By Denise Tucker/For OzarksSportsZone.com
Every year, Lincoln High School baseball coach Will Lynde talks to his team about taking the “next step” from the previous season.
In 2016, the Cardinals took that step by winning the Class 2 District 14 tournament 6-0 over Sacred Heart and getting to the state semifinals before falling 5-4 to Canton, ending their season at 26-3 and finishing third in the state.
Gone from that team are Heath Renno and Corbin Mertgen. Renno hit .393 with 23 runs batted in and 30 runs scored. Mertgen batted .354 with two home runs, 23 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Mertgen is continuing his playing career at State Fair Community College in Sedalia.
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Back for the Cardinals are seniors Connor Spunaugle (pitcher), Mason Sanders (infielder), Blake Roberts (outfielder), Sam Hinrich (infielder) and Aaron Yearout (infielder); juniors Derek Stephens (catcher), Dominic Simmons (outfielder), Corbin Reese (pitcher/infielder), Grant Eifert (pitcher) and Tyler Betts (pitcher).
Sanders hit .462 with 30 RBIs and 44 runs scored; Reese batted .441, 30 RBIs, 36 runs.
The gaudy production continues: Spunaugle hit .386, 34 RBIs, 26 runs; Simmons batted .375, 20 RBIs, 40 runs and Stephens hit .358 with 24 RBIs.
As for the newcomers, “Nate Hesse and Jackson Beaman are some freshmen who could see some time during the season, especially with the new pitch count rules,” Lynde said. “Jackson could see some time on the infield as the season progresses.”
MSHSAA rules state that the maximum number of pitches for juniors and seniors is 105 and 95 for freshmen and sophomores, and players can pitch only two days in succession with a minimum of a one-day rest period required.
In spite of that, Lynde believes pitching will be the strength of the Cardinals, in addition to the veteran leadership and the experience of having made it to the state semifinals last season.
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“I feel we can go with four quality starters who will give us an opportunity to win every night we play,” Lynde said. “Grant Eifer, Corbin Reese, Connor Spunaugle and Jackson Beaman, along with the rest of the bullpen, will give us a good chance to be successful.”
But the biggest challenge for Lincoln is just the grind of the school year.
“Most of them started practicing football in August and have been working hard the entire year,” Lynde said. “We will need to keep our focus on our goals and not get side-tracked as the school year comes to end.”
The Cardinals open the season on March 17 against Kaysinger Conference foe Green Ridge.
“Our No. 1 goal is taking that next step and playing for a state championship,” Lynde said. “As far as district and conference play, we should be right near the top of the conference. Northwest of Hughesville is in our conference and finished third in Class 1. They return a good nucleus of players from last season, and Sacred Heart will always be good.
“Our local rival is Cole Camp and they return a good group of kids. In the past couple of years, Skyline and us have become a little bit of a rival with both schools facing each other in the district football championships and us playing them in the semifinal of our district. They also return a really good group of kids and will give us a great challenge when we face them during the season.”
