By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Ozark baseball enjoyed another winning season in 2023.
The Tigers posted a 16-15 record, falling to Nixa in the district tournament.
“Last year’s team had a great group of seniors that loved coming to the field and playing together,” head coach Justin Sundlie said. “They really bought into the idea of playing for each other and trying to improve every day. This filtered down into our younger guys and built a great culture in our dugout. We came up short on our goals, but we were very proud of our guys.”
Heading into his fourth year at the Ozark helm, Sundlie’s first order of business will be developing replacements for a deep class of graduated seniors.
“Last year we started six seniors so there are definitely some losses,” Sundlie said. “This was a very fun group to coach and their leadership was excellent. I’m excited to see new guys step into these roles and take advantage of the opportunity.”
The Tigers will be led by a pair of returning starters in Alex Nimmo and Hudson Roberts.
Nimmo is a senior infielder and pitcher.
“Alex pitched over 30 innings for us as a junior,” Sundlie said. “He also played multiple positions in our infield. This year he is our front runner at shortstop and will both start and come out of the pen on the mound. His work ethic sets a great example of how we want to do things at Ozark.”
Roberts, a junior, will play both infield and pitch, as well.
“Hudson was our number two on the mound last year,” Sundlie said. “He pitched in some big games and this experience is something we will rely on this year. He loves being in big games and handles the atmosphere very well. He has the ability to hit third or fourth in our lineup and will play the left side of the infield.”
With only a pair of returning starters, opportunities exist for a host of varsity newcomers.
George Reynolds (senior infielder/catcher), Truman Griessel (senior infielder/pitcher), Ethan Blanchard (outfielder/pitcher), Landon Blanchard (senior pitcher/outfielder), Caden McGehee (senior infielder/pitcher), Micah Williams (senior infielder), Noah Jones (senior outfielder), Alex Posey (senior pitcher), Gannon Miller (junior catcher/infielder), Peyton Bullinger (junior outfielder) and Cooper Pumphrey (junior pitcher/infield) will all compete for varsity playing time.
Pumphrey, a transfer student, has recently committed to the University of Missouri.
“Cooper is new to Ozark and has shown he could be a help to our starting rotation on the mound and plays corner infield as well,” Sundlie said. “Offensively, he has shown power and will compete for time in our varsity lineup.”
While the Tigers’ lineup is mostly brand new, expectations remain high as always.
“This year’s team, like every Ozark team, has high expectations,” Sundlie said. “We want our guys to see this as an opportunity and to embrace these challenges, have fun with it, compete fiercely and, most importantly, build confidence through it. While we lost a lot of starters, we are excited to see new players replace old ones, take advantage of their opportunities and help us compete at a higher level.”
On the mound, Sundlie believes his staff will be one of the deepest Ozark has seen in recent seasons.
“We are deeper on the mound than we have been the last few years, but with that being said, we also have very little varsity experience,” Sundlie said. “It’s really going to come down to new pitchers executing at the varsity level and learning the speed of the game. This could be what determines our success. We are excited to watch our new arms develop and compete.”
At the plate, Ozark will be a work in progress early in the season, as Sundlie looks to develop a consistent and effective lineup.
“I feel like this could be a very balanced lineup but like pitching we have a lot of new faces up and down the lineup,” Sundlie said. “Strengths could be determined by how fast new guys make the adjustments.”
Following a March 9 jamboree at Rogersville, Ozark opens its season March 15 at Jefferson City.
