By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After posting 14 wins in 2023, Fair Grove baseball and head coach William Reed took a big step forward last season.
The Eagles finished with a 24-10 record, falling to Forsyth in the district title game.
“I thought we took a great step forward as a program last season,” Reed said. “We won some big games and competed with consistency throughout the year. Overall, I feel like we met expectations last season. Unfortunately, we ran into Forsyth in the district championship, where Class 3 player of the year Tristan Hunter pitched a tremendous game.”
Reed and Fair Grove have reason for optimism heading into the spring campaign, as well.
The Eagles return all but one player from last season’s lineup, including seven players who captured postseason awards.
Spearheading the list is sophomore Gavin Thomason, an all-state honoree during his freshman season.
Thomason, an outfielder/third baseman/pitcher, hit .333 last season with 3 home runs, 26 runs batted in and 38 stolen bases.
“Gavin Thomason had a tremendous freshman season for us, showing great 5-tool potential,” Reed said. “He had 3 home runs and broke our school record for stolen bases in a season with 38. I am excited about his potential off the mound and look for him to take on a bigger role there this year.”
Thomason is joined by seniors Nolen Geitz, Brock Boatwright, Spensar Seiger, Brock Bruner and Carson Krider.
Geitz, an all-conference and all-district outfielder, hit .284 last season with 28 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases.
“Nolen Geitz returns as our most experienced player and one of our team leaders,” Reed said. “He has started a lot of games in center field and has been a cornerstone of our offense since his sophomore year. I look for Nolen to take a step forward and have a great season for us at the plate.”
Boatwright, an all-conference and all-district pitcher, compiled a 5-2 record and 2.22 earned run average with 41 strikeouts last season.
“Brock’s ability to attack the zone while changing speeds makes him a really good Class 3 pitcher,” Reed said. “He wants the ball in big games.”
Seiger, an all-conference and all-district pitcher, recorded a 6-1 record, a 2.50 earned run average and 58 strikeouts as a junior.
“Spensar led us in innings pitched, mostly due to his extreme competitiveness when on the mound,” Reed said. “He had five complete games on the year, including a two-hit shutout of Pleasant Hope in the district quarterfinals.”
Bruner, an all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .313 last season with 2 home runs, 27 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases.
“Brock brought some of his aggressive linebacker mentality to the plate, and it resulted in some big RBI in some of our biggest games,” Reed said.
Krider, an all-conference and all-district pitcher, recorded a 5-1 record, 1.21 earned run average and 37 strikeouts in 2024.
“Carson has done a tremendous job for us the past two seasons, throwing over 72 innings while keeping a 1.64 ERA,” Reed said.
Junior Jakoeby McDannald rounds out Fair Grove’s award-winning returnees.
McDannald, an all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .275 as a sophomore with 20 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases.
“Jakoeby has a beautiful left-handed swing and really gained confidence as the season went on,” Reed said. “He has a knack for getting big hits with two outs, which is huge over the course of a season.”
Sophomore Harrison Martin, senior Atticus Brandes, junior Macklen Johnson, senior Kellan Kirkpatrick and sophomore Wyatt Hallam also return to the Fair Grove lineup this season.
While Fair Grove is blessed with a host of talented returnees, Reed expects a pair of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time in sophomore Gage Hill and senior Seth Sekulic.
“Since we return everyone but one player from last season’s roster, it will be difficult for a newcomer to crack the varsity lineup,” Reed said. “These two players will have the best opportunity to get varsity time outside of those listed above.”
With a rare combination of depth, talent and experience, it’s no secret expectations are high for the Eagles this season, and Reed believes his veteran-led squad is prepared to meet the challenge.
“We have a special group of kids, especially seniors, that have had a lot of success across all sports,” Reed said. “They are competitors, and they expect to win no matter what they are doing. I believe the core of this baseball team is hungry to take the next step in postseason play. We have been close the past couple of years but have failed to win a district championship.”
Reed expects pitching to be a significant strength for Fair Grove this season and will field one of the deepest pitching staffs in the Ozarks.
“Our pitching staff is definitely a strength of our team,” Reed said. “We return all but 22 ⅓ innings from a team that had a 2.56 ERA last year. I could see 9 to 11 guys getting varsity innings this year. We have three seniors that have started a lot of games for us since their sophomore year, along with some other guys that had a lot of success this summer. Our ability to change speeds in any count will be a huge factor in our success.
“What excites me most about looking at post-season honors from last year is returning three pitchers that earned all-conference and all-district accolades. We are blessed with great pitching depth, headlined by Brock, Spensar and Carson.”
At the plate, Fair Grove will feature a versatile, athletic attack capable of quickly shifting to matchup and situational needs.
“We have a really athletic lineup 1-9, and that gives us the ability to play aggressively and score in a variety of ways,” Reed said. “I like the depth of hitters that we have. We have a few guys that can drive the ball out of the ballpark, several who are gap-to-gap hitters, and others that can bunt and excel in situational hitting. I would like to see improvement in our 2-strike hitting. If we can cut down our strikeouts, we could be tough to beat.”
Following a March 14 jamboree at Marshfield with Lebanon and the host school, Fair Grove opens its season March 21 in the Harrison, Ark. Ozarks Baseball Classic Tournament.
