By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Seymour Tigers wrapped up a storied 2019 campaign with a 21-8 record, a first-ever district championship and a second-place finish in the Class 2 state tournament.
For head coach Jason Duey, losing the opportunity to chase another district title — and possibly more — was a devastating blow to the team.
“Going into practice the day that we found out we were being sent home was unlike any other feeling I have experienced as a coach,” Duey said. “We were hopeful that we were going to return after a few weeks but it was almost like everyone involved with our team knew it would be the last time we were together.”
A quartet of graduated seniors move on from the program including Carson Sturdefant, Nathan Baker, Larry Benson and Brandon Young.
Sturdefant, an all-state selection in 2019, will continue his baseball career at North Arkansas College this season.
While replacing talented players is never an easy task, Seymour does have some experience on its returning roster.
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The Tigers will be led by a trio of seniors in pitcher/catcher Nathaniel Hosiner, pitcher/infielder Brock Pierce and outfielder Scott Helms.
Hosiner, a 2019 all-state selection, is expected to anchor Duey’s pitching staff this season.
“Nathaniel was a second team all-state player for us his sophomore year,” Duey said. “We will lean on him quite a bit this spring. Brock had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2019, and he continues to get stronger as he gets further away from the surgery. Brock and Nathaniel give us a pretty good 1-2 punch on the mound.”
Like most area teams, Seymour will turn to a host of inexperienced newcomers to step in and fill holes in the varsity roster including Infielder/catcher Payton Bryant (JR), infielder/pitcher Bryson Benson (JR), outfielder Canaan Park (JR), infielder Luke Rasmussen (FR) and infielder Brayden Baker (FR) are all expected to play key roles this season.
Brycen Owens (JR), Caleb Cook (JR), Derek Akers (SO), Cohen Koop (SO), Matthew Benson (SO) and JJ Valbuena (SO) will also compete for varsity playing time.
Despite a lack of varsity experience, Seymour won’t head into the season completely unprepared, according to Duey. With no football program, the Tigers are able to play baseball in the fall season.
“The fall season is always a blessing but this year more than ever,” Duey said. “We knew we would be very young and inexperienced going into this year. We were able to play 14 games in the fall. Those games really helped us gain some valuable varsity experience for a team that had very little of that before the fall.”
For Seymour to make another district title run this season, much will depend on the school’s pending classification. The Tigers could either end up as a large Class 2 school or one of the smallest in Class 3.
Wherever the team ends up, its primary focus will remain unchanged, according to Duey.
“More than any other team I’ve coached, this team needs to focus on getting better each day instead of comparing ourselves to other teams,” Duey said. “Regardless of where we are placed, our focus will be on getting this young team better and more comfortable as the season plays out. We will be focused not so much on the outcomes of our games, but on how we compete at the end of the season.”
Seymour travels to Strafford on March 15 for a jamboree with Strafford and Skyline.
On March 20, the Tigers open the regular season against Fordland in the Pleasant Hope Tournament.
