By Chris Parker
The baseball season started just over a month ago on Mar. 15 and we are less than a month out from post-season starting, so it is time for a midseason look around the area. Below is a look at all of the area’s teams mentioned in the most recent state rankings as released by the Missouri Baseball Coaches Association.
APR. 18 STATE BASEBALL RANKINGS – CLICK HERE
Class 6
No. 6 Nixa is the lone area team ranked or mentioned in the Class 6 state rankings coming in at No. 6. The Eagles started 14-1 and currently sit at 14-3 overall. They have some big wins over Kennett (Class 4 No. 2), Logan-Rogersville (Class 4 No. 1) and Jackson (Class 6 No. 8) twice.
Pitching has been a strength for Nixa in the early going with a 2.19 team ERA entering Tuesday’s game against Willard. Sophomore Jackson Gamble has pitched to a 1.18 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP and a .169 batting average against. Left-handed senior Brayton Tangora has made seven appearances with a 1.11 ERA.
At the plate, sophomores Wyatt Vincent and Caeden Cloud along with junior Rylan Michel lead the way. Vincent, a Missouri State commit, is hitting .412 with a .545 on-base percentage. He has four doubles, three triples, 11 RBI, 16 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Cloud has a .415 batting average and .508 on-base percentage with six doubles, 10 RBI and 16 runs scored. Michel is sporting a .389 batting average and .462 on-base percentage with six doubles, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Class 5
Glendale (No. 1), Camdenton (No. 3) and Willard (No. 5) are the area’s ranked Class 5 teams. All three share a district. Camdenton picked up a statement win over Glendale on Tuesday, while Willard put the area on notice with a win over Class 6 No. 6 Nixa.
Glendale is poised to slip from the No. 1 spot in Class 5 after a 9-0 loss at Camdenton, but the Falcons won’t fall much further than that with one of the area’s most impressive resumes. They have wins over Liberty North (Class 6 No. 2), Kearney (Class 5 No. 7) and Springfield Catholic (Class 4 No. 2) on the way to a 15-2 record.
The offense has been explosive, averaging 7.5 runs per game with seven games at 10 runs or more. Southeast Missouri State signee Brooks Kettering has made the offense go. The senior is slashing .489/.603/1.426 with three home runs, 20 RBI and 20 runs scored. He has 11 walks to just two strikeouts this season. Once on base, Kettering makes things happen with 15 stolen bases.
Mark Ross (Central Arkansas) and Sebastian Norman (Oklahoma State) give the Glendale offense two more Division I commits to turn to. Ross has six doubles and seven RBI with a .367 batting average. Norman is hitting .333 with 19 runs scored and 13 walks.
DJ Cofield (.347 batting average), Cam Stratton (.455 batting average) and Alex Rankin (.400 batting average) make Glendale’s lineup one of the deepest in the area. Cofield has an .857 OPS with 12 RBI and 14 runs scored. Stratton has driven in 13 runs and scored 12 more while walking 13 times. Rankin gives Glendale a third player with an OPS over 1.000 at 1.131 with four doubles and 14 RBI.
The pitching staff has been led by Drew Wedgeworth, Spencer Pottebaum and Kaleb Julian. Wedgeworth has thrown 23.1 innings with a 0.90 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Pottebaum leads the trio with 25 innings pitched and has 26 strikeouts to go with his 1.40 ERA. Julian, who was on the mound for his dad’s (Coach Jim Julian) 350th career win, has thrown 20.1 innings with 28 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA.
Camdenton has the inside track to the Ozark Conference title after beating Glendale 9-0 on Tuesday. The win improved the Lakers to 16-2 overall. The head-to-head win over Glendale gives Camdenton a huge leg up when it comes time to seed their district.
The Lakers graduated two all-state players and 150 innings on the mound from last year’s team. A mix of new and established players have helped Camdenton go to new heights. Early on, pitching carried Camdenton with the offense stepping up of late.
Spencer Mellencamp is off to a great start hitting .380 while posting a 4-1 record and a 0.58 ERA on the mound. The versatile junior also plays outfield.
Karson Durnin came out of the gate on fire for Camdenton posting a .444 batting average with 13 RBI, 24 runs scored and nine stolen bases. He has also filled innings in a relief role with a 0.98 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 24 innings.
Kade Durnin leads the offense with a .490 batting average knocking in 25 runs while scoring another 14. On the mound, he is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 31 innings.
Senior Wichita State signee Kam Durnin has been a rock defensively for Camdenton while hitting .375 with 20 RBIs and 26 runs scored. His patience and eye at the plate have been on point with 19 walks.
Senior first baseman Cole Hilton and junior centerfielder Jackson Basham are both hitting over .300 and doing a lot of little things right.
Camdenton set the school record for wins last season with 24 and is well on the way to breaking that mark this year.
Willard has made it to three straight final fours (taking out the canceled 2020 season). The Tigers finished third in the state last year. They bring back eight starters from that team including three all-state selections. On top of that, Willard has lost just two games to Class 5 opponents in the past three years.
Somehow, with all of those facts, Willard finds itself under the radar as the No. 5 team in Class 5.
Their record is 13-8 overall, but you cannot judge a baseball team solely by its record. The Tigers have played an incredibly tough schedule with 20 games in 27 days. That included a stretch last weekend with five games in two days.
Willard has also been going without its top arm in senior Central Missouri signee Chris Massey. Massey came back on Tuesday night to start in a win against Nixa. Willard is starting to hit stride with wins over Nixa (a first for the program since 2017) and Class 6 Staley in the past week.
Willard has taken its lumps with the brutal schedule, but it has helped develop pitching depth with eight pitchers logging at least 10 innings.
Hayden Larson leads the team in innings pitched while posting a 1.54 ERA.
Offensively, Cooper Wilken (.489 batting average), Klayton Kiser (15 extra base hits) and Cameron Jennings (.542 on-base percentage) have led the way.
Willard is starting to roll heading into the second half of the season and ready to remind the area’s Class 5 teams that the district title still goes through Willard.
“I think reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated,” Willard coach Scott McGee said after Tuesday’s win over Nixa. “We’re a way better team than maybe some people are giving us credit for right now. These guys have been to back-to-back Final Fours – and it’s a lot of the same guys. So, I don’t think maybe we’re getting quite the credit from some people that we deserve.”
Class 5 District 6 seeding will be fascinating. Camdenton’s head-to-head win over Glendale would appear to give the Lakers the path to the No. 1 seed, but don’t discount Willard. They will not play Glendale or Camdenton head-to-head according to the schedule, but it would be unwise to dismiss the Tigers from the discussion for the No. 1 seed in the district. If Willard uses the win over Nixa to propel itself to a COC title, then they will have a strong argument for that No. 1 seed based on the sheer difficulty of the schedule and the tradition of the program.
Webb City is receiving votes in Class 5 with an 11-6 record. One of those losses was by one run to Glendale. The Cardinals avoid the local Class 5 district and are heading north to Warrensburg in Class 5 District 7 with Bolivar, Carl Junction and McDonald County.
Shaun Hunt and Cy Darnell are leading the team offensively. Hunt has a .500 on-base percentage with 16 RBI. Darnell leads the team with a .374 batting average and a.412 on-base percentage. He has been magnificent defensively with 42 assists.
Drew Vonder Haar has shown a knack for the extra-base hit with a team-high seven doubles and a .341 batting average. He also is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA on the mound.
Landon Fletcher and Kaylor Darnell are the team’s top pitchers. Fletcher is 5-0 with one save and a team-high 1.53 ERA. His 36 strikeouts lead the team. Kaylor Darnell has a team-low 1.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts and a 4-2 record.
The bullpen features Brett Korth, Payton Marshall, Gage Chapman, Hunter Shull and Walker Sweet
Class 4
We knew Logan-Rogersville was going to be good coming off a state runner-up finish. Then Missouri State signee Brody McNiel transferred in from Hartville and the Wildcats immediately became one of the area’s best pitching staffs with three future Missouri State Bears able to take the bump.
The results have been great so far with a 12-2 record overall with losses to Smithville and Nixa.
It hasn’t been easy in the early going for the Wildcats. While they now can call a new full turf field their home, that wasn’t the case until Apr. 1. Prior to that, the new facility was under construction forcing the Wildcats to find anywhere they could to practice and not allowing for a real rhythm to set in for the early part of the season.
McNiel leads the pitching staff with a 5-0 record and 50 strikeouts over 22 innings. He has walked just seven on his way to a 0.61 ERA. Lawrence missed two weeks with an injury but has still posted a 3-1 record with a 3.23 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Sutherland is 1-1 with two saves and 24 strikeouts.
The pitching has gone beyond McNiel, Lawrence and Sutherland with eight pitchers combining to throw 83 innings with a1.94 ERA and 134 strikeouts to just 36 walks. Chase Hampton has pitched to a 1.61 ERA with eight strikeouts. Noah Higdon and Kellen Marlin both have several appearances and ERAs below two.
Offensively, Jack Rousey is hitting .500 with two home runs and 12 RBI through 11 games. Noah Carrow is at .364 with 16 RBI in 13 games. Sutherland has posted a .476 batting average with five doubles and 10 RBI in 13 games. Lawrence has a .414 batting average and .541 on-base percentage.
McNiel, Higdon and Caleb Cole all are hitting above .342 with at least 10 RBI and 10 runs scored.
Rogersville travels to Springfield Catholic next Tuesday, Apr. 25 with the district No. 1 seed and Big 8 East conference title on the line.
Things start with the pitching for No. 3 ranked Springfield Catholic. The team has 72 innings pitched with 108 strikeouts on the way to a 1.56 ERA this season. Coleman Morrison has led the team in both innings pitched (20.1) and strikeouts (30) so far this season with a 0.69 ERA. Mizzou signee Ben Smith has thrown 14.1 innings with 25 strikeouts and a 2.93 ERA. Cole Schoen has been strong with a 0.78 ERA over 18 innings with 28 strikeouts.
Freshman Jack Smith has been a strong addition to Catholic’s pitching staff with 13 innings pitched and 17 strikeouts.
At the plate, Ben Smith has a team-high 1.398 OPS with six home runs, 15 RBI and 15 runs scored. Jack Schoen has been on-base 50% of the time scoring seven runs and driving in six more. Morrison has a .877 OPS with eight runs scored and six RBI.
Catholic and Rogersville are set up for a showdown next Tuesday, Apr. 25 with the No. 1 seed in the district and the Big 8 East conference title likely on the line.
Class 3
Clever is one of the surprise teams in not just the area but the state. The No. 5 ranked Blue Jays are off to an 18-1 start under new head coach Brandon Cobb. The 18 wins are the most for the program since 2013 when the Blue Jays won 21 games. The lone loss came to Forsyth by a 4-3 margin.
Pitching has been the rock for Clever this year with a team ERA of 1.84. Lane Mendenhall, Trevor Duelen, Owen Hall and Brayden Verch are the team’s top pitchers. Mendenhall has led the team in innings and strikeouts with 25 innings pitched and 40 strikeouts posting a 5-0 record with a 1.12 ERA. Verch is second on the team in innings with 23.2 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts and a 2.07 ERA. Duelen has thrown 10.2 innings with 25 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA. Hall is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA over 13.1 innings.
Offensively, Landon Flood has crushed the ball with a .443 batting average and 26 RBI. He has hit for power too with 15 of his 27 hits going for extra bases.
Mendenhall has a .434 batting average with 21 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Duelen and Hall are both above .340 hitting. Duelen has a .382 batting average with 21 hits and 12 RBI. Hall is hitting .346 with 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Hayden Camp has added 14 RBI and 18 runs scored with eight stolen bases.
Licking checks in at No. 6 in Class 3 with an 11-2 record so far this season.
The Wildcats have five hitters with batting averages of .344 or better led by Rusty Buckner’s .500 average. He has one home run, 20 RBI and a .600 on-base percentage.
Cole Wallace and Kellar Davis are both hitting .400 or better. Wallace is at .441 with 15 runs scored and a .587 on-base percentage. Davis is right at .400 with two home runs and 19 RBI.
Malachi Antle and Keyton Cook round out the leading hitters. Antle is batting .350 with four doubles, a home run and 10 RBI. His biggest contributions come defensively behind the plate at catcher. Cook is hitting .344 with 13 runs scored.
Cook leads the pitching staff with 19 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts leading to a 1.84 ERA. Davis has thrown 11 innings with 24 strikeouts and a 0.64 ERA. Buckner has pitched 7.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and a 0.91 ERA.
Silas Antle is second on the team in innings pitched at 15 with 20 strikeouts. Junior Austin Stephens has seen six innings on the mound with five strikeouts and no runs allowed.
Stockton is a young team but that has not stopped the No. 7 Tigers from stacking an 11-4 record to this point. They start four or five underclassmen depending on the game with just three seniors on the roster in Wyatt Downs, Cade Mehl, and Cale Johnson.
Downs and Johnson are the team’s top run producers with 17 and 16 RBI, respectively. Downs is hitting .375 with a .518 on-base percentage. Johnson has posted a team-high .457 batting average with a .533 on-base percentage.
Sophomore Easton Hubbard has been a two-way star for Stockton striking out 51 with a 1.27 ERA on the mound and while driving in 16 runs. Kolten Goodman and Preston Rains have both driven in double-digit runs with 13 and 12, respectively.
The Tigers were young last season and won a district title. They are well on their way to contending for another this season.
Forsyth sits at No. 9 in the state rankings with a 12-4 record, but even that is deceiving. The Panthers’ four losses have come to three Class 4 schools (including Logan-Rogersville by a 3-1) margin and Class 5 Marshfield. Their best win is a 4-3 victory over one-loss and No. 5 ranked Clever.
The Panthers are already 2-0 in the Mid-Lakes Conference with the win over Clever and Fair Grove.
Tristan Hunter leads the way for Forsyth. The junior is 4-0 with a 0.80 ERA and 56 strikeouts. His WHIP sits at 0.99. At the plate, he is batting .388 with a .455 on-base percentage and 1.006 OPS while scoring 18 runs and driving in 12 more.
Aaron Gross is 5-1 on the mound with a 1.11 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. At the plate, he is hitting .326 with 11 RBI.
Braxton Gross leads Forsyth in hitting with a .512 batting average and 1.203 OPS and 17 RBI. Masson Campbell is batting .483 with a .625 on-base percentage and 1.280 OPS. He has scored 17 runs and stolen 12 bases. Zack Strahan is batting .300 with eight RBI and nine runs scored.
Houston is getting votes in Class 3 with a 14-3 record. The Tigers are led by senior Garyn Hall who does it all for Houston. He is hitting .500 with a 1.283 OPS. When he gets on base, he is a terror for the opposition with 31 steals in 17 games. He has 104 total steals for his career. On the mound, Hall has a 4-1 record with a 0.99 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He is the reigning SCA Player of the Year.
Stone Jackson brings a big bat to the lineup with a .435 average and 19 RBI. Senior catcher Ryan Wolfe is hitting .419 with 16 RBI. Wyatt Hughes is right at .400 with the bat with 16 RBI. On the mound, Hughes is 2-2 with 37 strikeouts. Aiden Kelly is a junior centerfielder and pitcher who has hit .413 with 17 RBI and 16 stolen bases. He is 2-0 on the mound.
Houston has gotten hot since a loss to Mountain Grove with a seven-game winning streak that has seen the Tigers outscore opponents 73-4 including six shutouts.
Class 2
Purdy was one of the area’s best small school baseball programs last year posting a 23-3 record. The Eagles came up short of a district title, but that has just served to motivate this year’s team. Purdy is up to No. 2 in the Class 2 state rankings with a 17-4 record overall.
The depth of the pitching staff has been a strength with seven different players throwing at least nine innings so far this season. Purdy has thrown 122.1 innings with 165 strikeouts as a team.
Ezequiel Garcia and Travis Hughes lead the team on the mound. Garcia has thrown 24.2 innings with a team-high 37 strikeouts and a 1.70 ERA. His record is 4-0. Hughes is also unbeaten with a 5-0 record covering 24 innings with 35 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA. Josh Brown has pitched 20 innings with 26 strikeouts. Trey Hughes (18.2 IP, 25K), Alexis Aldaba (13 IP, 7K), Hunter Lee (10.2 IP, 17K) and JJ Felipe (9.1 IP, 16 K) round out the pitching staff.
Offensively, this team has crushed the baseball with the top seven players in plate appearances all posting an OPS better than 1.000 to this point.
Travis Hughes has a team-high four home runs, 27 RBI and 32 runs scored on his way to a 1.305 OPS. Garcia has the team’s best OPS at 1.395 with 26 RBI, 22 runs scored and 10 of his 21 hits going for extra bases.
Felipe (1.051 OPS, 25 RBI, 26 runs), Aldaba (1.064 OPS, 22 RBI, 18 runs), Boston Goetz (1.001 OPS, 11 RBI, 16 runs), Brown (1.094 OPS, 22 RBI, 30 runs) and Trey Hughes (1.155 OPS, 31 RBI and 24 runs scored) all are contributing in a big way to the offense.
Easten Goetz (17 runs scored) and Hunter Lee (13 RBI) are also great offensive threats for Purdy.
Ash Grove has risen all the way to No. 3 in Class 2 on the strength of a 10-0 start to the season. Head coach Berrah Brown expected the pitching and defense to be good coming into the season, and he was right.
Bryce Davis has stepped up on the mound with a 4-0 record and a 0.68 ERA including wins against state-ranked Morrisville and Stockton. He has allowed two earned runs in just over 20 innings and just nine hits while facing 80 batters.
Parker Crow is 3-0 on the mound striking out 24 of the 42 batters he has faced. Brock Mooneyham has posted a 2-0 record with a save striking out 27 or 48 batters.
The offense has come on as the season has progressed with five different players posting an OPS of 1.100 or higher.
Crow has the team’s best batting average at .472 with a 1.175 OPS. He has stolen a team-high 14 bases. Davis leads the team with a 1.237 OPS with six doubles and a triple while driving in 14 runs. Mooneyham has also driven in 14 runs with a 1.186 OPS. He has a team-high .579 on-base percentage. Tyler Tummons is second on the team in batting average at .469 with 11 RBI. Jonathan Rollhaus leads Ash Grove with 15 RBI.
Gainesville marched all the way to the Class 2 final four last season finishing fourth. The Bulldogs sit at No. 5 in the most recent state rankings.
This year’s offense has different methods than last year’s offense but is getting similar results with a 13-4 record. Gainesville is not hitting as many home runs last year but is squaring pitches up more consistently and driving the ball all over the field.
Hunter Luna leads Gainesville in his sophomore season with a .468 batting average. He also has five doubles and nine RBI. Luna is also one of the team’s top pitchers with a 3-1 record.
Aden Yarger is also hitting over .400 at .442 with 20 RBI to lead the team. He has posted a 3-1 record with a 3.43 ERA on the mound.
Carter Wise (.390), Briar Walrath (.371), Wyatt Alms (.352), Andrew Hambelton (.348) and Grant Leeker (.326) give Gainesville seven total players hitting .325 or better. All five players have between 12 and 16 RBI on the season.
Leeker has been counted on for key innings as a freshman with a 1-1 record. Hambelton has also posted a 1-1 record.
Gainesville’s has yet to lose a game in class this season with losses to Clever, Lebanon, Forsyth and Licking. Three of those four teams are state ranked with Lebanon being a 12-5 Class 6 team.
Morrisville, No. 7 in Class 2, has been led by its pitching staff on the way to a 14-3 record. The team has posted a 1.49 ERA with 142 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .182 against the Panthers.
At the head of that staff is Triston Bruegman. Bruegman is 3-1 on the mound with a 0.72 ERA. He has struck out 56 in 29 innings. Jacob Presley is second on the team in innings pitched with 26. He is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 47 strikeouts. Landen Burrow has thrown 20.1 innings with 15 strikeouts and a 0.34 ERA. Isaac Francka has struck out 10 in 10 innings with a 0.70 ERA.
The offense has started to come around of late for the Panthers also led by Bruegman. He is hitting .481 and crushing the ball. Bruegman has seven doubles, two triples, four home runs and 22 RBI on the way to a .907 slugging percentage and 1.441 OPS. He has scored 20 runs and stolen seven bases.
Burrow isn’t far behind at the plate with a 1.393 OPS including nine doubles and two home runs. He has driven in 19 runs and scored 24 more with 11 steals. Francka has contributed 16 RBI at the plate.
Seymour sits at 11-4, ranked No. 8 in Class 2. They are led by Chade Noble, who has the most dominant pitching line in the Ozarks. Noble is 5-0 with 74 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. His ERA is 0.00. That is not a typo. Noble has not allowed a single run through 34 innings. Equally as impressive, Noble has only allowed two total hits so far this season.
At the plate, Noble is hitting .343 with a .510 on-base percentage and a 1.110 OPS. He has four doubles, a triple, a home run and 11 RBI.
Dylan Henry has been the team’s No. 2 on the mound with 36 strikeouts through 17.2 innings pitched. He has a 3-0 record and 1.18 ERA. At the plate, he has a .351 batting average and .447 on-base percentage with 19 RBI.
Trevor Young (12 IP, 10K, 3.50 ERA) and Caleb Schreffler (11 IP, 10K, 2.54 ERA) have also thrown key innings.
Brayden Baker (.375 batting average, 1.080 OPS) has been a strong hitter and base runner with five steals. Kason Richards has a 1.011 OPS with five doubles and 11 RBI. Schreffler has driven in 10 runs with a .444 on-base percentage. Luke Rasmussen has stolen seven bases and driven in eight runs with a .460 on-base percentage.
Galena has bounced back from a 9-12 fall campaign to get off to a 12-4 start and receiving votes in Class 2 in the spring behind a strong top of the rotation and hot bats.
Chase Robertson is leading the way. He has the team’s best batting average at .432 with two home runs and 16 RBI. He also leads the pitching staff with a 5-0 record, 1.59 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
Sophomore second baseman Blake Wall has been strong hitting from the left side. He has excelled in situational hitting. Junior clean-up hitter Garret Lewallen has 13 RBI good for second on the team.
Wyatt Doak and Lincoln Hickman have each picked up two wins on the mound in the early going. Freshman Bobby Harris Jr. has been a star in relief for Galena with a 1.43 ERA and a save.
Marionville has been a staple in the Class 2 state rankings the past few seasons. The Comets are currently receiving votes with a 7-5 record.
Gage Guerin and Blane Young are the team’s top pitchers. Guerin sits a 22 innings pitched on the year with 22 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA. Young has thrown 18.1 innings with 21 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA.
Offensively, six different players are hitting better than .300 led by Young at .471. He has driven in seven runs and posted a .526 on-base percentage.
Wil Carlton (.391 batting average, 12 RBI), Preston Herd (.400 batting average, 6 RBI), Owen Bright (.387 batting average, 5 RBI), Will Crumpley (.314 batting average, 2 RBI) and Garrett Grimm (.310 batting average, 8 RBI) round out the top offensive players for Marionville.
New Covenant has had a bounce-back season after winning eight games last year and nine games two seasons ago. The Warriors are off to an 11-6 start this season and are receiving votes in Class 2.
They started off 2-3 before rattling off nine consecutive wins from Mar. 28 through Apr. 5. The Warriors have lost their last three games all to Class 3 programs.
On the mound, junior Connor McCarley is leading the way with a 2.25 ERA over 25 innings with 28 strikeouts. Senior Jared Jackson has a 4.87 ERA along with 25 strikeouts over 23 innings. Junior Gavin Berry has a 2.86 ERA with 27 strikeouts in his 22 innings of work.
Team leaders at the plate are: Connor McCarley (.490 BA, 20 RBI), Jackson (.519 BA, 19 RBI), Braden Blake (.333 BA, 22 Runs, 12 SB), Sam Dauber (.417, 13 Runs), Cam Welker (.357, 10 RBI) and Nate Martin (.357 BA, 18 Runs, 12 SB).
Miller won six total games last season. In the first year with Justin Snider as head coach, Miller already has 11 wins and is receiving votes in Class 2.
Pitching has been a strength with good depth developing. Garrett Stewart is the No. 1 arm drawing the toughest assignments on the mound. Senior Spencer Bowles has thrown 20 innings with 22 strikeouts and a 3.04 ERA. One of those wins was over No. 7 Morrisville. Jaron Lung (sophomore) and Paul Nunez round out the rotation. Lung has a 0.47 ERA over 15 innings. Nunez threw a no-hitter against Bradleyville on his way to 14.2 innings and 22 strikeouts with a 1.43 ERA.
Offensively, Miller is balanced with production top-to-bottom. Bowles has a .400 batting average with 15 RBI. Stewart has three triples and 12 RBI. Lung leads the team with 18 runs scored. Senior Brady Johnson has a .395 batting average with four doubles, three triples and a home run leading to 15 RBI. Owen Pritchett also has 15 RBI. Caden Calvin and Gavin Hendricks are a pair of sophomores with 14 RBI each.
Class 1
Weaubleau remains a consistent force in Class 1 sitting at No. 8 in the most recent state rankings. The Tigers have won three straight district titles and are poised to compete for a fourth with an 11-4 record to start the season.
The path to that district title will be tough with both Lakeland and Wheatland in the district. Two of Weaubleau’s four losses came to those two programs. The Tigers did bounce back to beat Wheatland the second time they faced them.
Wheatland has a 12-6 record against a tough schedule, which has the Mules ranked No. 9 in Class 1. They split with conference and district rival Weaubleau. The Mules also played one-loss, Class 3 state-ranked Clever well coming up just short in a 1-0 loss.
Reigning Polk County League Player of the Year Davin Sawyer continues to be one of the best players in Class 1. Sawyer is hitting .479 with a 1.388 OPS. He has three home runs, 19 RBI and 32 runs scored. On the mound, Sawyer is 3-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 31 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings.
Senior Sam Stewart has also been a potent bat with a .393 batting average and 1.013 OPS. He has scored 15 runs and driven in 15 more.
Sophomore Bradley Phillips (.429 batting average, 1.059 OPS, 17 runs, 19 RBI) and Nathan Sawyer (.396 batting average, .950 OPS, 25 runs, 16 RBI) are a pair of underclassmen contributing on offense.
Sophomore Andrew Murphy has rock solid this season with a 0.69 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 30.1 innings. He has struck out 48.
