By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’ll be a season of change in Fair Grove this spring, as the baseball team welcomes a new head coach and must find a way to replace six players who led them to their first district title since 2013.
Former Kickapoo assistant William Reed replaces longtime Eagles coach Christian Overstreet, who was promoted to high school principal, and inherits a program that went 25-3 one year ago.
“Although following the most successful season in school history can seem a bit daunting, I am truly excited that the expectations are at such a high level,” Reed said. “I firmly believe we have the athletes and program in place to compete for district championships year in and year out. It is our job as a coaching staff to put our players in those successful positions.”
This year, several of those players happen to be new.
“The unique challenge for this year will be managing high expectations with a large group of players that will be earning varsity innings for the first time,” Reed said. “Last year’s group of seniors accounted for about 50 percent of our offensive production, so it will be a work in progress as we learn how to replace those successful 2022 leaders.”
But the Eagles are eager to put in that work, and they have an all-state senior who is a logical candidate to step into a leadership role – Garin Geitz.
Geitz is the only returning Eagle who threw more than one varsity inning last season, but he was downright dominant on the mound — going 8-1 with a 1.34 earned-run average.
Reed said having an experienced pitcher anchoring the rotation is “the biggest strength” for this year’s team, which will be searching for new faces to replace the graduated class of 2022.
“Although we have a lot of inexperienced varsity pitchers, we do have a high number of players that have the ability to help us off the mound,” Reed said. “I am excited to see who separates themselves from others and becomes more deserving of critical innings.”
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Potential pitching candidates include sophomores Nolen Geitz, Brock Boatwright, Atticus Brandes, Carson Krider, Gabe Muncy, Ava transfer Spensar Seiger and Glendale transfer Kyle Winterberg.
They’ll be throwing to an all-district and all-conference catcher, Landon Taylor. He hit .306 and drove in 21 runs during his junior season, numbers that are poised to increase this spring.
“Landon takes great pride in being the best catcher he can be and has worked extremely hard this offseason to prepare for a successful senior season,” Reed said. “At the plate, Landon will be counted on to be a key RBI guy in the middle of our order.”
Garin Geitz (.317, team-leading 29 RBI) is also one of Fair Grove’s top returning hitters. He plays third base when he’s not on the mound.
Reed said he looks forward to seeing which players will follow Garin Geitz in the rotation and which players will lock down key positions in the bullpen, infield and outfield.
Potential candidates for the job at second include Brandes, Seiger, Boatwright and junior newcomer Carson Conrad. Conrad, Krider, Muncy, Nolen Geitz, senior Landon Sekulic and junior Jackson Martin can all play the outfield.
First baseman Brock Bruner’s gives the Eagles eight sophomores who could crack the varsity lineup.
“Although we have several players that will be earning varsity playing time for the first time, we have a lot of versatility with guys that can play multiple positions,” Reed said.
While the Opening Day lineup is far from set in stone, Reed’s overall philosophy will remain the same — no matter which Eagles ultimately secure the starting jobs.
“We want to be an aggressive team that applies pressure on our opponent both offensively and defensively,” Reed said. “We will place a high emphasis on toughness and competitiveness both mentally and physically. I am a firm believer in the effectiveness of small ball and will look to find creative ways to be successful scoring and preventing runs.”
Fair Grove, Glendale, Hillcrest and Parkview will all participate in a March 10 jamboree at Parkview.
Fair Grove will open the regular season at the Ozark Classic, which is scheduled for March 17 and 18 in Harrison, Arkansas. Reed began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with Harrison during the team’s 2014 state quarterfinal run.
The Eagles will then compete in the Clever Right off the Bat Tournament, which begins on March 20, and travel to New Covenant Academy on March 27.
Fair Grove’s first home game is set for March 28 against Conway, while an April 4 visit from Skyline will serve as the team’s Mid-Lakes Conference opener.
The Eagles will also play one game at Hammons Field, a March 31 showdown with Bolivar.
“I hope our team is known as a group that fully competes regardless of score, inning or opponent,” Reed said. “We must have toughness in every facet of the game in order to reach the goals we have for this season.”
