By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In 2021, the Mountain Grove Panthers beat Buffalo in the first round of district play, then lost to Springfield Catholic in the semifinals to end their season 16-11. Now they return every starter and look to make a run into the postseason.
“My expectations are always high,” said head coach Mark Vaughan. “Every starter returning is huge, and all of our pitching is back. We should be able to compete for conference and district titles.”
Drew Vaughan is athletic, speedy on the bases, and has a good bat. The junior returns to hit in the two spot, and Coach Vaughan expects him to hit for even more power. Last season, he had 34 hits, 16 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases. The all-district, all-conference selection could also log innings on the mound, but will play up the middle defensively and will cover shortstop when Bryce Stenzel is on the mound.
Senior Jackson Raney, 6’1”, is the everyday first baseman when he’s not pitching. “He has a lot of power and can hit for an average,” said Coach Vaughan. “He will pitch a lot of innings on the mound.” The all-district, all-conference selection hit .325, had 26 hits, and 27 RBIs last season, with a 2.22 ERA.
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Brendon Rogers is a senior pitcher with a 1.88 ERA, a .374 average, 34 hits, 23 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. “He has a good bat with speed and power, and is an athletic kid who will pitch a lot of innings.” The all-district, all-conference player has started since his freshman year and will take a corner position when not on the mound.
Bryce Stenzel has also started since his freshman year, and the 6’2” senior earned all-district and all-conference mentions last season. “Bryce had a lot of tough luck losses last year that very easily could have been wins,” said Coach Vaughan. The lead-off hitter will pitch (2.08 ERA) and play shortstop. He had a .343 average with 34 hits, 13 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 2021.
Hunter Means (honorable mention all-conference) started in right field and pitched last season. He had a 2.87 ERA, .314 average, 22 hits, and 15 RBIs hitting in the middle of the order. The 6’3” junior is a left-handed pitcher with power and consistency at the plate.
Nick Archer brings power to the table and can hit for an average as well. “He had an off year at the plate, but I look for him to really bounce back and have a good senior year,” said Coach Vaughan. “He will log some big innings on the mound and will play an outfield position or corner infield.”
Senior outfielder Jace Dowden, 6’2”, “has a solid glove in the outfield and runs extremely well,” said Vaughan. “Jace’s bat has steadily improved the past year. I look for him to continue to improve with more at-bats.”
Sophomore Hoyt Matthews turned out to be the team’s everyday catcher at the start of last season. “He was an extremely good surprise last year behind the plate,” said Vaughan. “He got better every day. Hoyt has a solid bat that can hit for average and power and will hit in the middle of the order again this year. I also look for him to log varsity innings this year; he pitched some quality JV innings.” Matthews also had 18 hits and a .314 average last season.
Sophomore Gatlin Keeling usually started at DH and had a strong year at the plate. “He usually hit in the five spot and is a really tough out,” said Vaughan. “I look for him to continue to improve.” The middle infielder can also play an outfield position and smacked .265 with 22 hits and 17 RBIs.
Dominic Palagi, a 6’0” junior, could see varsity time in the outfield and pinch ran for the catcher last season.
Three sophomores lettered last year as freshmen: Carson Allen, Gabe Linton, and Kaden Richardson.
Allen (6’3”) had starts at DH and will continue to improve this year, pushing for a starting spot. Linton started in the outfield, has a good glove, and could also compete for a starting spot. Richardson is a backup catcher who had varsity at-bats. The hard worker is expected to have more varsity starts this year.
“We were extremely young this past year, and I believe we improved every game,” said Coach Vaughan. “We had numerous close games that we lost, which easily could have been wins. With us returning all of our kids from last year, I believe things could be very exciting this spring.”
The Panthers open their season March 18 at Van Buren.
