By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Not many teams showed as much improvement as Neosho’s baseball squad did last spring.
After winning just four games in 2021, the Wildcats got off to a 9-3 start and finished with a 14-16 record – the program’s most wins since 2016. Six of those losses were by two runs or fewer or came in extra innings. A big junior class was a key to the success.
“We had a lot more pitchers, our arms started to come around,” said head coach Bo Helsel, who’s entering his second year at the helm after spending six years as a Wildcats assistant. “We had a lot of guys who threw better than even I was expecting preseason and that made a big difference. We have a lot of work to do with our bats. If we had averaged a couple more runs a game, we’re looking at five or six more wins. It was a great year, though. We did really well in our home tournament and won a district game for the first time in a long time.”
That big junior class, now a year older, will once again play a pivotal role. Helsel expects seven or eight seniors on the roster and said experience won’t be lacking.
The group of seniors includes Eli Zar, a second team Central Ozark Conference catcher last season, and Kael Smith, a second team COC pitcher.
Zar, also a state champion wrestler, provides a middle-of-the-order bat in addition to his defensive prowess. He was a .379 hitter as a junior with 24 RBI, seven doubles, three triples and a home run and was also named to the All-Class 5 District 7 team.
“He’s a great catcher,” Helsel said. “He calls all of our games and I trust him completely with where we go.”
Smith, also an all-district pick, returns after pitching to a 5-2 record and a 2.15 ERA.
The Wildcats have two other all-district players returning in senior Wyatt Shadwick and junior Quenton Hughes. Shadwick returns to the outfield and is one of the team’s most consistent bats; he batted in the three or four hole as a junior and was a .315 hitter with 14 RBI, five doubles, five triples and two home runs.
“His defense came a long way and he ended up playing center field for us,” Helsel said. “I don’t how the outfield is going to end up but he’ll be out there playing every day.”
Hughes, the lone sophomore to start last season, returns at third base. He batted .295 with 14 RBI, seven doubles and two triples.
“He’s the quarterback of our football team and a great character kid,” Helsel said. “I think eventually he can pick between baseball or football at the next level, he’s that good. He’ll hit in the heart of our lineup this year being a year older.”
Neosho’s other returners include senior Carter Baslee at first base. He was a .263 hitter who drove in nine runs and has signed to play football at Missouri Southern. Helsel said he could bat in the middle of the order and boasts a solid on-base percentage. At shortstop, senior River Brill returns and will bat leadoff after hitting for a .222 average and stealing 16 bases last year. He’s got a “really good” arm and he’s got great baseball knowledge, Helsel said.
In the outfield, senior Austin Rodriquez joins Shadwick as a returning starter. Rodriquez collected 15 hits – four for extra bases, including one homer – and drove in 14 runs.
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Senior Carter Fenske also returns after driving in 10 runs with a .233 average. He could see time at positions like first and third.
Helsel hopes to get some offensive improvement at second base this season and said a handful of players could be in the mix there.
“As baseball goes, whoever hits will play and so there’s a lot of open spots and a lot of seniors,” Helsel said. “We have a solid junior class and a really good sophomore class so I expect the guys to be pushed a lot more and if they’re not hitting, there’s someone behind them who will step up and hit.”
Juniors like Noah Lawson and Colton Southern could earn playing time on the infield or in the outfield. Southern was the JV shortstop last season. Hudson Williams is a sophomore who could compete for the second base spot. Several other varsity newcomers could find a role.
Smith will lead the pitching staff, with Rodriguez probably slotting in as the No. 2 starter. He posted a 4.02 ERA last season and allowed two runs in six innings against Webb City in the district tournament.
“He has a chance to be really dominant for us,” Helsel said.
Smith, meanwhile, will be a “dominant” arm for the rotation and could take over the third outfield spot, as well. Brill will serve as the team’s closer; he recorded one save as a junior.
“This is my eighth year coaching at Neosho and this is by far our deepest group we’ve ever had with arms,” Helsel said. “Quenton Hughes (2-2, 5.84 ERA) plays third, he’ll be a starter. Carter Fenske (3-3, 5.73) will start games. We’ve got three seniors and a junior who can all start and win conference games and then there’s a plethora of other kids who can pitch for us. River will close, Carter Baslee has pitched in the past, Wyatt Shadwick will come in in relief, and seven or eight sophomores are right there ready to go and whoever has success at the JV level has a chance to get some big innings for us this year.”
Neosho scored an average of 4.5 runs per game last spring, and allowed 5.4.
Last year the coaching staff emphasized throwing strikes and eliminating walks and saw some much-improved pitching as a result. An early emphasis this season will be the team’s offense, and getting leadoff runners on base.
“Playing in the COC, you have to hit velocity so we’ve been working on that in the offseason,” Helsel said. “Can we hit velocity and put the ball in play?”
Helsel is also eager to see the transition from a 14-win team to one that could compete for a conference title.
“It’s just can these guys come together?” he said. “Can they expect to go win every single game out there like I believe we can? That will be a big indicator for us on how well our season goes.”
The Wildcats have added Marshfield, Mt. Vernon and Hollister to the schedule and will host the second annual Roy B. Shaver Baseball Classic in March with Parkview, Reeds Spring and Strafford playing against Neosho. With eight teams in attendance this year, half the games will be played at Aurora and the other half at Neosho. Neosho will also play in the Commerce, Oklahoma Mickey Mantle Classic and the Paul Dudley Memorial Wood Bat Tournament in Lebanon in April
“We’re probably going to be a Class 6 school this year, that’s where we’ve been trending,” Helsel said. “We’re going to be looking at some big teams in districts.”
Neosho is hosting a jamboree March 11 with Branson, Seneca and McCauley Catholic. Each team will play three three-inning games. The Wildcats open the regular season March 18 at Carl Junction.
