. He batted .391 and drove in nine.
“We’ve got a lot of guys, and some seniors who have waited their turn, who are going to battle for some spots,” Doennig said. “We’re looking at a few different people at different spots. Senior Landon Johnson is a kid who’s going to get a chance to play after playing some on the infield last year. Gage is going to come back and obviously play a lot more. Junior Drew Vonder Haar will get some playing time on the mound and at third or in the outfield. Junior Shaun Hunt was a JV kid last year and an all state offensive lineman in football. He’ll probably be in the lineup. Senior McQuade Eilenstein will have a chance to play.”
Johnson batted .327 with 16 hits and 12 RBI’s and Eilenstein hit .362 with eight doubles, 17 total hits and 13 RBI’s.
A handful of juniors and a couple sophomores have also looked good in workouts.
Doennig expects to give more players a chance to play early in the season and said the lineup may not be very consistent while the team figures out positions.
“We’re going to rotate a lot of guys in and see who can play, who can pitch and try to let them battle it out themselves,” he said. “Second base is a question mark and we’ve got an outfield spot that’s a question, as well as DH. We’ll move guys around and see who can make the most of their opportunity.”
The offense will be led by Cy Darnell, who collected 49 hits last season. Doennig expects Kaylor Darnell to hit better than he did last season and said Hunt will rack up a lot of hits.
“We’ve got a couple guys who can swing it well with some power but a lot of guys who can do different things for us,” he said. “We can bunt and that’s always been a big thing here and we’ll continue that. We’re going to run and try to get those guys up in spots to drive them in.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Sweet could be poised for a breakout season on the mound, Doennig said. He’s hit 90 during winter bullpen sessions and has developed his offspeed offerings.
“I think he’s got a chance to be a dominant guy,” Doennig said. “Kaylor is going to be a guy who fills it up and makes people hit. He’s not going to give free passes, he’ll make them earn their way on base. He gives us a chance to win every time he goes out because we know what we’re going to get. Drew Vonder Haar has thrown a little bit. A few others have looked really good so far on the mound. We’ve got a lot of guys we feel good about.”
Doennig has joked with Flave Darnell that this year’s schedule might be even tougher than last year’s. The Cardinals open with Bishop McGuinness Catholic out of Oklahoma City and then travel to Logan-Rogersville (26-8 last year). There are games against Glendale (25-7), Rock Bridge (29-10), Francis Howell (33-9), Kearney (24-12), Springfield Catholic (18-11) and Kickapoo (27-8), as well as Springdale, Arkansas’ Har-Ber and two schools from the Chicago area.
“I’m one of those people who really does think you need to play good competition and our schedule I guarantee is as tough as anybody in the state, looking at it on paper,” Doennig said. “It’s good to see different types of teams and arms.”
Webb City will host a March 11 jamboree with Carl Junction and Republic.
