By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The 2025 campaign proved to be quite special for Logan-Rogersville baseball and longtime head coach Casey Ledl.
The 31-8 Wildcats notched a Class 4 runner-up finish, falling to Chillicothe in the state championship. The finish marked a school record for wins and Rogersville’s fourth final four trip during Ledl’s 12 seasons at the helm.
“We had a great season and had many accolades for individual players in the process,” Ledl said. “These young men were part of 84 wins in three years. We were able to win the district and go to the Final Four in a year in which most people didn’t have high expectations for us because of our youth. Being as young as we were starting four to five freshmen and sophomores, the future looks extremely bright, and we are excited to get started.”
Expectations are once again high for the Wildcats, as a pair of all-state honorees return to lead a deep and talented lineup in Teagan Trent and Nate Eakins.
Trent, a senior catcher, hit .341 last season with 20 RBI and 1 stolen base.
“Teagan was a rock for us last year behind the dish,” Ledl said. “He is one of the best defensive catchers in the state. We are excited to see what he can do as a senior.”
Eakins, a junior pitcher and infielder, compiled a 9-1 record on the mound with a 2.19 ERA. At the plate, he hit .269 with 18 RBI and 7 stolen bases.
“Nate was our No. 1 on the mound last year,” Ledl said. “He threw lights out in the playoffs and helped get us to a spot to compete for a championship.”
The all-state battery highlights Rogersville’s eight returning starters, including Cash Clark, Rohmann Menke, Easton Hampton, Jackson Purse, Cooper Wagner and Jack Sutherland.
Clark, a senior all-conference and all-district outfielder, hit .364 last season with 16 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
“A two-sport kid, Cash is an outstanding outfielder and leadoff type guy,” Ledl said. “He was our leading hitter for most of last year, and we look forward to seeing him excel again this year.”
Menke, a senior all-district infielder and pitcher, hit .247 as a junior with 1 home run 16 RBI and 5 stolen bases.
“Rohmann is a do it all Swiss army knife,” Ledl said. “We ask him to pitch and play both corner infield spots.”
Hampton, a senior all-district pitcher and designated hitter, posted a 3-1 record on the mound with a 3.50 ERA and hit .253 with 1 home run, 17 RBI and 6 stolen bases.
“A two-sport kid, Easton evolved into our fulltime DH role as the year progressed,” Ledl said. “He suffered a torn ACL in soccer in the fall. He’s rehabbing and hoping to be able to come back and give it a go this spring.”
Purse, a junior all-conference and all-district outfielder and pitcher, hit .295 last season with 24 RBI and 8 stolen bases. On the mound, he compiled a 3-0-6 record with a 1.95 ERA.
“Jackson is one the best relievers in the area with six saves, but he really started to put it together at the plate as the season went on,” Ledl said. “He was one of our most productive hitters in the post season.”
Wagner, a sophomore all-conference and all-district Infielder and pitcher, hit .299 last season with 17 RBI and 10 stolen bases. On the mound, he recorded a 0-1-1 record with a .636 ERA.
“Cooper came in as a freshman and just flat hit,” Ledl said. “Last year, he played in the outfield as well as pitching some strong innings on the mound. Both of those workloads will increase, but we should see a huge jump on the mound this season.”
Sutherland, a sophomore all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .269 as a freshman with 17 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
“A two-sport kid, Jack also came in as a freshman and hit his way into our lineup,” Ledl said. “He plays an outstanding shortstop and really had a solid year for a freshman hitting at the top of our lineup.”
Senior Jaxon Parent, junior Cole Evans, junior Dallas Boyer, junior Wyatt Moore, junior Wyatt Lewis, junior David Johnson, junior Fisher Dedmon, junior Kade Sturdefant, sophomore Zach Watts and sophomore Charlie Britton also return for the Wildcats.
Ledl on Parent: “Jaxon took over second base about midway through last year. He plays outstanding defense and is consistently improving at the plate.”
Ledl on Evans: “Cole quietly had a great sophomore year on the mound as a lefty. We are excited to see him continue that success this year.”
Ledl on Boyer: “A two-sport kid, Dallas got several innings last year behind the plate as a catcher. Looking to see him evolve ever more this season at the plate and behind the dish.”
Ledl on Moore: “We are looking to Wyatt to compete for an infield spot as well as use as a weapon on the base paths.”
Ledl on Lewis: “Wyatt logged a lot of JV innings on the mound last year. Looking for him to compete for a reliever spot this spring.”
Ledl on Johnson: “David can swing the bat. He will be looking to find opportunities in both the outfield and as a DH or pinch hitter.”
Ledl on Dedmon: “A two-sport kid, Fisher has played multiple positions in high school and will look to compete in several areas as well as a reliever on the mound.”
Ledl on Sturdefant: “Kade is a two-sport kid also playing basketball. Looking for him to compete for a reliever spot this spring.”
Ledl on Watts: “Zach is a two-sport kid as well. Playing basketball, he was late getting out in the spring. But managed to get some varsity innings on the mound as a left hander, and had a huge hit in the playoffs to send us to the final four. He will make a big jump this year on the mound and in the outfield.”
Ledl on Britton: “Charlie, also left-handed, gave us some great innings as a freshman. He logged several innings on the mound as well as some spot starts at first base or in a pinch-hitting role. He will make a big jump this year on the mound and at first base.”
Ledl also expects a host of sophomore newcomers to step up and compete for varsity innings this season in Peyton Felton, Brayden Millard, Claydon Phillips, Colin Muncy, Gunnar Cooper, Jordan Wells, Micah Sturdefant, Ryland Mayfield, Sean Youngblood and Stratton Bledsoe.
“We are very excited about this group of extremely talented kids and have extremely high expectations,” Ledl said. “With seven to eight full-time starters returning, we need to fill some new positions, but we have very high goals. Our kids know that every year the goal is to win the conference, win the district, and go compete in the playoffs to try to win a championship.”
On the mound, Rogersville will look to all-state selection Eakins to help anchor a solid pitching staff including a trio of all-conference honorees in Jackson Purse, Cooper Wagner and Jack Sutherland.
“Our pitching depth will be a strength for us with several returning kids who can fill innings and a few returning from injuries,” Ledl said. “We feel like we have eight solid starting and relief options who all have experience from last year.”
At the plate, Rogersville also has good reason for optimism with eight returning starters looking to improve on last season’s performance.
“All of (our returning starters) were younger players who have gained a ton of experience on a great run,” Ledl said. “I also believe this lineup can really provide some pop with a ton of experience gained from last year. Our kids have had a great offseason with weights and agility training, getting stronger and faster. Our new facility and athletic training program run by our strength and conditioning coordinator has shown great results in year one.”
Rogersville’s multisport success has also presented a bit of a puzzle for Ledl and his staff to solve.
“We have always had great basketball success at LR along with baseball,” Ledl said. “We have several basketball kids that started or played a good amount of time for us last year. So getting them incorporated after a long basketball season as quickly as possible is always a challenge. A great challenge (means both programs are doing well) but still always a challenge.”
Following a March 14 home jamboree, Rogersville opens it season March 19 at home against Licking.
