By Chris Parker
The baseball season started just over a month ago on Mar. 17 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. 16 STATE BASEBALL RANKINGS – CLICK HERE
CLASS 6
Nixa (receiving votes in Class 6) is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Class 6 state tournament last season, and the Eagles have built a schedule to that will get them ready to make a run back for a second straight season. There will be a lot of mentions of tough schedules throughout this article, but Nixa definitely has the case for the area’s toughest schedule.
They are receiving votes in Class 6, but they should be ranked. Nixa is 14-9 this season. They started out 0-3 with losses to three teams from California. One of those losses was by one run in nine innings to South Hills. Prep Baseball Report California has South Hills ranked No. 22 in the entire state of California. The other two losses in California came to La Marida, which MaxPreps has ranked as No. 19 in the state of California.
Since returning to playing largely Missouri teams, Nixa is 7-4 against teams currently ranked in the state. The most impressive run came playing four games in two days at the Red and Blue Tournament Mar. 29-30. Nixa went undefeated over those three games including wins over Class 5 No. 5 Kearney, Class 6 No. 5 Lee’s Summit West and Class 6 No. 4 Liberty North. Liberty North is the two-time defending state champion in Class 6 which beat Nixa in the state semifinal round last season.
All of this is to say, Nixa’s resume can be put up against any other team from across the state.
Pitching has pushed the Eagles this season with a 2.27 ERA as a staff. Junior Jackson Gamble is 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Colin Kelley, also a junior, has a 3-1 record with a 0.64 ERA and 36 strikeouts. Senior Nate Uber is sitting with a 0.72 ERA with 20 strikeouts.
Offensively, senior Rylan Michel is hitting .323 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 walks. When on base, he is a threat to move up with six stolen bases on the season.
Glendale is the only unmentioned team in these notes, but the Falcons are deserving of a mention (and a state ranking) with a 13-4 record. They moved up from Class 5 to Class 6 this season and have the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the Class 6 District 6 tournament on the strength of head-to-head wins over Nixa (2-1), Republic (3-2), Kickapoo (6-4) and Ozark (6-3) so far this season. Glendale also has wins over Class 5 No. 3 Webb City and Class 6 No. 9 Liberty.
The losses are all quality including Springdale (Ark.), Class 5 No. 1 Willard (by one in nine innings), Class 6 No. 4 Liberty North and Class 6 No. 5 Lee’s Summit West.
The offense has been potent for Glendale with a team batting average of .303 leading to 7.1 runs per game.
Senior infielder Mark Ross has been Glendale’s top hitter this season posting a .490 batting average and 1.280 OPS. He has 25 hits in 51 at-bats with four doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI, 17 runs scored and nine stolen bases.
Sebatian Norman, one of the top ranked juniors in the nation, has hit .392 with a 1.131 OPS including six doubles, two triples and a home run. That power generated 14 RBI and 21 runs scored. He has also swiped seven bases.
Senior infielder Cam Stratton is sitting at an OPS of .994 with four doubles, three triples, a home run and eight RBI.
Drew Wedgeworth sits atop the pitching rotation with a 3-0 record and a 1.83 ERA over 30.2 innings pitching. He has struck out 28 batters with five walks. At the plate, Wedgeworth has a .341 batting average with 15 RBI on 15 hits.
CLASS 5
Another year, another stellar season from Willard baseball. Head coach Scott McGee has his Tigers ranked No. 1in Class 5 once again on the strength of a 17-3 overall record. All three losses are to Class 6 state-ranked teams in Francis Howell (No. 2), Staley (No. 7) and Liberty (No. 9).
The Tigers just do what it takes to win according to McGee with several come-from-behind wins and tight contests. One of those come-from-behind wins came on Tuesday against Nixa where the Tigers rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win in a walk-off 6-5.
Offensively, Willard is deep and diverse; able to hit for power or manufacture runs when necessary. The power is seen in the eight home runs the Tigers have as a team, while the small ball is evidenced by the 55 total stolen bases Willard has racked up.
Infield defense has been a strong suit for Willard outside of one rough game with Matthew Angel and Cade Hayter playing strong up the middle. Landon Moore and Drew Quinlan have been strong utility players. Hayden Rakestraw has been the picture of consistency at the plate for Willard.
The pitching staff has been led by Hayden Larson, Cameron Jennings and Kaelin Adams.
Larson has thrown a team-high 28 innings with a 1.75 ERA and 1.11 WHIP while striking out 29. Jennings has posted a 0.32 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 28 strikeouts across 22 innings so far this season. Adams has been shutdown in relief with three saves over 15.2 innings. He has a 1.34 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in his 15.7 innings.
Levi Hilton leads the team in strikeouts on the mound with 31 in 21.1 innings. Will Merryman is the fifth Willard player with double-digit innings pitched at 18.1 posting a 1.53 ERA with 24 strikeouts.
As a staff, Willard has struck out 154 across 136 innings with a 2.47 ERA.
Rakestraw and Jennings are the top run producers for Willard through 20 games with 15 RBI each. They also are 1-2 on the team in home runs at three for Jennings and two for Rakestraw. Jennings is hitting .388 with 16 runs scored. Rakestraw is at .345 with 18 runs scored.
Angel (76 plate appearances), Moore (75 plate appearances) and Quinlan (73 plate appearances) lead Willard in times up to bat. Angel is hitting .310 with a team-high 22 runs scored. Moore is one of the most patient players in the lineup with a team-high 18 walks seeing four pitches per plate appearance on average. Quinlan has 17 runs scored and 10 runs batted in behind his .262 average.
Cade Hayter, who sees a team-high 4.3 pitches per at-bat, has reached base 21 total times via hit, walk or hit-by-pitch. He has turned those 21 times on base into a team-high 11 steals.
Webb City is No. 3 in Class 5 on the strength of a 14-5 record overall. The Cardinals, who finished fourth in Class 5 last season, have seen their best wins come against out-of-area teams in Bentonville West (Ark.), Springdale (Ark.), Marquette and Rock Bridge. The win over Class 6 No. 3 Rock Bridge was especially impressive as it came by a 10-run, 13-3, margin.
The Cardinals are 5-1 in the COC after a three-run loss to Nixa on Wednesday.
Shaun Hunt, Webb City’s lone returning all-state player, is hitting .451 with a .581 on-base percentage. He has nine doubles, 18 RBI and 14 walks. Drew Vonder Haar is hitting .492 with 12 doubles, 23 RBI and 10 walks. Andrew Young has contributed a .380 batting average and a .450 on-base percentage.
On the mound, Luke Beverlin is 5-0 with a 1.18 ERA and 42 strikeouts against seven walks. Landon Fletcher is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 32 strikeouts. Brett Korth has posted a 1.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts on his way to a 3-1 record.
West Plains rode a 17-0 start all the way to the No. 4 ranking in Class 5. The Zizzers suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday to Kickapoo by an 11-6 margin. They don’t have a win over a state-ranked team to this point but will get plenty of chances over the rest of the season with Branson, Glendale and Rogersville all on the schedule.
Offense has been a strength for West Plains averaging 9.6 runs per game.
Southeast Missouri State signee Tank Sims leads that offensive attack with arguably the best offensive performance of any player in the area to this point. He is hitting .625 with a 1.770 OPS including five home runs, 10 doubles and 40 RBI.
Peyton Cooper has contributed five doubles and three triples with his .396 batting average. Hunter Roberts and Nelson Hoover are both hitting .340 with Roberts scoring 27 runs and Nelson providing three doubles and three home runs. Rylan Kenslow and Riley Summers are also both hitting over .300.
The pitching staff is paced by Roberts and his 1.41 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 29.2 innings. Landon Montgomery has yet to yield an earned run through 19 innings with 17 strikeouts.
Branson is hanging on at No. 10 in the Class 5 rankings with a 13-8 record overall. Five of those eight losses are to team ranked in the state in Missouri. Two more of those losses are to out-of-state teams from Illinois and Oklahoma. Oktaha was the team from Oklahoma that beat Branson. That program is ranked No. 11 in the state regardless of class according to Prep Baseball Report Oklahoma.
The Pirates have accomplished all of this despite not putting it together in all facets of the game this season according to head coach Kirk Harryman.
Collin Ross, Hunter Jones, Andrew Bristow and Kyler Lankton lead the pitching staff. Ross is 3-1 with a save over 26.2 innings pitched. He has 27 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA. Jones has thrown 22.1 innings with a team-high 31 strikeouts posting a 3.76 ERA. Bristow leads the pitchers in innings at 28.2. He has 22 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA. Lankton has two saves and a 1-0 record over 14 innings pitched which includes 15 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA.
Bristow and Ross lead the offensive attack with .362 and .338 batting averages, respectively. Brisow has also contributed eight double and nine RBI. Ross has 18 runs scored and 10 RBI.
Aaron Strohm is also hitting over .300 at .333 with 17 RBI. Marshall Storm is tied with Strohm for the team lead in RBI at 17 to go with one each a double, triple and homer. Gage Depee has provided power to the lineup with three home runs, 16 RBI and a .286 batting average. Sam Adkisson has five doubles to help buoy his .293 battling average. He has 16 RBI.
CLASS 4
From the outside, it looked like it could be a rebuilding year for Logan-Rogersville with the Wildcats having to replace a group of seven graduate starters including two Missouri State signees. That proved to be the furthest thing from the truth, as the Wildcats are 14-3 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4.
Three of those wins are over Class 4 ranked teams in Blair Oaks (No. 2), Father Tolton (No. 4) and Summit Christian (No. 6), which has the Wildcats firmly atop the state rankings in the class.
Rogersville’s three losses are to Springdale (Ark.), Class 6 Nixa and state-ranked Class 3 school Forsyth.
Pitching has led the way for Rogersville with a staff that goes eight deep.
Missouri State signee Ross Lawrence leads the pitching staff with a 4-1 record and one save over 21 innings. He has 37 strikeouts and a 0.63 ERA. At the plate, Lawrence has provided two home runs and 16 RBI.
Senior Chase Hampton is 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 20.1 innings. Ethan Desanti has thrown the most innings at 24 with a 3.97 ERA. Freshman Nate Eakins has made an immediate impact with a 0.46 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 15 innings. Sophomore Easton Hampton is another underclassman getting it done with a 2.57 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 16 innings.
Shane Desanti makes the offense go from the leadoff spot with a .375 batting average, 11 stolen bases and 12 RBI. Jackson Rousey has provided some power with two home runs and 14 RBI. Zane Hunter has 12 RBI.
Class 4 No. 8 Nevada has been a consistent program over the past three seasons with at least 17 wins in every year. The 2024 campaign is shaping up to be even better with the Tigers already posting 14 wins through the team’s first 16 games this season.
Seniors Drake Ketterman and Kellan Ast lead the offense. Ketterman has a .464 batting average with 17 RBI and 25 runs scored while playing shortstop. Ast, an outfielder, has a .360 batting average with 16 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Caden Klumpp and Barrett Nadurata are the top pitchers for Nevada. Klumpp has a 4-1 record with a 1.53 ERA. Nadurata is 2-0 with one save and a 1.05 ERA.
CLASS 3
Defending Class 3 state champion Licking is sitting at No. 2 in the state rankings a month into the season.
The Wildcats go as the offense does. In their 13 wins, Licking is averaging 11.8 runs per game. In the three losses, they are scoring two runs per game.
While the offense has been potent, it is the pitching that has provided the most consistency giving up 2.7 runs per game on average. As a team, Licking has 93 innings pitched with 141 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA.
Kellar Davis leads the pitching staff in his senior season with a team-high 26 innings pitched and 41 strikeouts. He has a 3-1 record with a 1.89 ERA.
Silas Antle (4-0, 17.1 IP, 33 K, 2.02 ERA), Keyton Cook (2-1, 14.2 IP, 24 K, 0.96 ERA), Austin Stephens (3-0, 11.2 IP, 12 K, 3.00 ERA) and Rusty Buckner (1-1, 11 IP, 16 K, 2.55 ERA) are four more seniors who have all thrown double-digit innings.
Buckner, Antle and Cook also are three of the team’s top hitters. Buckner is hitting .435 with a 1.440 OPS, five home runs and 25 RBI. Antle has a .413 batting average with a 1.173 OPS and 11 RBI. Cook is hitting .327 with three home runs 15 RBI and a 1.053 OPS.
Junior Kale Cook leads the team in batting average at .468 with two home runs and 23 RBI.
Forsyth is sitting at 14-3 on the season, which has the Panthers up to No. 5 in Class 3. One of the losses was a forfeit due to an accidental pitch count violation. The other two losses came to Olathe West, the No. 1 team in Class 6 in Kansas, and Class 5 Marshfield.
Forsyth’s best wins are over Class 4 No. Logan-Rogersville and Class 3 No. 2, and defending state campion, Licking.
University of Kentucky signee Tristan Hunter makes the Panthers go. He has been dominant on the mound and at the plate. Hunter has yet to give up an earned run over 26.2 innings while striking out 51 for an average of just shy of two strikeouts per inning. At the plate, Hunter is hitting .540 with an OPS of 1.630 with 25 RBI on 27 hits.
Bryce Nolen and Braxton Gross have also been lights-out on the mound. Nolen is 4-1 with a 1.14 ERA while Gross is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA. Gross is also hitting .341.
Ayden Cleveringa is batting .455 with 20 hits and 15 RBI. Mason Campbell has contributed a .381 batting average while Ben Boyer is hitting. .392.
As a team, Forsyth has a .345 batting average, .484 on-base percentage, .964 fielding percentage and 1.54 ERA.
Strafford’s 13-2 record has the Indians up to No. 9 in Class 3 in the newest state baseball rankings. The two losses were to Class 6 Lebanon in 10 innings and Class 4 Seneca.
The Indians won the Stockton Tournament and finished runner-up in the Neosho Tournament with the extra inning loss to Lebanon coming in the championship game.
Pitching and timely hitting have led Strafford.
The team’s ERA sits at 1.82 led by sophomore Crue Crawford who is 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA. Senior Gabe Moore is also 4-0 posting a 1.82 ERA. Eli Clark (sophomore) and Cody Fisher (senior) have been solid starters as well. Juniors Cooper Easley and Conner Rogers have been solid out of the bullpen.
Sophomore Landen Rhodes and Crawford have led Strafford hitting with .436 and .419 batting averages, respectively. Rogers is hitting .410.
Five of Strafford’s top six hitters are non-seniors.
CLASS 2
Defending Class 2 state champion Ash Grove is No. 4 in the state rankings. The Pirates have played fewer games than most with a 6-3 record overall. Wins over Class 2 state-ranked Marion C. Early and Mansfield have stood out on their schedule so far.
Mansfield used a 9-0 start to the season to push into the state rankings for the first time in five seasons. The Lions sit at No. 5 in Class 2 with a 13-2 record. The two losses are to fellow state-ranked teams Ash Grove and New Covenant.
One of the highlights of the season was a 5-4 win over Lincoln in extra innings at Hammons Field in Springfield. It was the program’s first time playing on the field used by the Springfield Cardinals and Missouri State Bears.
The offense is scoring 8.7 runs per game behind a .331 batting average and .445 on-base percentage. When on base, the Lions are running with 66 stolen bases.
Senior shortstop Kaden Coble leads the team with a .518 on-base percentage. He also has four doubles, nine RBI, 13 walks and seven stolen bases across 37 at-bats.
Senior infielder Carter Garrison is the team’s leader in batting average at .460 with a.500 on-base percentage. He has 16 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Judd Watterson is holding down third base in his senior year while hitting .386 with a .500 on-base percentage and 14 RBI. Classmate Brock Gray has a .306 batting average and 13 stolen bases to lead the team.
Juniors Braden Tate (.344 batting average, seven RBI) and Charlie Grubbs (.297 batting average, 13 walks, 10 stolen bases) round out the top six hitters for Mansfield.
On the mound, the Mansfield staff has 137 strikeouts across 93 innings with a 1.51 ERA and five shutouts.
Coble leads the pitching staff much like he does the offense with 25 innings pitched, 40 strikeouts and a 0.28 ERA. All are team-best numbers.
Grubbs (3-0, 23 IP, 33 K, 0.30 ERA), Garrison (1-1, 13 IP, 21 K, 3.23 ERA) and Gray (2-1, 12.1 IP, 14 K, 3.97 ERA).
Mansfield is 2-0 against district opponents and 3-0 in Summit Conference play this season.
New Covenant has climbed to No. 7 in the Class 2 state rankings with a 12-2 record overall. The Warriors’ best win came against No. 5 Mansfield by a 6-1 margin. Their two losses are to Class 1 No. 2 Northland Christian and Class 3 No. 9 Strafford.
NCA has a 2.29 team ERA led by seniors Connor McCarley (3-1, 1 SV, Â 29.2 IP, 1.42 ERA, 48 K) and Gavin Berry (3-0, 24.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 24 K).
At the plate, centerfielder Braden Blake (.450 batting average, three doubles, 3 triples, 14 RBI, 20 runs, 13 stolen bases, 1.296 OPS) and utility Nate Martin (.500 batting average, 11 RBI, 1.225 OPS) lead the way.
Lane Richardson, New Covenant’s catcher, has been clutch at the plate all season with four game-winning hits.
No. 8 Marion C. Early has gotten used to spending time in the state rankings with four straight 19-win seasons and five district titles in the past six seasons.
The Panthers are heading to a fifth straight 19-win season off to a 13-3 start in 2024. They have strong wins over Class 1 state-ranked Halfway (twice) and Wheatland. The three losses are to No. 4 Ash Grove, Class 3 Stockton (14-5) and Class 6 Springfield Central.
Senior outfielder and pitcher Landen Burrow leads the team with a .457 batting average, six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 17 RBI which has helped him to a 1.547 OPS. On the mound, he is second in innings pitched with 28.2. He has a 4-1 record with a 2.20 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Senior shortstop and pitcher Jacob Presley leads the team in innings pitched with 30.1. He is 4-1 with 55 strikeouts against only three walks and a 2.08 ERA. At the plate, Presley is hitting .386 with five doubles, three home runs, 21 RBI and 15 stolen bases. His OPS is 1.231.
Senior outfielder Garrett Loftis is hitting .417 with two doubles, one triple and 12 RBI.
Ben Lewis, senior utility, has a .446 on-base percentage with a team-high 14 walks and 17 stolen bases. He has played six different positions in the field and committed just one error in 52 chances.
Junior Coltin Jett is hitting .289 with five doubles and 18 RBI. He has thrown seven innings with 12 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.
Galena slides into the end of the Class 2 rankings at No. 10 with a 13-3 record overall.
The Bears have a 2.86 ERA on the mound led by seniors Chase Robertson and Garret Lewallen. Each has four wins with Robertson posting a 1.48 ERA and Lewallen a 2.49 ERA. Freshman Jaxon Foster has a save on the mound and a 0.00 ERA. Junior Wyatt Doak has yet to pitch due to injury, but will be a huge boost to the rotation if he is able to return to the mound.
Offensively, six different Bears are hitting over .300.
Robertson leads the team at .525 with 12 singles, 8 doubles, 1 triple and 20 walks against just four strikeouts.
Blake Wall (.422, 12 1B, 3 2B, 4 3B, 10 BB, 8 HBP), Lincoln Hickman (.377, 19 1B, 1 2B, 25 RBI), Lewallen (.375, 13 1B, 4 2B, 23 RBI), Bryce Wall (.362, 10 1B, 3 2B, 4 3B) and Doak (.341, 8 1B, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 15 BB) round out the players hitting above .300 for Galena.
CLASS 1
Halfway’s 14-3 record has the Cardinals up to No. 3 in the Class 1 state rankings. Two of the three losses came to Class 2 state-ranked Marion C. Early.
The team has a 1.40 ERA on the mound with 162 total strikeouts averaging almost 10 strikeouts per game.
Depth is a strength for the pitching staff with six different players who can throw. Zach Laney leads the team with 56 strikeouts. Brayden Keene is 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA.
Offensively, the team is hitting .346 with seven players hitting over .300. Keene leads the team with a .508 batting average. Shane Gallivan (.456) and Maddox McCarthy (.404) are also hitting over .400 for Halfway.
No. 8 Wheatland is sitting at 14-6 overall entering the final stretch of the regular season. The Mules have lost to mostly bigger class competition except a Polk County League loss to fellow ranked Class 1 school Halfway.
Wheatland is getting it done with a mostly junior lineup headlined by Andrew Dougherty. Dougherty is hitting .447 with a 1.272 OPS, 27 runs scored, 21 RBI, seven doubles and one home run. He is 1-1 on the mound with a 2.76 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.
Sophomore Brett Dougherty is the only non-junior among the top hitters for Wheatland with a .429 batting average, 1.145 OPS, 24 RBI six doubles and one home run.
Brock Mendenhall gives Wheatland a third player with an OPS over 1.000 at 1.051. He scored 23 runs while driving in 11. On the mound. Mendenhall is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 11.2 innings.
Tucker Shaddox is one of two players over 20 innings pitched at 21.2. He has 30 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA in those innings. At the plate, Shaddox is hitting .341 with 13 runs scored and 13 runs batted in to go with five doubles.
Braden Sawyer has posted a team-best 1.81 ERA with 28 strikeouts across 19.1 innings pitched. He is hitting .323 with 13 Rbi and three doubles.
Andrew Murphy leads the pitching staff with 23.2 innings pitched. He has 30 strikeouts and a 3.55 ERA.
Lockwood is on the outside looking in of the top 10 in Class 1 in the most recent rankings, but the Tigers will look to crack the top 10 next time around with a 10-3 record so far this season.
Nik Thieman is 4-0 on the mound with a team-high 30 innings pitched. He has 38 strikeouts and a 1.633 ERA.
Skyler Weimer (2-1, 19.2 IP, 2.50 ERA, 24 K) and Landry Ogden (2-0, 1 SV, 18.1 IP, 2.29 ERA, 18 K) are Lockwood’s other key pitchers. Ogden is just a freshman.
Ogden has been a force at the plate with a .444 batting average, 13 RBI and 17 runs scored. He has struck out just twice this season.
Thieman leads the team in OPS at 1.264. He has nine doubles and two triples helping him to a team-high 19 RBI to go with 15 runs scored.
All-stater Hank Eggerman has a .429 batting average and 1.143 OPS. He has scored a team-high 22 runs with two doubles and two triples. Eggerman also leads the team on the base paths with 15 stolen bases.
Roper Gray (.342 batting average, 7 RBI, 10 runs), Izaac Taylor (.324 batting average, 2 2B, 10 RBI, 9 runs) and Weimer (.293, 3 2B, 7 RBI, 10 runs) round out Lockwood’s top hitters.
