By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After finishing 15-4 last season, the Hartville Eagles fell 15-6 in the state sectional round to eventual champion Mansfield.
This season, Harville welcomes back a familiar face in first-year head coach Clint Horn.
A 2009 graduate, Horn was an all-state pitcher for the Eagles and set the Hartville record for fewest career walks with 13 in 123.3 innings of action.
“It’s good to be back home,” Horn said. “With graduating six starters and seniors, I feel like the younger guys are out to prove themselves this year.”
Those graduated seniors include Jace Keith, Deric Jones, Hagan Simmons, Braden Keith, James Schmidt and Broc Arnall.
Jace Keith, a left-handed pitcher, earned all-state honors last season. Jones and Schmidt eared all-district honors, while Simmons was named to the all-conference team.
While Hartville must replace several key spots in its lineup, it does return a host of players eager to step into those leadership roles.
Sophomore Holton Simmons returns at shortstop after hitting .288 last season and will likely lead off for the Eagles. He’s joined by junior OF/P Luke Goslee (1.24 ERA), junior pitcher Jarrett Calton (2.7 ERA), sophomore 3B/P Caleb Moore (1.4 ERA), junior DH/1B Gavin Mahan and senior UT Matthew Marco.
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“We are very young with only two seniors on the team,” Horn said. “This fall was a learning curve for a lot of guys. I feel we play a pretty tough Class 2 schedule and never felt like our guys were overwhelmed. We competed in every game and hopefully we can turn a few of those close losses into wins.”
Hartville will also benefit from several newcomers looking to make an impact at the varsity level, including freshman Eli Cook (C), senior transfer Evan Matthews (CF/P), junior transfer Stone Matthews (1B/P), sophomore Tucker Dedmon (LF), freshman Zach Day (UT/P), freshman Brady Ward (P) and freshman Braden Branstetter (P). Cook and Ryce Piper started for the Eagles during the fall season.
With plenty of depth on the mound, Horn sees pitching as an early strength for his team.
“Our strength should be our depth at pitching,” Horn said. “Even with the pitch restrictions, we have a bunch of arms we can run out there to get us through a game. If our pitchers stay healthy, we should have a chance to compete in every game.”
If the fall results hold true, Hartville’s bats could turn out to be another strength this spring.
“I didn’t expect us to hit as well as we did this fall,” Horn said. “Our guys really bought into our approach at the plate from game to game. They started to understand that quality at bats and productive outs can win games.”
While the team is young and relatively inexperienced at the varsity level, Horn feels Hartville’s depth and overall competitive nature will definitely help the team as it grows this season.
“I do not feel like we have any for sure outs in the lineup — even our young guys,” Horn said. “We have 14 guys who we can run up there at any time and have confidence in them getting the job done.”
“I think our biggest challenge will just be the grind of going out everyday,” Horn said. “With so many freshmen playing varsity and our basketball program being successful, a lot of our guys won’t have much time off. Going five to six days a week all year will take a toll on their bodies, and finding a way to fight through it this year will be a challenge.”
Harville opens its season March 16 at Spokane.
