By Chris Parker
If Weaubleau baseball is to win a sixth-consecutive district title, the Tigers will need new players to step up with just three starters back from last season’s 19-win team.
“We return three starters from last year’s team so just filling those six spots can be challenging,” Weaubleau head coach Calab Kauffman said. “We have mostly juniors and seniors, but for some this is their first time playing on the varsity level.”
The Tigers will lean on pitching and defense this season.
“The best strengths we will have on our team this year will be pitching and defense,” Kauffman said. “We bring back a lot of experience on the mound. Three of the four main pitchers are seniors so that helps tremendously. We’ve always had a strong defense and so I look for that to continue.”
Seniors Clayton Ginnings, Lee Lambeth and Gunner Freeman along with junior Grayden Morris will the key pitchers.
Kauffman on Ginnings: “Clayton Ginnings is our ace on the mound. He has a lot of great stuff that makes him very successful pitch wise but I’m most impressed with him because he can handle the big games for us.”
Kauffman on Lambeth: “Lee Lambeth is our best reliever on the team. Last year he had a total of three saves. He does a great job coming in and finding ways to close the games.”
Kauffman on Freeman: “Gunner Freeman is a lefty that can keep a lot of batters off balance. He had a lot of great stuff on the mound and I’m very excited to get him back in the rotation.”
Kauffman on Morris: “Grayden Morris is a new addition to the team this year. He pitched for us in the fall and was able to be very successful. He also does a great job pounding the strike zone.”
The three seniors will also be the team’s leaders.
“These three seniors are very special to the team,” Kauffman said. “Not just for what they bring to the table but their attitudes and their presence to be around. They are very coachable, and I never have to question their work ethic. They do a great job with helping the underclassmen adjust to the varsity level. “
Morris will also handle primary catching duties with Brady Medine (junior) catching when Morris is pitching.
Keegan Mulloy (junior first base), Wyatt Worley (freshman second base), Ginnings (shortstop) and Lambeth (third base/shortstop) will be on the infield.
Freeman, Medina, Peyton Hostettler (freshman), Reid Kilgore (freshman) and Jace Torres (freshman) are candidates for time in the outfield.
Weaubleau opens the season on Mar. 21 at Climax Springs.
“My overall expectation for this year is to get better every day,” Kauffman said. “Our first objective is to get back to the district championship this year and go from there. We will face a lot of adversity this year compared to previous years, but we need to be able to learn from it. Our expectations are still very high considering the number of players lost to graduation. I have a lot of underclassmen who are hungry and ready to play so that’s exciting as a coach. We had a really great fall, and it’s amazing how much better we got from the first day of fall to the last day. Fall baseball has been the key to why we are always successful. It’s a valuable time to start building chemistry with the boys and just getting to know them more. I really believe we will surprise a lot of teams this year. These boys are very enjoyable to coach because they come to practice every day ready to get better.”
