By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Strafford baseball enjoyed a successful campaign in 2024.
The Indians posted an 18-7 record, falling to Fair Grove in the district semifinal round.
Longtime head coach Brett Bough was pleased with his team’s development and will now look for more consistent play this season.
“The kids turned around several one-run lost games from the year before,” Bough said.
“They are figuring it out, but we are still learning how to compete at a high level.”
Strafford returns six starters, including seniors Connor Rogers and Cooper Easley.
Rogers, an all-conference and all-district pitcher and infielder, hit .347 last season with 17 runs batted in and 3 stolen bases. On the mound, he compiled a 1-0-1 record and a 3.85 earned run average.
“Conner is a versatile player for us that can play anywhere,” Bough said. “He started as a catcher his sophomore year but filled a hole in the infield last year. He will pitch and could play outfield if needed.”
Easley, an outfielder and all-conference pitcher, finished with a 2-1-1 record last season with a 1.40 earned run average. At the plate, he hit .209 with 11 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases.
“Cooper is an incredible athlete,” Bough said. “He can play about anywhere. He can really run so he gets to almost every fly ball. He will also be counted on to pitch.”
Juniors Landen Rhodes, Crue Crawford and Eli Clark also return to the starting lineup for the Indians.
Rhodes, an all-conference and all-district shortstop/pitcher, hit .384 as a sophomore with 19 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases. On the mound, he compiled a 1-1 record with a 0.00 earned run average.
“Landen led us in hitting and played shortstop for us in every game,” Bough said. “He will be relied on to be a leader and to take a bigger role on the pitching staff.”
Crawford, an all-conference and all-district outfielder and pitcher, hit .366 last season with 8 runs batted in and 31 stolen bases. On the mound, he finished with a 4-0-1 record and a 2.15 earned run average.
“Crue is as good of a center fielder as I have ever coached,” Bough said. “He gets a great jump on the ball and has an extremely strong, accurate arm.”
Clark, an all-conference and all-district outfielder and pitcher, hit .314 last season with 16 runs batted in and 9 stolen bases. On the mound, he compiled a 5-1 record and a 0.98 earned run average.
“Eli had a good year in the outfield and on the mound,” Bough said. “He will hit in the middle of the order and may be asked to anchor the mound.”
Sophomore Brayden Choate rounds out Strafford’s returning starters.
Choate, an all-conference and all-district catcher, hit .304 as a freshman with 14 runs batted in.
“Brayden caught nearly every game as a freshman last year,” Bough said. “He came up with some timely hits and has gotten much stronger.”
Senior Gage Bradley and junior Tyler Hunt also return for the Indians and will be looking to fill more prominent roles with the team this season.
“Gage is a baseball guy that will compete for time in the outfield,” Bough said. “Tyler is a kid that should continue to compete for a spot.”
In addition to his returning players, Bough expects a quintet of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time this season in junior Alex Edwards, junior Tilman Hall, sophomore Colton Dampier, sophomore Lucas Gilmore and junior Bryant Crocker.
“We have several starters returning off a team that won 18 games last year,” Bough said. “As long as we stay healthy this team should be able to compete for a conference championship and district championships. It is a fun group of kids that have several different personalities. We are still figuring out who is going to lead the ship but have several kids that want to lead.”
On the mound, Strafford will likely look to Clark as its staff ace, with several others ready to step in and eat up innings.
“Pitching and athleticism will be our greatest strength,” Bough said. “Once we get on base we’ll be able to create opportunities to produce runs. Our pitching staff currently has a couple of arm problems but, if they recover, our pitching staff should be fairly deep and experienced.”
Strafford opens its season March 21 at home against Cassville.
