By Chris Parker
Central baseball took a step forward with a six-win season in 2022. The Bulldogs will look to push that win total even higher this year with six starters returning to the fold.
Nathan Elsenraat is one of those returning players who will be looked to for leadership. The centerfielder was named second-team all-conference in the outfield last year.
“He (Elsenraat) has an unshakeable and quiet confidence that the team feeds on,” Central head coach Jerrod White said. “He leads by example, always working as hard as he can and he has 100% attendance. He has been our leadoff for the last two seasons and he sets the tone, consistently putting together quality at-bats. Willing to do anything for the team. Nate was our everyday shortstop in 2021 and to start 2022. When he noticed our inconsistent outfield play early in 2022, he approached me and said he could play centerfield. He made a dozen highlight plays and strengthened our defense considerably. He’s the best overall baseball player we’ve had at my time at CHS. He’s 5’9 and 130 pounds and every guy we have does exactly what Nate tells them to. It’s awesome.”
Another team leader will be a new face in the dugout in Ethan Turner, who transferred in to Central this year.
“He (Turner) has a lot of playing experience and a lot of talent,” White said. “He has battled some injuries and health issues, but he never holds anything back. Very early on the team responded to his intensity and effort. We’re excited to have him on our team.”
Barrett Burns (utility), Victor Everts (second base), Aiden Wallace (first base), Rowen Hart (third base) and Zac Cannon (shortstop) round out the returning starters. Junior Dakota Walton is a returning letterman.
Wallace, Hart, Burns and Walton will all see time on the mound.
White on Wallace: “Crafty lefty, good command of three pitches. Had a very strong back half of 2022. Continues to grow and fill out. We’ll rely on him to be the anchor of the staff.”
White on Hart: “Big, strong, tough kid. Threw seven scoreless innings against Cassville in an extra-inning win.”
White on Burns: “Pitched only in JV last season, but his arm strength has considerably improved. He’ll get plenty of chances on the varsity mound this season.”
White on Walton: “Pitched a lot for us as a freshman in 2021. Faced a lot of adversity in limited opportunities in 2022. He competed hard at the JV level. He has put on some good weight and looks eager to compete for a better role in 2023.”
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Cannon and Elsenraat could also see time on the mound but both provide valuable defense in the field.
Sophomore Brody Holland rounds out the pitching rotation.
“Last year was his (Holland’s) first year of baseball,” White said. “After playing strictly JV for most of the season, Coach Alexander finally convinced me to pitch him varsity. It paid off as he picked up a save against Fordland and even pitched in our district first round playoff game against a highly ranked Nixa. That’s a huge ask out of anyone, let alone a first-year player. He has grown considerably in size and strength since May of 2022. He’s working hard and we have high hopes for him.”
Central will be looking to find consistency behind the plate at catcher.
“Catcher remains a concern, but if we can shore that up, we’re pretty solid in all nine positions,” White said. “After a tough start in 2022, our turf field allowed us to catch up on reps quickly. Coach Alexander and myself worked through blisters and sore backs, but the fungos paid off. From mid-season on, we were fundamentally solid at every position.”
The large contingent of varsity players returning has Central in a place to progress.
“With the amount of varsity experience we have returning; we are in a much different spot this year than in years past,” White said. “We will still devote a lot of our practice time to defensive repetition, but our experience should allow us to spend more time working with our hitters.”
Central opens the season on Mar. 20 at home against Forsyth.
“Team morale and managing expectations are vital to our experience together and to the CHS baseball program,” White said. “We do not make excuses, but we do have unique challenges in comparison to other 6A schools. This year’s Bulldog Baseball team is the best we’ve had in my time at CHS. I’ve always avoided talking wins/losses, as it was evident, we were going to face a lot of adversity. We have focused and continue to focus on the things that we could control: our effort, our attitude, our intensity, our commitment, our teamwork. This year, we’re still focusing on those things, but we’re not the same Central. We have the potential for double digit wins. One pitch at a time.”
