By Chris Parker
Verona baseball had the best season in program history last year going 14-4 overall and winning the program’s first conference and district titles. Both of Verona’s first-team all-conference selections in Caleb Hillhouse and Austin Valdez graduated from that squad.
Another change for this year’s squad will be at head coach where Chris Long takes over for Fred Lundien.
Long has high expectations for his squad and has increased the schedule difficulty for the Wildcats to prepare them for the rigors of postseason play.
“This season is going to be a huge season of growth for the Verona Baseball program. I have increased the strength of our schedule,” Long said. “I want these dudes to be battle-tested when we get to the state playoffs. I feel by providing adversity in doses during the season we will be better prepared to face that similar adversity in the playoffs. I understand we will most likely not go 14-4 like last year. We are trying to replace two major arms and playing a tougher schedule. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us with a better record than expected. The tougher schedule will make us a tough team that, no matter what, will have a chance in every game we play this year.”
Long has a trio of returning second-team all-conference players returning to lead the way in sophomores Kelson Guenther and Seth Freiburger and junior Alex Campbell.
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Guenther hit .492 last year with 21 RBI and 26 steals.
“Kelson will play a vital role in this upcoming season. He has been plagued with injuries that have kept him off the mound,” Long said. “Kelson has been a utility player that has caught and played infield. He will most likely be our No. 1 on the mound this spring and will be a leader on this spring’s squad. Kelson is a good bat, good defensive player, and if healthy, will be good on the mound for us this year.”
Freiburger hit .395 with 14 RBI and 14 steals last year.
“Seth will be one of the most important players we have. We will be asking a lot of him,” Long said. “His first task will be to shut down the running game from behind the plate. Next, he will grow as a defensive catcher. Passed balls and pitch calling will be keys to our improvement this year. I have no doubt Seth will step up and be the leader behind the dish that we need. Don’t overlook his bat either. He will run into a few balls this year in timely at-bats.”
Campbell will be in the outfield. He hit .305 and had 19 steals last season.
“Alex will play a vital role for us this year,” Long said. “Alex will be patrolling the outfield and will be an addition to the bullpen as well. Key relief appearances will be the name of the game for Alex. He is a speedy kid and will also be at the top of our lineup.”
Dillin Shrum (junior infielder/pitcher), Colton Hillhouse (sophomore infielder/pitcher) and Jere Ruiz-Diaz (senior outfielder) also return to the lineup. That group combined for 34 steals last season.
Creating havoc on the base paths will be a staple of the program this season.
“I think the number one thing we will be better at this year is base running. I was able to watch Verona a few times last year as we were preparing to play them. One thing I noted was I did not think they were aggressive enough on the bases. They had athletes all over the field, but didn’t really use them on the bases. That will not be the case this year. When we get on base, it’s game on. The defense will have to make plays to get us out. We will be taking our chances on the bases. More often than not, I like our chances,” Long said.
Long hopes to take Verona’s historic conference and district championship season and repeat the success with back-to-back titles in both.
“This year is simple, it’s a defense year. For the first time, Verona was conference and district champions in 2019. We will have a target on our backs all year. We are going to get everyone’s best this year, and we need to make sure we are prepared for that. Our expectations are to repeat at Ozark 7 Champions and repeat at District Champions,” Long said.
Verona opens the season on Mar. 20 at Crane against Fair Grove.
