By Kary Booher/For OzarksSportsZone.com
Before last season, winning simply became second nature for the Rogersville High School baseball team.
So one can imagine the sense of urgency by the Wildcats in the recent offseason. After all, Rogersville finished 12-16, with seven losses coming after the Wildcats had led in the sixth or seventh inning.
“Last year the kids took it hard. But that fueled our offseason,” Rogersville coach Casey Ledl said. “We’ve had more kids than we have ever had (in offseason workouts) so we’re excited to see where we are when we open up.”
When the curtain rises on the 2017 season, Rogersville should be much more competitive with a team featuring seven seniors and six juniors.
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Among them is Jordan Fitzpatrick, a Missouri State University signee who has been a two-time All-State selection. Last season, he hit .370 with seven doubles, a home run, 34 hits, 12 RBI and stole seven bases.
“He can flat-out hit,” Ledl said. “He had his worst year last year but was just below .400. It’s great to have him back.”
Fitzpatrick was a key figure in recent years when Rogersville, between 2012 and 2015, won 70 games, three Central Ozark Conference-Small championships, three district titles and had two Final Four runs.
Fortunately for Ledl, Fitzpatrick won’t be a one-man show or offer the Wildcats their only hope. Consider the end to last season. Despite a rough beginning, Rogersville finished strong as the Wildcats took Final Four-bound Aurora to extra innings before falling 3-2.
That game is certainly a motivator. So, too, is the fact that the Wildcats return three pitchers in senior Ryan Gruener, senior left-hander Logan Eury, plus have Grant Umlauf, Jarrett Stiles, Teagan Rambo and Cameron Chesick.
Gruener was 3-2 with a 1.95 earned run average. Eury and Gruener were both All-District pitchers last season.
“We took our lumps but we built up experience,” Ledl said.
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Defense also is top priority for Rogersville, which a year ago committed 70 errors in 30 games – and many of those errors ever so costly in the latter innings.
“We did a lot of infield work in the fall and I expect that to be quite a bit better,” Ledl said.
Look for junior Christian Casanova at catcher, senior Isaac Ashley or All-District senior Nathan Chainey at first base, senior Shane Gruener at second, Fitzpatrick at shortstop, Shane Gruener or Stiles at third base and a speedy and rangy outfield of Ryan Gruener, Rambo, Eury and Umlauf.
“(Casanova) did a lot of work in the offseason,” Ledl said. “Defensively, he is young but he’s got a cannon.”
A couple of outfielders ran 6.7 and 6.8 seconds in the 60 last year.
The lineup could be productive thanks to its athleticism. Ryan Gruener is expected atop the order, with Chainey batting in the middle of the order after he hit .390.
Other notables include Caleb Casanova, Brett Carter, Devin Radke, Adam Melgren and Ben Melgren. The team overall has five sophomores and five freshmen.
“I really see our kids, since the summer and now into the offseason, they have a different drive and determination,” Ledl said. “I’m excited that we have kids who want to get us back to the top.”
