By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In just his second year at the helm, Kyle Wolf guided the Joplin baseball team to its first winning season in five years as the Eagles finished with a 15-11 record in 2019.
Joplin was set to return four starters from that team last spring, but then COVID hit and the season was canceled. While Wolf was able to get a look at some future players during summer ball, the reality in 2021 for Joplin is this: “We don’t bring back a varsity at bat or a varsity inning pitched,” Wolf said.
“We were going to mix in some of those underclassmen and get that experience and we didn’t get that opportunity,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of upperclassmen playing but not a lot of experience within those upperclassmen.”
Wolf has an idea of which players the team will probably depend on, but in terms of what the lineup will look like, it’s hard to say. The Eagles will rely on a large group of seniors, most of whom should have earned varsity time last year.
Senior Kohl Cooper is a corner outfielder and left-handed pitcher. He was injured his sophomore year but his breakout season could finally be at hand.
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“He’s had a tough run but we’ve really been anticipating him being an integral part of our lineup for a couple years now and haven’t had an opportunity to get him in there,” Wolf said. “Kohl will have a great year for us.”
Senior David Fiscus will be the team’s catcher after biding his time behind Luke Benfield, who graduated last year. Fiscus was in line to earn some varsity time at the position last year. Senior Alex Curry is a “big, strong kid” who should provide some pop in the batting order and play first base and designated hitter. Senior Josh Harryman can play all over the field but could contribute the most on the mound while pitching with a unique arm angle.
“He’s worked very hard the last couple years to hone in that arm angle a little bit and feel comfortable with it,” Wolf said. “I don’t know if I believe in closers in high school baseball but he’s kind of a fireman. If it’s a high leverage situation and we need an out, Josh can be the guy we certainly call upon to go get that out for us. I think he’s going to throw a lot of critical innings for us as the year goes on.”
Fielding Campbell is a senior who will play in the middle infield, most often as a shortstop. He’ll also pitch, either in relief or as a starter. He’s a well-rounded player who handles the glove well, throws strikes and can put pressure on opposing defenses on the base paths. Carson Wampler is another senior middle infielder who, like Campbell, Wolf described as a very consistent player who does everything well. And senior Kirk Chandler could be a leader on the pitching staff and also see time in the outfield.
That senior group will be complemented by several capable underclassmen. Junior Ethan Guildford could see time at third base and will be an “integral” part of the pitching staff. Wolf expects him to be one of the team’s top arms and pitch some big innings.
Junior Kyler Stokes will play in the outfield, most likely in center. He’s an athletic player with a strong arm and he runs well when he gets on base. Junior Tyler Shumann will back up Fiscus at catcher; he could also play in the outfield if he’s swinging the bat well. Junior Landon Atherton came out as a sophomore before the season was canceled, missing a crucial developmental year. But he’s a good athlete who could play right now in the outfield.
“I could see Landon with a year under his belt make some big improvements as the year goes on,” Wolf said.
Wolf described junior Joe Jasper as a “Swiss Army knife” who can play all the corner infield and corner outfield spots. He can also pitch and will probably be utilized as a reliever. Junior Bodee Carlson is a versatile infielder who could play at second base.
Two sophomores who could also contribute are Justin McReynolds and Byler Reither. Reither is “just a ballplayer” who could see time in the outfield and infield; if he gets on base he’s another guy who can put pressure on a defense with his legs. McReynolds is primarily a third baseman but could earn a starting spot in the rotation or pitch in relief, as well.
Wolf said the brand new lineup is a good opportunity for the team to build an identity early in the season, and there should be a lot of competition within the lineup.
“Early in the year our goal is to get as many guys opportunities as we can just to see what they’re going to do, how they respond to varsity baseball,” he said. “That’s exciting. I think it is exciting to go into a season and not exactly know what it’s going to look like but know you’ve got good kids and let them fall into those roles a little bit.”
Wolf’s focus will be on the team’s defense. He feels good about the pitching staff but it’s still full of inexperienced arms.
“There’s some confidence there just knowing who they are and what we believe they’re capable of but they’ve got to get on the mound and do it,” he said. “Pitching and defense is probably our strength. I think offensively as the year goes on we’ll continue to get better as guys slot into those roles a little bit and we start to figure out what our identity is at the plate and what we have to do to score runs.”
Joplin will face four schools from Oklahoma in the Tiger/Zebra Classic in Pryor. The Eagles have added Harrisonville to the schedule, as well as Pittsburg, Kansas and St. Mary’s Colgan, also from Pittsburg. The Colgan game will be an interesting one for Wolf; he spent 12 years as an assistant there before coming to Joplin.
“I didn’t want to play them for three years because I didn’t want to coach against any of those guys I coached there but it will be a great test,” he said.
Joplin will host Monett and Carthage on March 16 for a jamboree.
