By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Fortunately for the Panthers, seven starters return from last season, along with a pair of all-state selections in Tristan Hunter and Broxton Gross.
Hunter, a senior pitcher and University of Kentucky signee, posted a 7-2 record on the mound with a 1.27 ERA. At the plate, he hit .363 with 2 home runs, 27 RBI and 7 stolen bases.
“Tristan has an elite arm and will lead our pitching staff,” Richardson said. “Tristan also possesses great speed and can hit for power. We look for him to drive in a lot of runs for us this season.”
Gross, junior catcher and pitcher, hit .430 last season with 29 RBI and 7 stolen bases. On the mound, he compiled a 4-2 record and 1.38 ERA.
“Braxton is an extreme competitor,” Richardson said. “He will help take on a larger catching role. We will also look for him to get more innings on the mound. Braxton will also look to do a lot of damage in the middle of our order.”
Seniors and fellow starters Nick Guy and Mason Campbell also return to help lead the Panthers.
Guy, an outfielder, hit .192 with 1 home run, 11 RBI and 7 stolen bases as a junior.
“Nick is a speedy outfielder with a strong arm,” Richardson said. “We look for him to help step into a leadership role as a senior. We look for his bat to be more consistent.”
Campbell, an all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .400 with 12 RBI and 22 stolen bases last season.
“Mason is very athletic,” Richardson said. “He shows great speed on the base paths. We look for him to be on base and score a lot of runs for us.”
A trio of juniors also return to the starting lineup in Tyler Strahan, Jerrett Walls and Ayden Cleveringa.
Strahan, an all-conference infielder and outfielder, hit .273 last season with 23 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
“Tyler emerged as a very solid defender last season,” Richardson said. “He can play multiple positions and gives us good at-bats. We look for his offense numbers to continue to improve this season.”
Walls, an infielder, hit .194 in 2023 with 1 home run and 5 RBI.
“Jerrett was a solid first baseman last season,” Richardson said. “He is becoming a great leader for us. We look for his offense numbers to jump this season and show some power.”
Cleveringa, an all-conference infielder, hit .262 with 9 RBI and 1 stolen base last season.
“Ayden played second for us last year,” Richardson said. “He has gotten stronger and we look for his bat to be more consistent this season.”
A trio of seniors round out Forsyth’s returning core in Dylan Jennings, Phoenix Maloney and Easton Day.
Richardson also expects a host of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time, including Ben Boyer, Bryce Nolen, Tyler Carter, Drake Blackstock, Zeb Sanders, Maverick Blevins, Thomas Strahan, Parker Mardis and Cemerin Stauffer.
“We are looking forward to another successful season,” Richardson said. “We only graduated two players and are returning a lot of varsity experience, with some talented underclassmen as well. Practices should be more competitive than ever before. We will have a lot of kids fighting for varsity playing time, which should only make us better.”
With plenty of talent and experience returning, Richardson’s expectations are high heading into the spring campaign.
“We will have to have a team first approach to reach our goals,” Richardson said “We hope to be playing our best baseball at the end of the year and competing for another district title.”
Following a March 8 home jamboree, Forsyth opens its season March 15 at Reeds Spring.
