By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Lebanon baseball enjoyed another successful run in 2024 with a second-straight 20-win season.
The Yellowjackets finished with a 23-12 record, falling to Parkway South in the district tournament.
Heading into his third season at the helm, head coach Alex Weathermon will look to build on his program’s recent success and break through the district barrier.
“Our goal is to always compete for a district championship and field the most competitive team possible and we achieved at a high level last year,” Weathermon said. “With the single-elimination format for districts, sometimes good teams lose in close games early on, and we felt like that was unfortunately our fate last season.”
A talented class of graduates moved on, including all-state catcher Gavin Smith.
“The 2024 class was extremely talented and gave us two memorable seasons,” Weathermon said “They go down as one of the winningest classes in Lebanon’s baseball history.”
Seven seniors return to lead the Jackets this season, including Braiden Lamontagne, Chance Cromer, Tony Myres, Bronsen Rhodes, Aaron Graham, Christ Kilburn and Eli Graham.
Lamontagne, an all-state outfielder, hit .370 last season with 34 hits. On the mound, he posted a 5-2 record with a 2.16 earned run average.
“Braiden brings great athleticism, speed and power back to our lineup after an all-state season as a junior,” Weathermon said.
Cromer, an all-conference infielder and pitcher, hit .354 with 34 hits as a junior. On the mound, he finished with a 5-1 record and 4.82 earned run average.
“Chance brings back incredible on-field management, leadership, bat-to-ball ability and has worked hard to add weight this offseason to continue improving in his game,” Weathermon said.
Myres, an all-conference infielder and pitcher, posted a .247 average with 19 hits last season. On the mound, he recorded an 0-1 record with a 4.50 earned run average.
“Tony is one of the best middle infielders I’ve had the chance to coach,” Weathermon said. “He has worked hard to get healthier this offseason and develop more strength to go along with his talent.”
Rhodes, a pitcher, infielder and outfielder, hit .269 last season with 21 hits.
“Bronsen is extremely athletic and powerful,” Weathermon said. “He has become a Swiss Army knife for our defense and will do a lot of damage at the plate this year.”
Graham, a pitcher, finished with an 0-1 record and a 1.27 earned run average last season.
“Aaron is one of our returning two relief pitchers from last year that are battling for starting pitcher roles,” Weathermon said. “Aaron’s ability to control the game and locate all four of his pitches make him extremely lethal.”
Kilburn, a pitcher, finished with a 1-2 record and a 7.00 earned run average.
“Chris is our second returning relief pitcher who threw a lot of innings for us last year,” Weathermon said. “Chris was able to face several talented teams and learned a lot about the art of pitching over the last year. He has improved velocity, command and stuff, and he will look to be a great arm for us this spring.”
Graham, a pitcher and utility player, hit .143 last season in limited action.
“Eli was a spot starter on our defense last spring and helped fill several roles for us,” Weathermon said. “We look for him to compete for playing time this spring in multiple different positions.”
Junior Cole Milliken also returns for Lebanon.
An all-state infielder, Milliken hit .409 with 45 hits as a sophomore.
“Cole is a returning all-state infielder for us from last spring,” Weathermon said. “His ability to hit the ball, provide us with consistency and compete in everything he does helps our team. We look for him to continue developing after putting on more weight and have another great season.”
A host of varsity newcomers will compete for playing time this season, including Ethan Phillips, Isaac Hillhouse, Nolan Milliken, Nolan Fort, Bryson Butler, Harrison Cranmer, Brody Shoemaker, Evan Ogle, Tayt Carr, Quentin Hendrix, Beckett York, Harrison Howe, Huck Headley, Jackson Snyder, Ikerd Mizer, Austin Yakle, Davin Admire, Braylon Simon, Carter Bartig and Riley Gilby.
“Our biggest strength is the talent of all of our returning players,” Weathermon said. “We have so many kids who have received varsity experience in a variety of roles. We are excited to see how a few new pieces fit into our lineup and which kids will step up on the mound when we get into the swing of practices and games.
“Last season we knew pretty well where several players would fit in at this time. Our biggest question was what our arms would look like after our top three arms. This year we like how our starting arms and bullpen look, but want to see our new guys hit inside of the lineup. Offensively, we will not be as focused on speed this season.”
Following a March 14 jamboree at Marshfield with Fair Grove and the host school, Lebanon opens its season March 21 in the Steve Lael Classic.
