By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2025 proved to be a successful campaign for Clever baseball.
The 17-4 Blue Jays captured the program’s first district championship since 2019 before falling to Fair Grove in the Class 3 quarterfinals.
“I think that we met expectations, especially with the injuries that we faced,” Clever head coach and Class 3 District 11 Coach of the Year Brandon Cobb said. “We lost our No. 1 even before the season started, and at one point we had only 15 healthy players. I think the group did a great job of staying together and competing and we got hot at the right time. I was very proud of our team and very happy for our seniors.”
Cobb is optimistic heading into the 2026 campaign, as Owen Graaf, Talen Smith, Dyllan Martin, Brecken Vestal, Skyler Broaddus, Austin Garrison and Evan Verch all return to lead the Blue Jays.
Graaf, a senior all-conference and all-district infielder, hit .271 last season with 16 runs batted in, 2 home runs and 12 stolen bases.
“Owen will be a three-year starter for us,” Cobb said. “He has played the last two years at third base, and we will look to transition him to shortstop this upcoming season. He is a big strong kid that we look to hit in the middle of the order. We also look for him to throw more innings this upcoming season as well.”
Smith, a senior catcher, hit .194 as a junior with 12 runs batted in.
“Talen will also be a three-year starter for us,” Cobb said. “He has played catcher and will maybe play some first base this spring, as well. He is a great kid that works hard and can command a pitching staff really well. We expect him to catch again this spring and hit in the middle of the order as well. He is committed to Willam Penn.”
Martin, a senior pitcher, compiled a 1-1 record last season with one save, 11 strikeouts and a 3.91 earned run average.
“Dyllan was mainly a bullpen arm for us last year and did a great job,” Cobb said. “This summer he took over as a starter and was probably our best arm. He does a great job mixing pitches from the left side and keeping hitters off balance. We look for him to be a starter on the mound and compete for a starting spot at first base this spring.”
Vestal, a sophomore all-conference and all-district pitcher, recorded a 3-2 record as a freshman with 34 strikeouts and a 1.37 earned run average.
“Brecken pitched a bunch for us last year and was our No. 3 as a freshman,” Cobb said. “We had a bunch of injuries to our rotation, so he got an opportunity and took full advantage. He started our quarterfinal game on the mound and pitched 5 innings and gave up 1 earned run. He took over second base for our playoff run and did a great job on defense and with the bat. I look for him to be our No. 1 on the mound this year and play middle infield when he isn’t on the mound.”
Broaddus, a junior outfielder, hit .194 with 5 runs batted in last season.
“Skyler started about half the games in right field for us last season,” Cobb said. “He did a great job on defense and improved with his bat as the season went on. His bat made a big jump this summer and we look for that to continue. He also carved out a bullpen role on the mound this summer and we look for him to have that role this spring as well as play in the outfield for us.”
Garrison, a junior utility player, recorded 3 runs batted in and 2 stolen bases in limited action last season.
“Austin can play all over the diamond,” Cobb said. “He got some outfield time last season as well as some pinch hits. He had a good summer and then really hit a growth spurt this fall. He has swung it well this winter and we look for him to compete for an outfield spot and some time at second base as well. He is a very good situational hitter.”
Verch, a junior pitcher, finished 2025 with an 0-2 record, 8 strikeouts and a 3.60 earned run average.
“Evan was coming back from an arm injury last spring, so I feel like he didn’t hit his stride until the summer, but he still threw valuable innings for us last spring,” Cobb said. “He is also a tremendous defensive infielder at all of the spots. He pitched a lot for us last year and played a lot of defensive innings. He has worked hard on his hitting in the off-season and we look for him to take a big leap with that this spring as well. We look for him to be one of our top starters on the mound and compete for time all over the infield.”
Cobb also expects a quartet of newcomers to step in and make an impact on the roster in senior Logan Vaught-Green, junior Reagan Huson, sophomore Braeden Casey and sophomore Bryant Ward.
Cobb on Vaught-Green: “Logan is a transfer in from Crane where he played a lot of varsity baseball. I have been really impressed with him throughout workouts in the fall and winter. I expect him to hit in the top of the lineup and take over center field for us. I also think he will give us valuable innings on the mound as well. He is a good athlete that will help us do a lot of good things with the top of the order.”
Cobb on Huson: “Reagan is a transfer from Nixa. He played JV last year for Nixa but plays a high level of baseball in the summer. We expect the transition to varsity baseball to not be a problem for him. He has impressed with workouts this fall and winter as well. We expect him to hit in the middle of the lineup and play infield when he isn’t pitching.”
Cobb on Casey: “Braeden was, unfortunately, one of the people that got bit by our injury bug last year. He was off to an amazing start to the season and ended up suffering a season ending injury in a JV tournament on the first weekend. There is a good chance he would have found himself in the lineup as a freshman. During the summer, he came back and was one of our best hitters. I expect him to make the transition smoothly and I look forward to seeing him compete for time in the outfield this spring. We will also look for him to throw innings on the mound for us this spring. He is a hard worker and is very coachable.”
Cobb on Ward: “Bryant Ward may have the best pure stuff on the team. He has a live arm and got a taste of a couple innings on the mound last year against Carthage. He has worked hard on locating and has had a great winter so far. He also swings it well and is a big, tall kid that can drive baseballs into the gap. This year, we look for him to throw a lot of innings on the mound and compete for time at first base.”
Entering his fourth season at the Clever helm, Cobb has high expectations for his squad.
“I am excited about this upcoming season,” Cobb said. “We have a young team, but a team that plays together and understands the expectations. I expect us to make some young and inexperienced mistakes early in the season, but we get better each and every day. I think we have a team that can be in every single game that we play. I am excited to watch this team grow this upcoming season. They are a great group of kids to be around.”
On the mound, Clever will look to Vestal to anchor a developing staff with Martin, Verch, Ward, Vaught, Huson and Graaf all expected to throw innings this season.
“We lost a lot of innings from last year and the past few years,” Cobb said. “I think we have a lot of guys that can pitch and pitch well. We will be young and inexperienced there, but I think if we can work ahead of hitters and keep them off balance and play good defense, then I think we have the depth on the mound that can win us a lot of games.”
At the plate, Cobb believes there potential for the Blue Jays to develop into a good offensive team.
“Last year, we did not swing it well as a team,” Cobb said. “As a staff, we know we have to improve offensively. We have worked on that, and I really think we will be deeper up and down the line up this year. We return a good number of players and have some newcomers that can really fill out our lineup. I think we will have a good combination of speed and guys that can drive the ball and get on base.”
If Clever is to continue building on last season’s success, Cobb believes defense must once again set the standard.
“One thing I know this year we will have to do to have success is play great defense – that will have to be an area of strength for us,” Cobb said. “Last season, we had to pitch well and play lower scoring games to have success. I think we have a balanced team this season where one game our pitching may carry us and one game where our offense will have to carry us. I think we will see how that plays out as the season progresses.”
Following a March 13 home jamboree, Clever opens its season March 20 at St. James.
