Spring previews: Prep Baseball Capsules
COACH: Jon Robards, 1st Year
LAST YEAR: 7-10 overall, 6-4 South Central Athletic AssociationKEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Kory Dowell, Ross Bollinger, Paul Luong, John Bowman, Tony Parrott, Jesse Walterscheid; Junior - Terrance Rayborn; Sophomore - Cody Wiedner; Freshmen - Justin Thompson, Chris True
OUTLOOK: Robards admits he has some big shoes to fill following the retirement of longtime coach Thom Tusinski last season. While Robards would love to have a few more seasons out of Dowell, this will be the last prep sport in which he will compete. Dowell (P/SS), a standout in soccer and basketball. posted a .93 ERA last season and batted .356. Not only is Dowell a relentless competitor, but Robards says he's also a true team player.
"He was born to be an athlete," Robards said. "If you have a field full of Korys... He's one of those guys that if he never picked up a golf club, he'd probably be shooting two under in no time."
While Dowell is the ace, he is by no means the only capable arm. Walterscheid (6-1) and Parrott (6-0) will be called upon to pitch and play the outfield. Walterscheid, the No. 2 hurler, had limited succcess last season. Robards said Parrott is a big, strong kid that could give the Bronchos a big lift. Also on hand are a pair of promising youngsters in Thompson and True, both middle infielders. Wiedner, up from the JV, is another option.
Robards will be looking for better production at the plate from Bowman, who starts at third base, and Bollinger, who opens at first. Bowman, who missed a third of last season, will bat in the No. 4 or 5 spot. Bollinger got few varsity at-bats last year and will look to pick up the slack of several big hitters that have moved on.
The play of a pair of newcomers - Wiedner behind the plate, and Rayborn in the outfield - could have a huge effect on the Bronchos' fortunes. Wiedner was a solid catcher for the JV team last year. Rayborn adds good speed to an outfield led by Luong, who is looking to improve on last year's .214 batting average.
Robards, who is getting assistance from a variety of sources - JV coach Doug Harness, former players Brandon Ewing and Preston Sterett, softball coach Greg Carter and volunteer assistant Gerry Wieczorek, said the Bayless staff has always done a good job of finding versatile athletes and helping them become solid baseball players.
"Last year we only had two solid starters," Robards said. "This year I have about six guys that I can throw. I think we threw Kory a little too much last year.
"We didn't score a lot of runs last year. We're doing a lot of work so far on plate discipline."
The Bronchos open at Ladue today at 4.
CENTRAL V&P ARTS
COACH: Sherick Powell, 1st year
LAST YEAR: 2-7, 1-3 Public High League
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Corvez Pickens, Chris Lathan, Ricardo Sanchez, Mike Elliott, Travis Hearns, Marcel Hayes; Sophomore - Tim Banta.
OUTLOOK: The first-year coach of the Eagles doesn't care how they did last year. This is a new season and that's his approach. Powell expects Central to be an eventual contender in the PHL and compete with every team they play, beginning with NJROTC on April 8.
"We're going to do very well," said Powell, who is also VPA's girls basketball coach and the Gateway Tech boys soccer coach. "We'll be competitive."
The six seniors will be leaned on heavily for leadership, beginning with Lathan, who is the only four-year letter winner at the school.
"He's our captain," Powell said of Lathan, whom he believes has the potential to play college ball. "He can play any position on the field. He brings experience to the field and is a role model for the younger players."
Lathan will be the ace on the mound, and his battery mate will be Pickens, who brings toughness and enthusiasm to the position.
Powell is expecting improvement from a team that has not fared well in the past. With more games scheduled this year, he's banking on repetition to improve his team's skills. One player who will see a lot of action while playing both JV and varsity will be Banta, whom Powell said "takes a lot of pride in his game," has a good glove and could develop as Central's leadoff hitter.
While the Eagles struggled defensively in the outfield, Elliott and Hearns - a pair of fast, strong-armed players - will chase down the long balls. Powell said baserunners who challenge them could get thrown out. They both have the potential to be dangerous at the plate, but the bulk of the offense will come from cleanup hitter Hayes, a longball threat.
Across from Hayes at the other corner will be Sanchez, a "very promising," and gifted athlete who was recently accepted to Juliard for dance.
Increased numbers will help Powell build the program, one that he knows is still a year or two away from being a serious contender. He said they have a promising freshmen crop, loaded with a trio of strong pitchers. Once they develop, Central could be a winning team, but the focus now is on this year.
"I think we'll be OK scoring runs, but we're just going to have to play some serious defense to keep scores low to win the games," Powell said. "I'm expecting to win more games than last year and give some teams some good battles. I want to teach the kids the skills they didn't have last year and bring some pride back to the school in baseball."
GATEWAY TECH
COACH: Ronald Rodgers, 11th year
LAST YEAR: 13-6, 7-0 Public High League champions
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - James Latimore, Nick Manzy-Coats, Jason Otten, DeWayne White; Juniors - Robert Coco, Steven Hart, Kevin Cantrell; Sophomore - Tashon Latimore.
OUTLOOK: For the two-time defending PHL champs, winning a conference title for a third straight season could be a challenge, but it's one Rodgers says they're up for.
"All in all, I think we'll be all right," Rodgers said. "I didn't realize how much we really lost until I looked at it this year. But I still have James, Nick and Jason and (Tashon) Latimore. He's going to be a good pitcher. I think we can have a good season."
Gone from the Jaguars are three key players whom Rodgers will have a hard time replacing. James Johndrow (SS), Steven Chaplin (RF) and Aaron Brinkley (C) were all among the PHL offensive leaders, but Rodgers said it's their defensive abilities would be missed the most. The veteran coach said they'll have to shore up the defense to compensate for what they lost at the plate, despite returning the metro area's leading hitter in James Latimore.
The senior led the area with a .667 batting average, belted seven homers and drove in 35 runs. Otten and Manzy-Coats were also among the area leaders in hitting, but scoring runs could be a problem against a tough non-conference schedule that began this week in the McCluer Tournament. The Jaguars opened pool play Monday against Hazelwood East and played SLUH on Tuesday. They're at Clayton Thursday and face off against Oakville next Tuesday.
Before Rodgers worries about holding off NJROTC and Metro for the PHL crown, he said he'll use the next two weeks to "gauge" his team's talent. He thinks the bats might not come around as quick as other aspects, but he's hopeful other teams will have the same problem. He's counting on his top two pitchers - Otten and Tashon Latimore - to cool off opposing hitters. "With those two guys on the mound, I think people will have a hard time getting around on them," Rodgers said. "I'm putting a lot of faith in those two guys early until the bats come around."
While the Jaguars were on the cusp of a district title last year, Rodgers isn't ready to make any predictions this season.
"Last year and the year before we really challenged for a district title," he said. "Right now, I don't see us challenging because a lot of these guys are young. Maybe that could change in a month, but right now we're not as strong as we have been the last two years. I just want to represent, compete and show that we can play baseball."
LINDBERGH
COACH: Darin Scott , 7th year
LAST YEAR: 10-11; 5-3 Suburban West Conference
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Cody Higgs, Andrew Keltner, Jon Price, Josh Werkmeister.
OUTLOOK: Inconsistent might best describe last season for the Flyers. An early hot streak looked promising, but a late fizzle down the stretch earned them a district date with Vianney and an early exit. But solid conference play earned them a playoff with Lafayette for the Suburban West title, though the 9-0 drubbing left them in a three-way tie for second, and capped the season with a five-game losing streak.
"I don't want to say we peaked early, we just played pretty well early on and then didn't continue that upward trend or level of play we needed to," Scott said. "We ran into a couple injuries, just like everybody does, but we were a team that needed all of our parts to work efficiently. Once we lost one or two of those parts, it was hard to maintain that level of excellence you need going into districts."
Nine seniors from last year's roster have left, leaving only two positions and the Flyers' ace back for a second go-round. Keltner resumes his role on the bump this spring, one month after signing to play D-I ball at Western Kentucky next year. The lefty hurls a fastball and breaking ball, with a featured changeup, and is a reliable arm to take the ball every three days. Last year he won three games in six starts, recording a 3.80 ERA in 42.3 innings. He also fanned an average of nearly five per game. Lindbergh's No. 2 hurler will be Price, the squad's No. 3 last year. He won two games in four starts, with a 4.14 ERA over 22 innings.
The middle infield will be the defensive anchor. Werkmeister mans second base for another year, and features good hands and a quick ability to turn the double play. Despite not having the strongest year offensively, he did come through with some big hits while the team was playing well. He is paired with shortstop Cody Higgs, one of team's better athletes. He hit .394 and led in slugging at .563 from the leadoff spot. This year he will be in the No. 3 hole.
Lindbergh's biggest question mark will be its offense. Two of Lindbergh's seniors in 2007 combined for 43 RBI - 44 percent of last year's total.
"We're going to have to get creative on the offensive side," Scott said. "There's a very open competition between the number of people stepping up for those vacated spots. That can be healthy, but also a little nerve-racking when you're not quite sure where your offense is going to come from.
"If nothing else, we really have to emphasize that it's going to be a work in progress throughout the year. Whereas last year we played to a pretty high level early but didn't stay there and didn't keep making progress, this year we want to keep making that progression and keep building until district time."
LUTHERAN SOUTH
COACH: Tom Reck, 18th year
LAST YEAR: 7-13; 3-6 ABC Conference
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Bobby Lombard, D.J. Lampert and Steve Egart; Juniors - Geoff McCartney, Alex Mann, Brad Vogelsmeier, Dan Weber and Jim Smith; Sophomores - Mike Krumm and Ben Eckrich; Freshmen - Dalton Bray and Gary Yearout.
OUTLOOK: Once a perennial contender in its conference, the Lancers have fallen on hard times in recent seasons. Despite an uncharacteristically low victory total, Reck believes the team did improve over the season, and the fact tha South was routed by Windsor early in the season and barely lost to Windsor in the district semifinals serves as a good barometer.
There is some veteran leadership returning in Lombard (3B/2B), Lampert (SS) and Egart (LP/RF). Egart, who hit fifth last year, had shoulder surgery in the off-season and should be improved. Lampert, an outstanding soccer player, was the team's leadoff hitter. And according to Reck, when Lombard swings the "ball jumps off his bat." Lombard led the Lancers with 18 RBI last year.
But therein lies part of the problem. A handful of upperclassmen in the South lineup hit over .300, and most that did have either graduated, moved to another school or are going out for another sport. Several younger players should help in that area.
McCartney (OF) batted .387 last year as a sophomore, and knocked in 11 runs. Vogelsmeier (LF/1B) is a returning all-league outfielder, and both should hit near the top of the lineup. And Mann (P/RF/1B) is another versatile young player who should only be better this season.
Vying to win the catching position are Smith and Bray, who is regarded as one of the top 15-year-olds in the state. While the veteran Smith probably will get the nod, Reck said he will be trying to get Bray in the lineup every chance he gets.
"We don't bring upperclassmen up just to sit," Reck said. "We want to get him in there."
The same goes for Krumm (P/1B) and Yearout (P/1B).
"The last two years have been lean ones," Reck said. "We still had good kids, just not the most talented squad we've ever had. But this year we have some very competitive younger players who should push the upperclassmen. Some of these guys can play three or four positions."
The Lancers, who are carrying 15 on a roster that normally includes 18, open the season on March 22 at Clayton.
MEHLVILLE
COACH: Bob Kern, 2nd year
LAST SEASON: 11-16, 3-4 Suburban West Conference
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - John Brinkmann, Dan Regan, Ethan Stenger.
OUTLOOK: On the subject of varsity experience, the Panthers have plenty. Playing experience, on the other hand, is a different story. Mehlville returns 11 players from last year's squad and features a roster with 13 seniors, but only two positions and a pitcher bring back any playing time.
"It's a group that's a little bit unique in that we've got a core of guys that played varsity baseball last year, but don't have a ton of experience in terms of at-bats and innings pitched," Kern said. "They know the drill, know what's to be expected of them in terms of level of competition and what I expect as a coach, but we're kind of throwing those guys out there and seeing how they produce early on. There are a lot of unknowns."
One asset the Panthers do know about is the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Stenger. He picked up some significant innings (45) as the squad's No. 3 hurler last year, and proved his worth in several big games. He was on the hill for a 6-4 win over SLUH, which was unbeaten at the time.
Defensively, the Panthers also return two senior leaders in Brinkmann, one of the area's top defensive catchers, who played in the majority of last year's games; and Regan, a solid second baseman with good range, who is accomplished at turning the double play.
Both need to step up to help an offense lacking in production. The task won't be as difficult for Brinkmann - he hit .338 last season and was fourth on the squad with 18 RBI - but Regan will need to find his groove.
Still, if enough returners recall how Mehlville finished 2007, the squad could surprise. After an 8-15 regular season ended with six consecutive losses, the Panthers got hot at the right time. They knocked off both St. Mary's and Oakville in the district tournament, and finally fell to Vianney in the finals.
"I think for those kids who were around last year, they understand our focus all year long had been to gradually get better and improve week to week," Kern said. "From game to game, we want to have that ultimate idea of hitting our peak at the end of the season. Regardless of how the early season goes in terms of wins and losses, as long as we continue that progress, we can be in the position we want to be in come district time."
ROCKWOOD SUMMIT
COACH: Ken Droege, 2nd year
LAST YEAR: 9-12; 3-3 Suburban South Conference
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Corey Jenkins, Devon Meyers, Cam Phillips, Stuart Robertson, Craig Ross, Tim Vonderhaar; Juniors - Matt Burton, Ben Smith.
OUTLOOK: The Falcons put together a seven-game winning streak in 2007 that upped their record to 9-7, but cold bats and stiff competition helped bring about a five-game losing streak to close the season.
"We ended in disappointing fashion," Droege said. "But while I was disappointed in how we finished, I wasn't disappointed in how we competed over the season. I'm hoping at least that doesn't change this year."
Summit returns seven seniors after losing six, giving the lineup some holes that will be filled by several juniors and JV players. But those who do return should provide the squad with an ample amount of confidence and leadership - several of the seniors have already signed with college programs.
Senior hurler Vonderhaar, headed to Missouri State next fall, was a second-team all-conference selection as the Falcons' No. 2 hurler last season. He finished with a team-best three wins in six starts, allowing a 2.60 ERA in 35 innings. A new changeup adds to a high-velocity fastball and a quality curveball, three pitches the Falcons will need him to continuously throw for strikes in the many innings they have planned for him this spring. Robertson, a Meramec signee, will pitch as this year's number two and see time at shortstop.
The pitchers will get to know Devon Meyers well. The first-team, all-conference catcher returns as one of the area's quality defensive backstops, as well as Summit's leading hitter. The lefty batted .352 and slugged .519, leading the team in singles (15), triples (3) and RBI (10). He'll play ball at Truman State next year.
Meyers will serve as the heart of Summit's order, along with third baseman Smith, who moves up from the JV squad. But a consistent offense is something the Falcons will strive to find early this year, after scoring a conference-low 78 runs in 2007.
"All-around, we just need to get better," Droege said. "Right now I don't think we're at a level that we need to be at. I think defensively we can get to that level, and then hopefully our offense will come around.
"So, even though I think it's our strength, I still think our pitchers need to continuously stay focused on what we're trying to do and to keep us in ballgames. They always need to give us that chance to win."
Summit begins its season next Wednesday at home versus Lafayette.
ROOSEVELT
COACH: Tim Johnson, 2nd year
LAST YEAR: 4-8, 4-2 Public High League
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Da Rico Robinson, Anthony Levy, James Anderson; Juniors - Jerome Claiborne, Xavier Morehouse, d Arlando Bailey.
OUTLOOK: With a focus on fundamentals, the only goal Johnson has set for the Rough Riders is to get better.
"I'm here just teaching them fundamentals, and that's what we work on," Johnson said. "That's how you win ballgames. Look how the Cardinals won the World Series. Detroit didn't do the fundamentals. We won a few games last year on that. There are a few kids out here who show some real excitement and we're just going to improve. We can't go down, just going to get better."
The Riders return just six players from last season, but bring back none of their pitchers - a dilemna that has Johnson worried about who's going to be on the mound. Replacing pitchers Jeffery Taylor and James Kramer will fall on the shoulders of Claiborne, Levy, Bailey and Desean Moss, whom Johnson said will "pitch by committee."
The Rough Riders open their season next Tuesday at McCluer South-Berkeley before taking on Jennings at Koeneman Park next Thursday. Johnson isn't sure they'll be ready.
"Our biggest problem is we haven't seen live pitching," Johnson said. "We've only been hitting on machines. We've only been outside a couple days. I really don't know how we're going to do."
With plenty of new faces, few have distinguished themselves as players who will consistently produce.
"We've probably got five or six new kids that are going to help us out, but I couldn't name them," Johnson said. "How we do will depend on how we pitch, and I don't know what our offense is. Defensively we look good. I've got a lot of kids here who have never played baseball before, but they want to come out and play."
While Robinson and Anderson are two seniors who can help teach the younger players, Johnson said Claiborne is the leader of the team. The hurler is in his third year in the program and puts in the needed offseason work.
"He's a kid I'm looking to to lead the team," Johnson said. "He's my leader."
With such a young squad and a schedule that will provide more than the 12 games they had last year, Johnson said he'd be happy with a .500 season. Anything better than that would be icing on the cake.
ST. JOHN'S
COACH: Steve Cox, 1st year
LAST YEAR: 3-12, 1-7 South Central Athletic Association
KEY PLAYERS: Seniors - Eric Dodson, Curt Welker, Phillip Wamser, Mark Coleman, Shawn Campbell; Juniors - Vinnie Misiaszek, Jon Jones, Sean Verbeck; Sophomore - Mark Koscher.
OUTLOOK: Some new blood at St. John's has first-year coach Steve Cox excited and cautiously optimistic.
Transfer Verbeck brings with him a strong arm and will provide a nice one-two punch on the mound with Campbell.
"We're excited about seeing him pitch," Cox said of Verbeck. "It's just exciting to get the kids to come out and play. This kid we're getting to play for St. John's instead of going out and playing for some select team."
The Lions scored just 47 runs last year in 15 games, something Cox knows has to improve. He said his team made good contact last year, they just need a little more luck this season.
"So many times we were getting solid hits, but they weren't a challenge for our opponents because so many times we hit the ball right at the person," Cox said. "We need to hit those gaps and have good base running."
To score runs, Cox will lean on the bats of Dodson, Campbell and Coleman. Koscher will also provide some pop.
"(Koscher) is not afraid of the ball," Cox said, "and not afraid to take swings."
Cox, who takes over the reins from Dave Panzeri, said the biggest obstacle he's had to overcome before their season-opener Tuesday against Gateway Christian Academy has been the weather.
"We're still getting used to it and still working those winter kinks out," he said. "It's a daunting task to get them to play as well on the field as in the gym. I expect improvement, but we do have a lot of new guys."
St. John's does not have a strong offseason program and not too many players are committed to the sport over the summer. Campbell is one of the exceptions and Cox feels he could have a breakout year.
While he expects improvement, Cox said the only goal he has for the team is to develop chemistry and not get frustrated with adversity.
"If we go for a long run, we go together," Cox said. "Part of it, goal-wise, is kind of maintaining that humanity that we want to teach the kids. Pick each other up, work as a team and teach each other. They've got a lot of heart and we just need to keep that spirit up the whole season."
