By Chris Parker
Lockwood baseball will have a bit of a new look this season having to replace six starters coming off a 16-win season.
“I’m excited to get started this year,” Lockwood head coach Adam Grisham said. “I’ve got a good crew of young men who are still hungry. We’ve played in two district championships over the last three years, won one and lost last year. And I know that’s where we want to get back to that championship again. The starters we are returning are experienced, talented ball players. But we have some holes to fill defensively. And how well the new guys step up and fill in is going to be a big factor in our success. We some have talented guys for the mound, returners and rookies, but we have to be able to keep playing defense at a high level behind them, and we have to get better every day at practice.”
The key returning players for Lockwood include Hank Eggerman (senior pitcher/infield), Izaac Taylor (senior pitcher/first base), Skyler Weimer (senior catcher/pitcher), Nik Thieman (junior shortstop/pitcher) and Brett Winefeldt (senior outfielder/pitcher).
Eggerman was a first-team all-state selection on the infield last season. He hit .481 with 21 RBI and 38 stolen bases.
“Hank is a beast,” Lockwood head coach Adam Grisham said. “I can’t say enough about this young man. He had one of the most impressive seasons last year I’ve been around, he stole a crazy 38 bases. He is a triple threat ballplayer, in the field with a glove, with a bat, and on the base paths.”
Taylor drove in 15 runs with a .329 batting average in 2023. He earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
“Ike looks poised to have a great season,” Grisham said. “He’s a big prototype first basemen and has grown into a great defender and hitter. The end of last season he really turned a corner on the mound, and looks ready to show what he’s got.”
Weimer was 2-2 on the mound and hit .408 at the play last season. He was honorable mention all-conference in the outfield and second-team all-district.
“Since his freshman year, Skyler has been a staple in our lineup,” Grisham said. “He’s developed into an all-around great ball player. On the mound, he has excellent control and velocity and his team is going to need him to throw against some tough matchups. He will man the centerfield position when he’s not pitching.”
Thieman led the team in wins last season with a 6-3 record while hitting .451. He earned first-team all-district honors and honorable mention all-conference honors as a pitcher.
“Nik had an impressive sophomore season and I’m excited to see what he does this year,” Grisham said. “He improved his hitting last year and became one of our most dangerous hitters. He had a great season on the mound adding velocity and control, becoming one of our best weapons. Our team is going to need him to repeat that production.”
Winefeldt hit .286 in limited action as a junior.
“Brett has been a role player the last couple years and has grown into a reliable outfielder on defense,” Grisham said. “He capitalized on a lot of chances he got last year and I’m excited to see him in the corners of the outfield this season.”
Kayden Lafon (senior), Bryson Brown (sophomore), Ryan Wells (sophomore), Landry Ogden (freshman), Roper Gray (freshman), Braxton Garver (freshman) and Koen Lilienkamp (freshman) will be newcomers to watch.
Lockwood opens the regular season Mar. 16-19 at the Purdy Tournament.
“One of my favorite things about this crew is how versatile we are. So many guys who can play all spots. And these utility guys are a huge weapon for us because we don’t have a big roster. We need that kind of versatility. We don’t play a lot of other Class 1 schools, we’re the smallest in the conference. And our conference is going to be competitive. Ash Grove didn’t lose a game last year and Stockton is bringing guys back. But nothing comes easy in the Southwest Conference, and we feel like we’re capable of playing at a high level,” Grisham said. “My coaching philosophy for this year is don’t stop growing. We have to be playing our best ball at the end. We have to use each and every rep, every game, every pitch to make sure we’re improving, learning, and getting better and better. We can’t be satisfied.”
