By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
There will be no overhaul or teardown for Springfield Catholic in 2018. Courtney Spitz knows a good thing when he sees it.
The Fighting Irish are under new management with the Kickapoo and Drury graduate inheriting the program from all-time wins leader Jason Daugherty. Catholic has won 20 games in five of the last six seasons and a Class 3 State Championship in that span.
Spitz can see the task ahead but also the level of talent at his disposal.
“It felt like the right opportunity for me, not just to bring my family back home, but to be the head coach of a program that’s been successful in the past and has a bright future,” said Spitz.
Catholic amassed a 20-7 mark last year and captured the COC-Small title before falling to Logan-Rogersville in the district semifinals. They were led by do-it-all senior Mason Dickemann, now at Missouri State after an all-state campaign.
The Fighting Irish do return some state-recognized talent in junior shortstop Will Duff, a Vanderbilt commit. He topped the Catholic stat sheet in nearly every major offensive category: RBI (29), home runs (4), batting average (.472), and slugging percentage (.764).
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He also saw time on the mound as he notched one win and a pair of saves while tossing 12.2 innings.
Fellow junior Zach Cole (OF/P) has already garnered Division I interest as well. A First-Team All-COC selection as an outfield, he made waves on the mound too. He combined with Dickemann on a no-hitter last season while going 3-1 over six starts with 2.80 ERA. He brings back the top strikeout mark from last year with 33.
“(Duff and Cole) are two kids that want to compete at the highest level. They’re good leaders, want to help their team get better, and know they’re going to be expected to perform every day.”
Hayes Hutter (C) is the other returning All-COC player to lead a group of six seniors, joined by Hunter Puckett, Seth Kamykowski, Michael Ruhlman, Fintan Long, and Justin Haake.
Kamykowski, Ruhlman, and Haake combined to toss 81 innings last season with Ruhlman holding the lowest ERA at 2.77. The depth they create in the pitching staff could be the difference maker for Catholic.
“I think we’ll be pretty talented offensively and play good defense all the way around,” said Spitz. “Pitching is huge for everyone, but it seems like we’re concentrating on that as much as we can right now.
Freshman Jeremy Rader earned the most notoriety of any Catholic newcomers this offseason as he competed at the 2017 MLB Junior Home Run Derby at Marlins Park in Miami. He clobbered eight home runs as one of eight finalists in the national championship round.
Spitz expects Rader to compete for playing time this spring. The transition to varsity will be a learning experience, just as leading the program will be for Spitz.
With a good baseball pedigree in tow, Spitz and the Fighting Irish are off to a smooth start.
“Being around the guys and getting a feel for their aspirations while they get a feel for my expectations and standards, it’s been good. The guys seem to be eager to get started and excited about the season. We’re building team chemistry and feeding off each other’s enthusiasm.”
