District tournaments in high school sports are the end of the line for every team except the champions. And the end was especially painful last year for several baseball teams in the Jefferson County Activities Association.
In the Class 2 District 4 semifinals, Crystal City lost 19-18 to Barat Academy, which was 5-13 going into the game. In Class 3 District 3, Arcadia Valley edged St. Pius X 3-2 in another semifinal contest. Festus entered Class 4 District 2 as the top seed but fell 3-1 to Park Hills Central in the semis. In the same district, Windsor lost to North County 2-1 in the other semifinal. Hillsboro lost 4-3 to Cape Girardeau Central in the first round of Class 5 District 1.
All that is ancient history, however, for the 2017 conference schools as they take the field hoping to play their best when it counts the most. Here are profiles of the nine Jefferson County teams in the JCAA.
Hillsboro
The first weekend of baseball for the Hawks couldn’t have gone any better as they swept to three victories Friday and Saturday at the Troy Baseball Classic.
Hillsboro, 10-15 last year, beat three Gateway Athletic Conference teams, including the defending Class 5 state champions from Francis Howell. Hillsboro pitchers Brandon Whitehead and Nick Warren combined to shut out the host Vikings 1-0 in Friday’s opener.
With 10 seniors returning, Hillsboro has a deep and experienced team that head coach Kevin Lucas said he believes can compete for JCAA and district titles.
“It’s a well-rounded group,” Lucas said before the game Friday. “We have good hitters and fielders. Our pitching is pretty deep. We have a good group of upperclassmen who make sure things are going right.”
Whitehead serves the Hawks in a variety of ways. When he’s not pitching, he plays shortstop or second base. He’s also one of the team’s top sticks.
Senior catcher Nick Carter showed off his arm against the Vikings by gunning down two base runners with strong throws. Fresh off of his first-team all-JCAA basketball selection, tall sophomore Michael Brewer (6-4) makes a good target at first base and can also play in the outfield. So can junior Tyler Isaacson, playing his third sport of this school year after starting at quarterback in football and at forward in basketball.
Lucas was glad to see junior Austin Fleming, another Hawk cager, back in the baseball lineup after he missed most of last year with an injury. Fleming plays center field. Senior Nick Schmidt is another returning outfielder.
Joining Whitehead in the starting rotation are sophomores Brewer and Austin Werner, junior Dylan Blyzes and seniors Warren and Shane Hart. Hart, Warren and Brewer will also pitch in relief, along with junior Seth Terry and seniors Ryan McLaughlin, Aaron Koenig and Steven Schneider.
“Brandon is our best pitcher,” Lucas said. “He pitched at a high level (last) summer. In our big games we’re going to throw him out there and see what happens.”
Crystal City
The three-sport athlete may be a dying breed in high school sports, but don’t tell that to Crystal City’s Chris Eisenbeis.
The Hornet junior has had little time to catch his breath this school year. He quarterbacked the football team last fall, was second in scoring for the basketball squad and now leads Crystal on the baseball diamond.
Last season, Eisenbeis batted just .240 but led the Hornets with 14 RBIs. Crystal’s second-year head coach, Ricardo Pastrana, calls him the team’s best all-around player.
“Offensively, he puts the ball in play and has some opposite-field power,” Pastrana said. “He is a competitor offensively and defensively. Defensively, he has a strong arm from third (base) and keeps the ball in front of him.”
Juniors Nolan Mangan (shortstop) and Ian Reando (second base), senior Drake Beekman (first) and sophomore utility man Colin Wilkerson round out the Hornets’ infield. Mangan, Reando and Wilkerson all have limited varsity experience. This is Beekman’s first season on the varsity and he’s also playing on the school’s golf team.
Eric Strain (left field), senior Jon Reckers (center) and sophomore Drew Gegg (right) comprise the outfield.
The Hornets finished 6-9 last year. They lost 10 players to graduation, including such varsity mainstays as A.J. Bassin, Drake Childers, Matt Eisenbeis, Logan Grove and Sam Holst. So Pastrana is rebuilding the pitching staff around a top three of Blake Eisenbeis, Mangan and Wilkerson, with Reando the first man in on relief.
The coach noted that Blake Eisenbeis has good movement on his pitches and generally is around the strike zone, while Mangan’s trademarks are good pitch velocity and high energy on the mound. Wilkerson is more of an off-speed complement to the other two.
With most of last year’s offensive firepower gone, Pastrana said he wants to see his team develop into contact hitters.
“We want to put the ball in play and try not to take too many pitches,” he said.
The Hornets opened the season Monday at Park Hills Central, then played at Fredericktown Tuesday after the Leader deadline. Crystal opens its home schedule Friday against three-time defending Class 2 state champion Valle Catholic.
“I would like our team to be over .500,” Pastrana said. “I would also like to compete at the district level” – a tall order with Valle in the same district.
De Soto
Last spring was as unpredictable as March weather for the Dragons, who finished 10-12. It was the second straight year De Soto finished two games below .500 and the team went 1-7 in conference games over those two seasons.
De Soto started the 2016 season on fire, going 7-2, with the pitching staff crafting three shutouts. By the Dragons lost 10 of 13 after that, ending with an 8-6 loss to North County in the first round of the Class 4 District 2 tournament.
But with the talent returning – especially up the middle – the Dragons of 2017 could develop into a winning team.
Senior catcher Caleb Keim returns after being selected to the all-JCAA first team a year ago. Keim is the team’s best hitter, posting a .375 average last year with five doubles.
“He’s a leader on the field, has a ‘plus’ arm behind the plate, is very disciplined at the plate and keeps the other team’s running game in check,” said third-year De Soto head coach Matt Buechting.
Another senior, Craig Theiss, returns for his fourth season on the varsity. Recently selected as a first team member of the all-JCAA basketball team, Theiss will play center field when he’s not pitching and will bat somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
“He has the potential to lead us in a lot of offensive categories,” Buechting said of the 6-7 Theiss. “On the mound he will be a guy we lean on to start and relieve in key situations.”
Infielder Cole Turman should bat at the top or middle of the order. A junior, Turman has started since his freshman year. He batted .279 and led the team with 12 RBIs last season.
“We need to rely on (Turman) offensively and defensively this season,” Buechting said.
Senior Tyler Hand can play multiple infield positions and will be counted on to produce runs in the middle of the lineup. He had three doubles, a triple and 11 RBIs last year.
Another senior, Cole Koch, is the Dragons’ one true utility player, Buechting noted. Koch can play second base, in the outfield and pitch.
“I’m sure if we asked him, he would even catch for us,” Buechting said. “He’s that type of kid.”
Junior Hunter Canada is the team’s top returning starting pitcher. He was 3-1 last year and had a three-to-one strikeouts-to-walks ratio (21 Ks to seven walks).
“We expect (Canada) to get deep in every ballgame he pitches,” Buechting said. “He will also be playing some first base, which is a move from the outfield, but we expect him to make that transition easily and produce at the plate.”
The Dragons opened the season last weekend in the Old Settlement Opening Day Tournament hosted by Valle Catholic. De Soto split four games in two days, beating Chester (11-1) and Park Hills Central (5-2) and losing one-run decisions to Ste. Genevieve (3-2) and Farmington (9-8). They play at Perryville on Monday in the JCAA opener for both schools.
Festus
Festus hasn’t had a losing season in seemingly forever, and with seven returning starters this spring, it doesn’t appear that streak will end this season.
At least not if the Tigers can avoid the injury bug.
“Injuries have played a role with our core guys the past couple of years; hopefully we can stay healthy,” said head coach Jeff Montgomery, beginning his ninth season as skipper and his 21st in the program.
Seniors Cameron Beck and Elijah Richeson and juniors Collin Mann and Brennan Pryor all received all-JCAA honors last season, leading the team to a 15-8 record.
Beck (.338 batting average in 2016) and Richeson (.328), who signed to play baseball at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, are three-year starters. Beck vacuums ground balls at shortstop while Richeson plays outfield and pitches.
Mann (.368), a catcher, and outfielder-pitcher Pryor (.364) both started as sophomores last year. Pryor led the team with seven doubles and 20 RBIs.
“Both (of those) juniors could carry the load for us offensively this year,” Montgomery said. “Much of our offense is returning. Hopefully we will demonstrate a more mature lineup that makes good decisions and executes better than last year. That’s what I expect to see.”
Seniors Tyler Rystrom (outfield-second base) and Abe Kraus (designated hitter-infielder) and junior Jake Leitner (outfield) are other key returning players. Juniors Cole Martin, Matt Rosen, Chase Cole and Logan Uding and seniors Kevin Link and Andrew Douglas will all get playing time.
Douglas, a left-handed pitcher, was 2-1 last year. He was the winning hurler as Festus knocked off Winfield 12-0 in the Tigers’ season-opener Saturday at the Four Rivers Classic in Elsberry.
Montgomery noted that senior right-hander Tyler Kaikonnen has good velocity. Junior Cody Peters and Leitner, another lefty, will also get opportunities on the hill.
In their second game at Elsberry Saturday, the Tigers defeated the host school 12-8 behind big games by Beck and Pryor, who each had three hits and two RBIs, and Mann, who smashed a bases-clearing double. Festus was scheduled to visit Potosi today (Thursday).
For all their success, the Tigers haven’t won a district crown since 2012. They and their coach have gotten hungry since then.
“Our goal is to win,” Montgomery said. “I would love to see them come together and do something special this year. Our schedule is very tough, especially late in the year.”
Grandview
The Eagles have a new head coach in Marko Samaradzic, who has coached the sport for 21 years, including nine years as the top man at St. Mary’s in St. Louis. He’s also served as an assistant in the highly regarded Vianney program.
The new skipper said this year’s starting lineup isn’t set and could change from day to day. He has 19 players to work with, not enough to field both varsity and JV squads. So it may take a while for this new flock of Eagles to gel – but he won’t call it ‘rebuilding.’
“My goal is to teach them how to play competitive baseball and I expect we’ll get better,” Samaradzic said. “(To say) ‘rebuilding’ sends a message that we won’t be competitive and we don’t know that. We’re going to be a better team at the end of the year.”
The Eagles’ core group to build around are senior pitcher and third baseman Jesse Pope, senior outfielder Joe Thomas, junior pitcher and shortstop Tom Hahn and sophomore Colton McAnally, who can pitch and play in the infield. Hahn was a first team all-JCAA small schools selection in 2016 while Thomas made the second team.
“All four will bat at the top of the lineup,” Samaradzic said. “We’re going to have high expectations out of them to lead us on the field.”
The new pitch count rules implemented by the Missouri State High School Activities Association could hamper the Eagles, who have seven pitchers – two of them freshmen.
The Eagles, 3-15 a year ago, opened the season Friday with a 15-5 loss to Arcadia Valley. It was 9-5 going into the seventh inning.
“We were pretty competitive but we made some mistakes that came back to haunt us,” Samaradzic said.
Herculaneum
The Blackcats, 6-13 a year ago, could well have the experience and talent to post their first winning season since 2013.
Austin Bearden, Iann Wisely, Gavin Turley and Jason Harden return after being selected to the all-JCAA small-schools team. Bearden, a senior, is a three-year starter who plays in the infield and pitches. Wisely, another senior, is a four-year starter in the outfield. Harden had a breakout season as a freshman last year, leading the Blackcats with a .378 batting average.
Head coach Zac Bone, starting his seventh season as the Blackcats’ skipper, said his offense is multi-versatile.
“Hopefully, we do a mix of things well offensively,” Bone said. “We return some gap power in the middle of the lineup and have a couple of guys who run well.”
Bearden made seven starts on the mound last season and finished 1-5, walking more batters (20) than he struck out (19). But he made up for it with his bat, hitting .353 with 17 RBIs and five doubles. Wisely batted .327 and led the Blackcats with 22 RBIs. Turley, a junior, is a two-year starter in the infield and outfield. He finished last year batting .339 and topped the team with 15 stolen bases and 25 runs scored.
Drake Byers batted .291 and had 13 RBIs in 2016 while also leading the Blackcats in appearances on the mound, posting a 4.77 ERA.
Jordan Duncan (infielder), senior Zak Lamb (outfielder), Cody Anderson (outfielder), senior Greg Garrett (catcher) and junior Zach Phillips (catcher-infielder) round out the position players.
Bearden, Byers, Garrett and sophomore Marino Ragan are the starting pitchers. Bone has penciled in senior Adam Mitchell, Tyler Wooley, Harden, Duncan, Wisely and Turley as the relievers.
The Blackcats opened the season Monday at Maplewood. They play in the Saxony Lutheran Tournament this weekend.
Jefferson
The Blue Jays return 11 seniors, a group with the ability to provide a robust offense this season. The key for Jefferson’s success will be getting adequate pitching to support the offense.
Freshman Levi Ebersoldt took the mound in the Blue Jays’ opener Friday, a 10-8 loss to West County.
“Levi handled himself very well,” second-year head coach Robert Kuehnle said. “We didn’t play the best defense behind him on the mound. We hit the ball well and hit it hard. We hit a lot of balls right to guys and sometimes that happens.”
In last year’s 8-13 campaign, Blue Jay batters hit for power, bashing 23 doubles, nine triples and five home runs. Jefferson should also get a boost this spring with the return of senior Blain Prater, who missed the bulk of last year with a torn labrum. He was a first-team all-conference outfielder as a sophomore in 2015.
Bram Gilmour (catcher), Jack Richardson (first base), Jaden Courtois (second), Prater (shortstop), Brent Hibbits (third), Campbell Ebersoldt (left field), Andrew Graves (center) and Gunnison Heine (right) started for the Blue Jays Friday.
Heine bats leadoff and has signed to play baseball at Fontbonne University. He batted .358 with 11 RBIs last year. Graves, an all-state running back in football, puts his speed to good use and hit .375 last year.
“(Graves) is a heck of an athlete; he can cover all kinds of ground and can bunt for a single or connect and hit a bomb,” Kuehnle said. “He’s a dual threat and that’s invaluable.”
Joining Levi Ebersoldt in the starting rotation are Prater, Jamie Larose and Brent Hibbits. Relievers figure to be Campbell Ebersoldt, Graham Gilmour and Zach Rarick (also a designated hitter), along with Brendan Reese, Cody Reinberg and Carl Jaskiewicz. Larose has signed with Central Methodist University in Fayette.
St. Pius X
The Lancers, two-time defending JCAA small-schools champions, are 9-1 over the last two seasons against conference opponents.
Jerry Woods, entering his 11th season as the Lancers’ head coach, has a mantra to describe his team’s success in the league.
“Michael Jordan said, ‘Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships,’” Woods said. He has some other results to back it up, too. In both 2013 and 2014, St. Pius won a district championship and advanced to the Class 3 quarterfinals.
Senior catcher Zac Meyer was the consensus league player of the year in 2016 after simply crushing the ball for a .520 average, with eight doubles and 21 RBIs. He had six assists and 81 putouts behind the mask in helping lead St. Pius to an 11-9 record.
Four other Lancers – senior outfielder Sean McDowell, sophomore pitcher Jeremy Isenman, and sophomore infielders Eli Dale and Camren Krodinger – are all back after earning all-conference honors a year ago with some impressive stats. McDowell hit .356 with 19 RBIs. Isenman pitched a team-high 47 innings and finished 7-3 with a 1.79 ERA. Dale batted .353 with 11 runs batted in and Krodinger hit .406.
The 2017 Lancers are off to a slow start, however, losing twice to Class 4 Potosi over the weekend, 9-5 and 4-3. Isenman pitched well in the second game, giving up four hits while striking out seven over five scoreless innings. Potosi scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the second win. Meyer and seniors Luke Lampros and Mark Chafin each had two hits in the first game.
Woods’ goals this season are simple – improved team fundamentals and a third straight conference crown.
Windsor
Jacob Davis is the type of high school baseball player all coaches love to have on their team.
An all-conference pick as a utility player last year, Davis is the Owls’ ace pitcher as well as the starting shortstop and leadoff batter. He hit .321 last season with a .418 on-base percentage. On the mound, Davis was 2-1 (his only loss coming in a three-hit decision against DeSmet) with a 1.17 earned run average over 24 innings.
“He can do it all – he hits for average, can steal bases and does a great job on the mound,” said Windsor head coach Jeff Young, back for his 13th season mentoring the Owls.
Another returning all-conference player is second baseman Tommy Detmer, who will fill in for Davis at shortstop when Davis pitches. Detmer smashed his way to a .467 batting average last year with five doubles and a home run.
Seniors Dakota Arnold (first base-designated hitter), Kael Ward (center field) and David Lawson (first base-DH) are all veteran players with good sticks.
Joining Davis on the mound as starters are juniors Trevor Jones and Carter Schmutzler as well as Ward, who will also pitch in relief. The other starter-reliever is sophomore Connor Hartmann. Coming out of the bullpen are seniors Christian Homeier, Jason Linn and Austin Richards.
The Owls, the defending JCAA large-school champions, finished 15-10 a year ago. They began play last weekend in the Troy Baseball Classic, losing 7-1 to Fort Zumwalt West and 11-1 to Rockwood Summit, both Class 5 schools.
“Our goals are to be competitive and give ourselves a chance at another conference title and get a district title this year,” Young said. “To accomplish this, our juniors will need to step up and replace five starters. And our senior leadership needs to be as good or better as our seniors last year.”