By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Following a losing season in 2023, Branson baseball took a huge step forward last season.
The Pirates and head coach Kirk Harryman finished with a 26-11 record, falling in the district championship to Willard.
“Last year’s team was a very experienced group of guys who played the game well and had fun playing baseball,” Harryman said. “They set a school record for wins at 26. They had a good showing in the very tough Central Ozark Conference and lost in the district championship game to the eventual 5A state champion, Willard.”
Heading into his fourth season at the helm, Harryman will look to field replacements for a talented group of graduates that included a pair of all-state honorees.
Leading the way for Branson will be a talented quintet of returning players in Tegan Asbury, Ryder Schroeder, Will Funderburk, Dez White and Wit Miller.
Asbury, a senior outfielder, hit .273 last season with 13 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases.
“Tegan was our starter at DH and played the outfield when Collin or Andrew was pitching,” Harryman said. “We expect him to lock down the center field position this season and continue to grow offensively.”
Schroeder, a senior infielder, hit .243 with 1 home run, 3 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases as a junior.
“Ryder started several games at multiple infield positions last season, depending on who was on the mound throwing,” Harryman said. “With his high baseball IQ he is capable of playing all the positions we look for him to find a home as our regular second baseman.”
Funderburk, a senior first baseman and pitcher, hit .286 last season with 1 run batted in. On the mound, he recorded an earned run average of 7.00 with no decisions.
“Will, who is coming off an all-state year on the football field, is going to look to be one of our main guys in our rotation and play first base,” Harryman said. “He got some starting experience at the varsity level last season.”
White, a junior pitcher and third baseman, recorded a 1-0 record on the mound last season with a 3.82 earned run average.
“Dez, who got some varsity time on the mound last spring, will look to compete for a spot in our varsity rotation this year as well as compete for the third base job,” Harryman said.
Miller, a sophomore shortstop and pitcher, hit .306 with 2 home runs, 23 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases last season.
“Wit won the competition last spring for our starting shortstop position as a freshman after the second week of games,” Harryman said. “He is a left-handed bat that provides pop and a very good defensive player that we are excited about seeing his growth moving into his sophomore year.He will also be competing for varsity innings on the mound.”
Harryman also expects a host of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time this season in Nolan Carnelison, Brennan Phifer, Landon Makinster, Smith Quigg, Kason Kivett, Carson Umbright, Sam Vejraska, Lawson Michel, James Diehls, Jayce Cantu, Eli Renzi, Brooks Schafer, Maddux Johnston, Keagan Waugh, Levi Modglin, Carson Nokes and Carson Fugitt.
“We are excited about the upcoming season and continuing to build our program and culture,” Harryman said. “We graduated a strong senior class last year that had a lot of success. We have a lot of competition for spots at the varsity level especially on the mound where we only return 11 varsity innings.
“We are also excited about joining the new Ozark Mountain Conference and looking forward to competing in a conference that has several outstanding teams with strong baseball traditions. We are anticipating the possibility of making the jump to 6A when the new districts come out in March. Our philosophy will remain the same: we strive to get better every day, play a challenging schedule, and be playing our best baseball at playoff time in order to give ourselves a chance to compete for a district title.”
Branson opens its season March 20 at home against Poplar Bluff.
