By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Ava Bears lost six lettermen but also return six, and the team is eager to show off the work they have put in during the off-season.
“Overall, (last season) was a down year with our standards,” said head coach Weston Loftin, who enters his fourth year at the helm and his eighth at Ava. “The expectation was to do better than the previous year since most of the team was back. Things on the diamond just didn’t seem to align last year and it showed on our win/loss record (8-15).”
Coach Loftin said his team’s current strength is the mix of upper and lowerclassmen working together. “We have some young guys ready to step in with older, more experienced guys at the varsity level,” he said.
Returning to varsity is Preston Adams, a 6’2” all-district senior shortstop who also had 9 stolen bases last season. “Preston could see time on the infield, behind the plate, and pitching,” said Loftin. “He will be somewhere on the field. He has the ability to play a lot of positions with his skillset. He is one of our top pitchers.”
Senior Garrison Honeycutt, 6’5” with 10 RBIs, was starting first baseman last year. “Having a huge frame helps at first base,” said Loftin. “He started out hot last year and got cold, so we are going to do our best to keep the hot streak going from the beginning.”
Devon Sawyer, senior, played in the outfield last year. “He had a great summer of baseball and worked extremely hard,” said Coach Loftin. “We are excited to see that hard work pay dividends.”
Jordan Hutchison, senior outfielder, played centerfield and left field last year. “He will continue to be an outfielder for his senior year,” said Loftin. “He is an athlete through and through, so we want to unlock that potential in his last season.”
Kyle Pitts, an all-district and all-conference junior utility, held a .246 average and added 10 RBIs in his sophomore campaign. “Kyle is another one that could see himself in a multitude of positions,” said Loftin. “He’s also another one of our pitchers that competes every time he’s out there. Coming into his third year of varsity, he has the experience now to help guide this team.”
Junior catcher Gunner Evans has been working hard on his catching and pitching. “He is also a natural leader,” said Coach Loftin. “He’s a lead by example guy, so we expect him to be able to push the team throughout the season.”
Braxton Swearengin, all-district and all-conference sophomore utility (.264), started from day one as a freshman. “He played a lot of positions and worked extremely hard,” said Loftin. “His baseball knowledge and hard work will lead him far. He will most likely be on the infield for us this year after spending most of his time in the outfield last year.”
Newcomers to varsity include senior Siler Willis (6’0”), a strong outfielder, and junior Jacob Laub, an outfielder with a speed threat.
Hayden Sawyer, a sophomore outfielder and pitcher, is also a brother to senior Devon Sawyer. Garrett Richards, freshman, is a middle infielder and has also been working on catching. “He’s the little brother of all-stater Zach Richards, so the baseball pedigree is there,” said Loftin. Freshman Kennon Pitts is an infielder with versatility, and also the younger brother of Kyle Pitts, junior utility player.
“The vibe with having several related on the team is great,” said Coach Loftin. “They want to see each other do better, so they are constantly working hard.”
Five freshmen round out the crew. Fisher Melton, 6’0”, is a solid utility player. Cash Collins plays the corner infield positions. Parker Smith is a catcher and an outfielder who takes good routes in the outfield, per his coach. Owen Hannaford is an outfielder and pitcher, and Drake Henry is an outfielder.
“This summer, we got a new batch of kids and started meshing together really well,” said Coach Loftin. “I am excited to take that summer team into the actual season with us and see what we can do. The part I’m looking forward to the most this year is the energy that is already surrounding the team. They are eager to get started and have worked extremely hard this off-season.”
Loftin said he is eager to watch the team’s progress throughout the season. “We will try to make every practice as competitive and game-like to get them ready for the scenarios they will come across,” he added. “There have been a lot of top players in the conference who graduated this year, so I believe it will be up for grabs. The district tournament is always tough with a powerhouse like Rogersville in it.”
Loftin said the Bears want to take the SCA title back and then to go from there.
Ava will jamboree at West Plains on March 17 with Springfield Catholic, Mountain Grove, and West Plains. The Bears host their home opener against Logan-Rogersville on March 24.
