Entering Andrew Doennig’s first year in charge of the Webb City baseball program, the Cardinals have the expectations set high as always.
Webb City will feature five returning starters, a potentially stellar pitching staff and plenty of varsity veterans in the lineup for Doennig, who was a longtime assistant before being elevated to head coach after Flave Darnell’s resignation last spring.
“Our team is ready for the season to get started,” said Doennig, a former Missouri Southern Lion. “We are ready to start playing some games and see where we are as a team. We’ve put a lot of work in this offseason in the weight room and the cage, so we’re excited to see where we stack up against other teams.”
Webb City’s returning starters are senior shortstop Cy Darnell, senior infielder/pitcher Kaylor Darnell, senior outfielder William Hayes, senior infielder Kenley Hood and senior pitcher Walker Sweet.
Cy Darnell was a first-team all-conference selection and a second-team all-state pick last spring, while Kaylor Darnell earned second-team all-COC honors as a pitcher as a junior.
Cy Darnell, Kaylor Darnell and Sweet have all signed to play for Missouri Southern.
Hood, a first baseman, has signed with Highland Community College.
Other athletes expected to play key roles this season are seniors Gage Chapman (OF/P), Eli Miller (OF), Landon Johnson (IF), Tyler Marbut (P) and McQuade Eilenstein (OF/DH) and juniors Drew Vonder Haar (IF/P), Shaun Hunt (C), Sam Weller (UT), Brett Korth (P) and Payton Marshall (UT).
Kaylor Darnell, Sweet, Vonder Haar, Marbut and sophomores Landon Fletcher and Luke Beverlin are possible starting pitchers. Potential relief pitchers are Korth, Marshall, Chapman and junior Hunter Shull.
“Our biggest strength is our pitching staff,” Doennig said. “We have a deep pool of guys who can throw and we believe that those guys can go out and give us quality innings and keep us in games. We have some guys who have thrown a few innings, but there are some younger guys that we’re really excited about. Winning baseball games starts on the mound and so we will lean on those guys to keep us in games and continue to improve throughout the year.”
While starting positions are still up for grabs, Webb City’s potential lineup could see Hunt behind the plate, with Hood at first base, Johnson at second, Cy Darnell at shortstop and Kaylor Darnell at third. Possible starting outfielders include Hayes, Chapman, Miller and Weller. Eilenstein is a likely designated hitter.
Doennig noted a key to success will be clutch hitting.
“We will need to improve on our timely hitting,” Doennig said. “We need to get hits when we have runners in scoring position. Coach (Aaron) Snow has done a great job with them this offseason and I think as the season continues, we’ll be able to find guys who can produce at the plate.”
The Cardinals captured a district championship last season before falling to eventual state champion Platte County in the Class 5 quarterfinals to finish with a 19-16 record.
Webb City will once again face a tough schedule this spring. In addition to navigating the always-tough Central Ozark Conference slate, Webb City’s non-conference slate features games with the likes of Rogersville, Glendale, Rock Bridge, Franics Howell, Kickapoo, Battle, Kearney, Springdale Har-Ber, Fayetteville and a pair of Illinois schools.
That schedule should have the Cardinals battle-tested by the time the postseason arrives. And of course, the Cardinals hope to make a deep postseason run.
“We expect to be able to compete in any game that we play,” Doennig said. “We have a very tough schedule ahead of us, and of course the COC schedule is always tough. I believe that we have some guys who will continue to get better as the season progresses. I think that we’ll be a tough team to face at the end of the year.”
Webb City will open the 2023 season at 3 p.m. on Friday at home against Bishop McGuinness Catholic from Oklahoma City.
Webb City’s schedule: 2023 Baseball – Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
