By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2023 proved to be a successful campaign for Strafford Baseball.
The young Indians squad finished with a 14-13 record, falling to Forsyth in the district semifinal round.
With only two graduation departures, Strafford returns the bulk of its lineup heading into head coach Brett Bough’s second season at the helm.
“Last year we were young and inexperienced,” Bough said. “We had seven 1-run losses that we are hoping to flip this season, including losing to Forsyth in our district championship. They competed as hard as we could expect, but just happened to come up short in many games.”
Seniors Gage Moore and Cody Fisher will lead the charge for the Indians.
Moore, a pitcher and infielder, recorded a 4-4-1 record on the mound with a 3.31 ERA. At the plate, the all-conference and all-district selection posted a .269 average with 12 RBI and 4 stolen bases.
“Gabe will take on more of a leadership role this year as a senior,” Bough said. “He led us in almost all statistical pitching categories as a junior. He will also hit in the middle of the order and be asked to help drive in runs.”
Fisher, an all-district infielder and pitcher, hit .253 last season with 1 home run, 21 RBI and 5 stolen bases.
“Cody will also be asked to take on a leadership role as a senior,” Bough said. “He will be asked to pitch more innings this year, play first base and drive in runs from the middle of the order.”
Juniors Conner Rogers and Cooper Easley also return to the Strafford lineup.
Rogers, an all-conference and all-district catcher, hit .287 with 1 home run, 12 RBI and 3 stolen bases last season.
“Conner caught almost every inning for us last year,” Bough said. “He does a very good job of controlling the game behind the plate. He has had a good off-season, and we look for him to make a big improvement this year at the plate.”
Easley – a pitcher, infielder and outfielder – hit .221 with 12 RBI and 5 stolen bases in 2023.
“Cooper is an excellent athlete that can play anywhere on the field,” Bough said. “Cooper pitched the second-most amount of innings for us and will be looked upon to be a key starter for us this year.”
Landon Rhodes, Eli Clark and Crue Crawford are sophomores and round out the Indians’ returnees.
Rhodes, an all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .268 with 11 RBI and 3 stolen bases last season.
“Landon had a good freshman season, which saw him finishing the year in the three hole for us,” Bough said. “He played in the outfield and the infield for us last year but will mainly play infield this year. He has a good approach at the plate, which makes him a tough out.”
Clark, a pitcher and outfielder, finished with a 1-1 record and 3.87 ERA. At the plate, the all-conference and all-district selection hit .304 with 6 RBI and 3 stolen bases.
“Eli finished the year last as our second leading hitter,” Bough said, “He will be asked to eat up a ton of innings for us while continuing to improve at the plate.”
Crawford, a pitcher and outfielder, posted a 3-2-2 record last season. At the plate, he hit .186 with 13 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
“Crue is a very good center fielder with excellent speed,” Bough said. “He will also make the move from closer to starter this year.”
Junior Prestin Ames, junior Gage Bradley, sophomore Tyler Hunt and sophomore Bryant Crocker will all compete for playing time as varsity newcomers.
“We are excited to see the growth in the boys this year after throwing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores into varsity action last year,” Bough said. “The expectation will not change with this group. They will be held to a high standard at the baseball field. If they work as hard as they can and continue to compete, I’m sure they will be satisfied with their results.”
On the mound, Bough looks for continued development from a deep staff anchored by the senior Moore.
“I feel that we should have more depth this year on the pitching staff,” Bough said. “We pitched several freshmen and sophomores last year, and they competed well, so I can’t wait to see how they develop. We will have more depth and competitiveness there than we have had in a while.”
At the plate, Bough expects his lineup to make things difficult for opposing pitchers.
“We have several true baseball players that just compete each pitch,” Bough said. “I look for each hitter to take a dirtbag approach and just be a tough out.”
Strafford opens its season March 16 in the Stockton Tournament with games against Skyline and Buffalo.
