By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2022 proved to be a magical season for Gainesville’s baseball program.
The 22-8 Bulldogs captured a second-straight district title and rode the postseason momentum all the way to a Class 2 fourth-place finish.
Head coach Blake Hobbs was pleased with Gainesville’s milestone achievement and continued program development.
“We made it to the Final Four for the first time in Gainesville high school baseball history after beating the 2021 state champions, Marionville, 2-1 in the quarterfinal game,” Hobbs said. “Our offense is continuing to improve as I have been here; however, we got exposed with relying on the long ball too much last year in the final four.”
Heading into his third season, Hobbs will be tasked with finding replacements for a pair of all-state graduates in Jake Leeker and Bryce Hambelton, who combined for 20 home runs and 61 runs batted in last season.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, baseball appears to be a family endeavor, with the talented younger brothers of both Hambelton and Leeker in the mix.
Hobbs expects Andrew Hambelton to assume primary roles both on the mound and at the plate this season.
An all-state honoree in his own right, the younger Hambelton finished the 2022 campaign with a .342 average, 1 home run, 20 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. On the mound, he posted a 7-1 record with a 1.667 earned run average and 54 strikeouts.
“Andrew should be our number one pitcher on the mound this year,” Hobbs said. “He has been a starter since his freshman year and has been on the mound since then too. He was the starter in last year’s district championship game, quarterfinal game and state semifinal game. He also has been our 4-hole both years as well.”
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A quartet of seniors also return to the lineup in Aden Yarger, Daden House, Briar Walrath and Wyatt Alms.
Yarger, an outfielder and pitcher, finished with a .305 average, 2 home runs, 12 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases last season. On the mound, he compiled a 1-1 record with a 5.880 earned run average and 23 strikeouts.
“Aden will take over in center field this season, as well as start as our No. 3 pitcher on the mound,” Hobbs said. “He is a big lefty with a lot of talent. In the fall, Aden was our leading hitter with a .590 avg. His talent and experience should give him a chance to be an all-conference athlete for us this year.”
House, a catcher and infielder, hit .235 last season with 5 home runs and 14 runs batted in.
“Daden was thrown into the catcher role this year,” Hobbs said. “He fit into it in the fall very smoothly. Daden has been a starter for me since his sophomore year as well but he has always had to play multiple positions. I believe keeping him at one spot this year will allow him to become a dangerous player.”
Walrath, an outfielder and pitcher, hit .305 last season with 2 home runs, 12 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases. He posted a 2-0 record on the mound with a 4.820 earned run average and 25 strikeouts.
“Briar has been a starter (left field) since his sophomore year,” Hobbs said. “He has the ability to take over the game on the mound. He isn’t flashy, but he shows no fear and goes out and competes every single game. He will be used late in games to close games out on the mound this year.”
Alms, an infielder and pitcher, finished the 2022 season with a .273 average, 2 home runs, 18 runs batted in and 6 stolen bases.
“Wyatt will be taking over the shortstop spot,” Hobbs said. “He knows he has big shoes to fill following Jake Leeker, but I believe he will shine in this spot. Wyatt has been our postseason guy in the last two seasons.He is joining a new role and becoming a pitcher this year.”
In addition to its talented returning core, Gainesville is set to welcome a host of newcomers to the varsity roster this season including senior outfielder Carter Wise, sophomore infielder/pitcher Hunter Luna, freshman infielder/pitcher Grant Leeker, freshman infielder/pitcher Dawson Hewett, senior infielder Camden Evans and junior outfielder Jarett Hogan.
With plenty of returning firepower in the lineup, Hobbs has high expectations heading into the spring campaign.
“We have a lot of experience returning and a lot of new talent stepping into this role,” Hobbs said. “I think our maturity will be one of our biggest strengths. We have six seniors that will be on the field and five returning, consistent starters that have played all three seasons for me. We are going to be competitive and confident at every spot on the field and I believe all nine hitters will be a tough out.”
On the mound, Gainesville will look to Hambelton to anchor the staff with a host of viable options behind him.
“We are returning our No. 1 from last year, but we lost four arms from last season,” Hobbs said. “We aren’t going to be the hard throwing team that we were from a year before, but we are going to be effective in the strike zone. I still have ten plus arms to use, but it will definitely be a different look.”
At the plate, Hobbs expects the Bulldogs to employ a more consistent approach throughout the lineup.
“We will have a more relentless lineup this year,” Hobbs said. “ Last year, I felt like at times, we lacked the confidence to step in to hit. I thought we struggled when we weren’t able to hit the ball over the fence.
“We aren’t going to be all or nothing like last year. I’ve told our guys, if we hit two home runs all season, then I’ll be okay with it. I want to be a gap-to-gap offensive that constantly has guys on base.”
Gainesville will open its season March 17 at home against Cabool.
