2021 Spring Preview: Plato Baseball

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By Chris Parker

Plato baseball will be a young team this year, which made playing a 14-game fall season that much more important. The Eagles finished 5-9 overall in the fall.

“Being able to get together this fall and finally play has been very important to these guys, they were excited to get back to the field and start playing baseball again,” Plato head coach Brady Dean said. “This in turn with how young our squad is this season is very important as it got out our underclassmen acclimated into high school baseball. It has helped me see who really wanted to be there and play.”

The trio of Elijah Mayfield (outfield/pitcher), Kevan Monds (infield/pitcher) and Graham Todd (infield/pitcher) have taken on leadership roles.

“There are a few guys who have emerged as quality leaders on the team. They are extremely important in that they hope and want to play at a level beyond high school,” Dean said. “These three will be a part of the starting pitching rotation and hit in the middle of our order, they will be tasked with helping produce runs in our lineup.”

Freshman Hayden Pinkston will join the trio on the pitching mound.

“Mayfield is our No. 1. He’s been working hard this off-season and was our best pitcher this past fall. He hides the ball well from the left side and his ball has a lot of movement,” Dean said. “Pinkston will man the No. 2 spot. He just keeps getting better on the mound. His fastball has a lot of natural movement for a right hander. Monds will be in the rotation. He’s tall and long limbed. He’s got a good fastball and it pairs well with his curveball. Finally, Graham Todd will also be in the rotation. He’s got a strong fastball and a good changeup to keep hitters off balance.”

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Monds, who will also play third base or outfield when not pitching, had a .442 on-base percentage in the fall. Todd will play shortstop when not pitching. He had a .442 on-base percentage with 13 runs scored. Pinkston threw 17.2 innings in the fall with 16 strikeouts. He will play all over the infield when not pitching.

Freshman Ryan Steinbrink will be behind the plate.

“Behind the dish this spring will be freshman Ryan Steinbrink,” Dean said. “He receives the ball very well and really takes care of our pitchers and calls a good game. Our pitchers trust him and he earned that this fall. He knows how to frame and really understands the game back there.”

Other players that will be factors on the infield include Wyatt Cotrel (second base) and Lane Johnson (first base). Johnson was a force at the plate in the fall in just eight games. He hit .556 with 10 RBI and 7 runs scored.

Mayfield will anchor the outfield in center when not pitching. He is a two-way force for Plato. On the mound, he led the team in innings pitched (27) and strikeouts (24). At the plate, he led the team in hits (17), RBI (13) and runs scored (16) while hitting .447 with a .553 on-base percentage.

The junior trio of Austin Fulmer, Shay Todd and Trenton Howell will all battle for the final two spots in the outfield.

Plato won’t have any seniors on the roster, but Dean sees that as a strength.

“I see our strength being our young leadership. We don’t have any seniors expected to be on the team this spring. We will be a heavy mix of juniors and freshmen. The way I see this as a strength is we have so much room to grow and our young players are so willing to learn. Our freshmen proved they can keep up with the upperclassmen and have consistently been improving and pushing the guys in front of them to get better,” Dean said.

The Eagles will need to be sound defensively to find success.

“The area of improvement this spring will be taking care of the baseball defensively,” Dean said. “There were several games this fall our defense really hurt us, and being so young it was hard to bounce back. As the fall progressed, we started to gain that experience and our defense and focus got better.”

Effort and growth will be two things Dean hopes to see out of his team throughout the spring.

“My overall expectations of this season are for us to play a hard seven innings of baseball and battle until the final out is made,” Dean said. “I expect us to learn from our past mistakes and continue learning the game and growing. We have a great opportunity in front of us if we achieve our goals.”

Plato opens the season on Mar. 20 at Steelville against Steelville and Scott City.

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