By Chris Parker
Crane baseball will be under new leadership this season with Clay Stumpff taking over for longtime head coach Bryan Harmon.
Stumpff, a graduate of Crane, spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach under Harmon.
“What attracted me (to the job) was the kids,” Stumpff said. “We had a very young group last year that got thrown into the fire early. Watching their growth and seeing their potential made me feel like I had to stay and be a part of that. Plus, I have been a Crane Pirate my whole entire life. So, working for my high school coach and mentor was a no brainer. Then taking over for him was something I couldn’t turn down. I just hope I can carry on the tradition Coach Harmon did.”
Stumpff took many lessons from his years playing for and coaching under Harmon.
“How organized you have to be as a program. How baseball is a thinking man’s game, and the mental side of the game is often the most important part. Also, how this is a game that is always evolving and you constantly have to learn. The moment you get one group of guys figured out the season is over, and it is time to learn a whole different group of guys,” Stumpff said.
Seven starters and 10 total lettermen return from last season’s one-win team.
Blake Evans (third base/pitcher), Brady Robinson (shortstop/pitcher), Seth Mahlstedt (outfield/pitcher) and Kohen Cloyd (catcher/pitcher) will be the team’s leaders.
“Blake will be asked to lead the offensive charge in our lineup and drive runners in. Brady will be asked to man the shortstop position and lead the infield in a variety of ways while also giving us a lot of important innings on the bump. Seth has the task of being the captain of the outfield and taking charge on anything he can get to while still giving us valuable innings on the mound. Kohen will spend a majority of his time on the field behind the dish. Keeping pitchers engaged, making sure our defense is where they need to be, keeping runners close on the base paths, and being a wall behind the dish, just to name a few,” Stumpff said.
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Evans it the team’s leading returning hitter posting a .286 batting average last season with 18 RBI and five stolen bases. Mahlstedt also hit .286.
Key pitchers will be Robinson, Connor Angel, Mahlstedt, Jake Murray, Evans and Parker Jones.
Cloyd will be at the top of the depth chart behind the plate at catcher. Robinson and Joey Thompson will also look for time at catcher.
Evans and Robinson will be regulars on the infield. Murray, Brayden Faucett, Lane Howard, Gavin Kram and Angel will also work for time on the infield.
Faucett has shown marked improvement in the offseason according to Stumpff.
“Brayden Faucett has been the guy that offseason has totally changed,” Stumpff said. “We saw a huge growth in work ethic and his commitment to his craft. In just a couple of months he has went from every other day kind of guy to a guy I won’t be able to keep out of my lineup.”
Mahlstedt, Caleb Vaught, Logan Vaught, Ty Lower, Santi Lopez and Angel will all be in the mix for innings in the outfield.
Stumpff will look for his defense to remain consistent while the pitching and offense find their footing.
“Our strength would have to be our defense as of right now. Some days we pitch well but not hit well and vice versa while our defense remains pretty solid most of the time,” Stumpff said. “Our pitching needs to continue to strengthen and mature. As well as us at the plate and on the base path. With such a young group and coaching staff, we have realized it is going to take time and we are perfectly fine with that. We’re enjoying our process and enjoying these kids. They’ll come into their own when they are supposed to and as a coaching staff, we cannot wait for them to experience what that is like.”
Crane will open the season Mar. 18-24 at the Purdy Tournament.
“My expectations are to see a lot of growth out of this young group while watching our veteran seniors lead them in the right direction,” Stumpff said.
