By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
A new face will patrol the Clever dugout this season.
Head coach Brandon Cobb steps into a Blue Jay program that finished the 2022 campaign with a 13-13 record, falling to Catholic in the district championship.
“I would say they met expectations with the young team that they had,” Cobb said. “I think a lot of young guys got playing experience and they really improved as the season went on.”
A pair of all-state honorees return to lead Clever this season in Hayden Camp and Landon Flood.
Camp, a senior outfielder, hit .429 with 16 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases last season.
“Hayden is our top hitter on our team,” Cobb said. “He brings the quiet-type leadership, where he just works hard and leads by example. He will start in the outfield and hit in the middle of the order, and he will help us on the mound this year as well.”
Flood, a sophomore utility player, hit .468 with 22 runs batted in and 24 stolen bases last season. On the mound, he compiled a 3.15 earned run average with 10 strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
“Landon had a great freshman year as he was our other all-state player last year,” Cobb said. “He is a great athlete that is really starting to blossom in the weight room as well. He will play everywhere for us. No matter where he plays defensively, he will hit in the middle of the order for us. He will get innings on the mound for us as well.”
The all-state duo will be joined by fellow returnees Trevor Deulen, Carter Wenger, Brayden Verch, Lane Mendenhall and Owen Hall.
Duelen, a senior catcher and infielder, finished an all-conference season with a .395 batting average and 18 runs batted in.
“Trevor was the main catcher last year and will be our main catcher this year as well,” Cobb said. “He is more of our vocal leader and was last year, so he will transition to that role pretty easily. He does a great job of giving our pitchers confidence behind the plate.”
Wenger, a senior all-conference infielder and pitcher, hit .278 with 13 runs batted in and 9 stolen bases last season. On the mound, he notched a 3.96 earned run average with 18 strikeouts.
Carter was the quarterback for our football team this fall, and I see him being that type of player for us in baseball as well,” Cobb said. “He had a great summer for us and I see him hitting at the top of the line up this spring.”
Verch, a junior all-conference outfielder and pitcher, hit .259 with 11 runs batted in and 7 stolen bases in 2022.
“Brayden had a great summer for us this past summer,” Cobb said. “He was our best arm over the summer and really developed well. He threw in a lot of tough games last spring and I think it helped him develop quite well. He will be one of our top arms this season.”
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Mendenhall, a junior all-conference pitcher and infielder, finished 2022 with a 5-3 record, a 2.41 earned run average and 93 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .232 with 1 home run and 9 stolen bases.
“Lane will be one of our top arms this season as well,” Cobb said. “He has thrown a lot of quality innings in his freshman and sophomore years. He will also be our third baseman and hit in the middle of our order.”
Hall, a sophomore all-conference infielder and pitcher, hit .206 with 10 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases last season. On the mound, he finished with a 2-0 record, a 2.62 earned run average and 25 strikeouts.
“Owen played shortstop as a freshman and had a really good year,” Cobb said. “He has a great glove and good arm. He has improved with his bat this year and gotten a lot stronger. We look for him to hit at the top of the order and get on base in front of our middle of the order guys.”
In addition to its strong returning core, Clever will benefit from a host of varsity newcomers, including Lucas Owen, Carson Rennison, Curtis Ruble, Austin Scott, Brennan West and Peyton Guccione.
While relatively young, there is plenty of talent on the Blue Jay roster.
“One of the biggest challenges is the youth that we have,” Cobb said. “We have a lot of experience returning, but a lot of those guys are still young. Early in the year we will make some young mistakes that will hopefully go away with the more experience we get throughout the year.”
In addition, Cobb believes his roster full of multi-position players could provide a significant advantage for Clever this season.
“I think the biggest strengths that we have is our versatility and our depth,” Cobb said. “I think that is critical to have when you lose someone throughout the season to injury. Replacing those players is tough, but it is easier to do when you have some guys that can play multiple spots.”
On the mound, Clever will utilize a committee approach early in the season as its staff develops and settles into more clearly defined roles.
“I like the depth of our pitching staff,” Cobb said. “I think we have a lot of guys that can throw quality innings in big games for us. I am not sure we have that dominant arm that we can just go out there and win us this game, but I think we have the potential to throw strikes and let our defense work behind them. I think we will have a battle between a few guys to take over the ‘Ace’ role on the staff. It will be good competition.”
For the Blue Jays to compete and challenge for a postseason run, Cobb believes his defense will need to play a critical role.
“I think defense is the biggest x-factor for us,” Cobb said. “I believe we have a lot of guys that can quality strikes on the mound, we just have to limit the mistakes behind them. If we can make the routine plays, we will give ourselves a chance in each game.”
Clever opens its season at home on March 17 against Blue Eye.
