By Chris Parker
Miller baseball went 9-13 last season featuring a young squad. Many of those losses came in the sixth or seventh innings.
This season, head coach Justin Snider returns nine starters and 11 total lettermen hoping experience gained last season helps the Cardinals finish games better.
“We lost 10 of our 13 games last year in the sixth or seventh inning of the game, mostly because our pitching staff was so young, we just couldn’t hold a lead,” Snider said. “Through the first 1.5 months of the season our ERA was around 5, the last 1.5 months it was 2.14. So, the growth was coming towards the end of the year for us. That carried over into the summer where they finished 14-1. We know that for us to have success this year we will need to continue to see that growth on the mound, but also in our ability to hit velocity. That is what our entire offseason focus is on hitting wise.”
Jarod Lung earned first-team, all-conference honors as a junior and will be a team leader this season entering his fourth year starting. He was 2-5 on the mound with a 3.04 ERA while hitting .265 with 10 stolen bases. He is a shortstop and right-handed pitcher.
“Jarod is a bulldog in all aspects of the game,” Snider said. “He is one of our most knowledgeable players and competes his tail off every day. He will continue to hit in the top of our order and be in the top end of our rotation.”
Hayden Schnake earned second-team all-conference honors as a freshman. Schnake was 2-4 on the mound with a 4.89 ERA to go with a .368 batting average and 11 RBI last season. He will play on the left side of the infield and pitch.
“Hayden has played a lot of baseball before high school, so he was prepared for the jump into high school ball. He was so versatile for us last year playing 3B, SS, RF and RHP. He also led our team in hitting as a freshman,” Snider said. “Hayden’s ceiling is so high. He works his tail off in the game and has seen great jump in his work on the mound. He threw so many big games for us as a freshman, I am very excited to see his growth in all aspects, but I know he has put the most work in on the mound. He will again hit in the top of the order and be in the top three in our rotation.”
Caden Calvin was second-team all-conference as a junior. Calvin hit .268 with 17 RBI last season. He will be in a utility role this season.
“Caden was forced into being our everyday catcher last year due to a season ending injury to who we thought would be our catcher, Sam Ferguson. Caden really adapted and worked hard has helping our team out, knowing he had to accept that role,” Snider said. “He will move back into the true utility role this year with the return of Sam behind the plate. Caden is likely to play 4-5 different positions, even in a week.”
Centerfielder Gavin Hendricks is a returning two-time all-conference player. He hit .338 with 16 RBI and seven stolen bases last season.
“Gavin is gifted with deceptive speed in the outfield and is a “country strong” kid at the plate,” Snider said. “We are looking for a little more consistency from him at the plate and for him to increase his run production/power numbers a bit. He is extremely athletic and knowledgeable.”
Joining Lung and Schnake in the rotation will be sophomore left-hander Jase Wilkinson and junior left-hander Paul Nunez.
Wilkinson is a transfer who is ranked as the No. 2 left-handed pitching prospect in the state for the Class of 2027 by Perfect Game. He has a fastball that sits in the 83-87 MPH range and brings a plus slider and curveball.
Nunez was a spot starter the past two seasons and may see time out of the bullpen this season as well as starting.
Eli Woods (junior), Hayden Brown (sophomore), Calvin and Brodie Rinker (senior) are also in the mix for innings on the mound.
“Our entire pitching staff mentioned above has all made drastic improvements, whether it be with their pitch location, velocity or maturity,” Snider said. “We know that we will rely heavily on our pitching depth and defense, but our hope is our ability to hit high velocity improves from our winter workouts.”
Ferguson returns behind the plate at catcher after missing last season with an injury.
Colten Brown (first base), Hayden Brown (second base), Calvin (second base), Lung (shortstop) and Schanke (third base) is a likely lineup around the infield.
Nunez (left field), Calvin (left field), Hendricks (centerfield), Nate Hill (right field) and Wilkison (right field) will make up the outfield.
“We were a young varsity level team last year overall and it showed,” Snider said. “We will need to improve at the plate and be consistent with that improvement. We must be able to score runs in a multitude of ways for us to be successful because our conference and district will be so tough.”
Miller opens the season on Mar. 21 at Exeter.
“The expectations are extremely high this year with nine starters back, our entire pitching staff and the addition of Jase to our rotation,” Snider said. “We believe this could be a very special year and as usual want to try and make a run at a final four.”
