By Amanda Perkins/For OzarksSportsZone.com
After being seeded sixth in the seven-team Class 4, District 9 tournament, the Salem Tigers pulled off a string of upsets to bring home the title. With most of their players returning, the team hopes to shock and awe once again.
“Our district this year is a brutal Class 4 district,” said Phillip Karr, who has coached the team for six years, “so it won’t be easy getting another opportunity.”
Karr said his team was playing well down the stretch last season, helping them defeat Union, St. Clair, and St. Francis-Borgia for the district championship.
But they got down early and committed too many errors against Helias in sectional play, ending their season with a 14-12 record.
“It was our kids’ first experience at a game with that much pressure involved, we were on the road, and there were a lot more people watching than we were accustomed to seeing behind the backstop,” said Coach Karr. “It was a disappointing experience when you know you didn’t play up to your capabilities.”
The Tigers also finished second in the SCA conference, losing in extra innings to both Houston and the eventual state champion Mountain Grove Panthers.
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This year, Salem finds itself alongside Blair Oaks, Helias Catholic, Owensville, Southern Boone, St. James and Sullivan in Class 4 District 9.
Graduation took two players from Salem. Cameron Howard made the all-conference first team (DH/utility) and put up a 2.80 ERA and .278 average. His loss will be painful for the Tigers, as he played centerfield, second base, shortstop, first base, and also pitched.
“The only position he didn’t play in his high school career was catcher,” said Karr. “His defense was always exceptional no matter where we put him. In the outfield, he had the best range and got tremendous jumps on balls and in the infield he was sure-handed.”
Logan Conway (.224) was a right fielder who was clutch for the team in the final weeks of the season.
Jon Arzt, senior, was the team MVP with a .402 average, 35 hits, 23 RBIs, 6-1 pitching and a 1.14 ERA. A highlight of last season was pitching a shutout against Borgia in the district championship game.
Arzt has started since his freshman season and is a first team all-conference and all-district pitcher who has signed with Central Methodist University. Senior Eli Floyd batted .286 and was named to the all-district and all-conference teams as an outfielder.
Kory Ramsey is the final senior and another all-conference selection (second team) and all-district pitcher. The four-year starter threw a no-hitter in the district semi-final game against St. Clair. The Quincy University (Illinois) signee bats in either the three or four spot and had 31 hits, 23 RBIs, .333 batting, and a 1.50 ERA last season.
Shortstop Nate Bray returns to the field after a sophomore infield performance earned him second team all-conference honors. He hit .333 last year and will be expected to create power at the top of the batting order to help fill the void left by Howard.
Senior leftfielder Gabe Chang (.246) spent last season improving defensively and working on his hitting through varsity experience. Classmate Dalton Cook was named to the all-conference team (honorable mention) in his third season as catcher in 2016. “Cook is a solid defensive catcher that has a good pop time,” said Karr. “He is a good contact hitter…he will be a vital player in determining our season’s success.”
“Eli is a base stealing threat and hopefully he can improve his on-base percentage and get us two times the stolen bases,” said Karr. “He is very accurate from the outfield, throwing to all bases.”
Cody Manthey has been an honorable mention all-conference selection for the past two seasons, hitting .270 last year and pitching 2.04. According to his coach, he is the “Mister Hustle” of the team and plays the game the right way.
Newer faces include Lawson Toman, junior infielder, who spent most of his sophomore season sidelined by illness but will now be called to step up in a larger role. Sophomore Boone Schrader will also play the infield after substantial varsity time last season. He was responsible for some big plays in districts and had a .231 average.
Noah Major had some varsity starts last year, and returns for his junior season as a pitcher and infielder, potentially in a starting spot. Jacob Johnson is a senior and lefty reliever full of potential and sophomore Chandler Gray will round out the crew in the infield.
Thanks to the new pitching regulations, the Tigers will be developing new hurlers to back up their top two returning pitchers.
“Our expectations are high for this year’s squad because we have a lot of experience back,” said Karr. “I believe we have a shot at the conference title.” Despite challenging match-ups, the Tigers also hope to compete at the district level. “There isn’t a weak team in it, so pitching depth is huge…and who is playing well at the right time will determine the champion.”
Salem begins the season at the Houston Tournament on March 20.
