Plato’s returning cast includes two college baseball commits and a host of other talented players who tasted success last season and are hungry for more. In his 16th year as an Eagle, coach Mark Vaughan aims to once again take the Frisco League – and the state – by storm.
“Any time you can win 25 games, win a district, sectional, quarterfinal, and finish third in the state, it’s a magical year,” said Vaughan. “If we want to continue the success of last year and this fall, we can’t take a second off.”
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After making it to the final four for the first time in a decade and losing only six games in their stellar spring season, the Eagles entered the fall with the loss of several key players.
Conner Hathaway is now at Lewis and Clark Junior College. The first team all-state, all-conference, and all-district pitcher had a 1.5 ERA, .387 average, and 40 RBIs last year.
Gage Crews was also on the all-district and all-conference first teams and had an all-state honorable mention. With his 3.6 ERA and .398 average, he has moved on to State Fair Junior College.
Jesse Bohannon is currently playing at NAIA Central Methodist. His .452 average earned him first team all-district and all-conference honors, and second team all-state. The Eagles also lost James Sponsel (.296), Sean Daniels (.302), and Wyatt Koehler.
Despite graduation losses, Plato put together a 21-1 fall season. Part of their success came from six returning lettermen, four of them former starters.
Senior Wiley Miller racked up the accolades last season with first team all-state, all-district, all-conference, and all-Ozone honors, thanks to his 1.9 ERA, .595 batting average, 46 RBIs, 44 total hits and 15 stolen bases. The four-year starting pitcher and shortstop is a Drury commit and is poised to have another big year.
Senior K. J. Stafford has committed to the Missouri Valley baseball program. A three-year starter with a 2.9 ERA and .419 average, he will pitch behind Miller.
Sophomore Gaven Vaughan earned an all-conference honorable mention as a starting freshman, and should serve as the team’s No. 3 pitcher on the mound. He led the team in walks (22) and was second in stolen bases with 17 in the fall and has a 1.61 ERA and .420 average. Classmate Jack Morrison will serve as catcher and also had the second highest batting average in the fall (.519). He led the team in RBIs with 32.
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Two more sophomores round out the returning crew: Marshall Pittman and Caeden Hathaway. Pittman started as a freshman and split time between first base and DH. His 1.4 ERA will earn him additional time on the mound this season, and his .467 average makes him an integral part of the lineup. Hathaway started in centerfield this fall after spending most of his freshman year in left field. He has been continuing to improve his .267 average.
The newcomers to the team aren’t really all that new, having already played a fall season. Freshman Grady Todd started at right field and hits in the middle of the order with a .388 average. He could see some time on the mound following recent success at the plate. Hayden Smith had a .392 average in the fall, and the frosh may take the mound and split time as a starter at DH or third. Andrew Hoover, sophomore, spent the last season improving and has a .377 average. Fellow sophomore Matt Daniels will play either second or the outfield.
Despite their youth, the Eagles are experienced and will continue to be ambitious. “Every year we set our goals high, but we always try to take it one game at a time,” said Vaughan. “We have set the bar pretty high this fall and the only way we will reach it will be to continue working hard every second we have a ball in our hand.”
