The good news for Joplin baseball is the 2021 squad will be filled out primarily with upperclassmen. The downside is very few of them have varsity experience.
The Eagles boast a roster with seven seniors and seven juniors for the upcoming campaign. The problem is only a handful of them have seen playing time at the varsity level with last season being lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while everyone felt for the seniors missing out on their final season, the three classes below them were impacted in several ways as well.
“There are just a lot of unknowns,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “As guys progress through a program, they pick up on situations and it just becomes natural. These guys lost a year of that. I said at the time, as much as I felt for the seniors losing their last season, I also recognize the guys below them lost a year, too. They lost a year of experience and development and you can only catch up on so much in that amount of time.”
Two seasons ago, Joplin closed its second year under Wolf with a 15-11 record, finishing with an above .500 record for the first time in five seasons. The Eagles were returning five starters from that team, which meant there were several spots up for grabs for new players to step into larger roles prior to the cancelation.
Of course the players have put in their own work in the extended offseason, but it’s the little nuances of baseball that players learn with live-game repetitions that Coach Wolf believes will be the biggest learning curve early in the season.
“I think the catching, throwing and hitting part of it, they’ve done a lot of,” Wolf said. “It’s the situational things like making sure we are recognizing the flow of the game. With two outs, maybe I can deepen up a little bit. In baserunning, making sure we are checking the outfielders’ positioning. Just getting into the rhythm and the flow of the game are the things that come with that experience that gives you confidence and recognition of those types of situations.
“That is what you will see a little bit with some of these guys. They don’t have that in-game experience and feel for the rhythm of the game.”
Wolf was quick to mention, however, that nearly everyone in the area is going through the same situation. So, with this season setting up for a lot of teams to be learning on the fly, it is going to be even more important to make sure they are getting the proper coaching needed to develop the right way as the season progresses.
“I have to remember that some of those guys who are juniors were freshmen the last time that we really got into the meat of a season,” Wolf said. “I have to do a better job, quite honestly, to make sure I am helping them with those little things and not just assume that we are going to understand that. I have to make sure to take a look across the field to see if we have a deep enough infield with two outs, or whatever the case may be. I think that is something I am taking from this a little bit. I need to teach them a little better in practice and help them more in games with some of those things.”
The early results have been promising. Though the inexperience has shown in certain areas through the first several weeks of practice, Coach Wolf was more than pleased with the response and attitude he got from his players. The Eagles are ready to get the 2021 season underway.
“I’ll be honest, and I have said this a number of times, I felt like we had as good a two weeks of practice as we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Wolf said. “That doesn’t mean we weren’t making mistakes, it just means I felt like the kids have enjoyed being around one another, they’ve taken to coaching really well and they’ve worked hard on the little things. That’s exciting.
“The process of getting to where you want to be has to happen,” Wolf said. “I felt like we’ve had a really good process up to this point. Now, we kind of have an idea after (the jamboree) of where our bar is, what things we need to work on and where we need to improve. It’s all about getting better game by game as the season goes on and be playing our best by the end of it.”
STRENGTHS IN FUNDAMENTALS
The main focus for Joplin, particularly in the early portions of the season, is making sure they are playing the game the right way and not developing any bad habits. Going through the trials and tribulations of inexperienced players growing on the field subsides much quicker if the effort is maxed out.
“We just have to go out and do a good job of earning the ultimate compliment—your team plays hard,” Wolf said. “We are going to make mistakes, but we have to fight for each other and pick each other up as a family. There is going to be adversity as the year goes on, and there are going to be wins and triumph. We just have to stay even and keep getting better.”
Coach Wolf believes the Eagles’ defense will be one of the team’s strengths this season. Once the offense finds its identity and is comfortable with it, the consistency from at-bat to at-bat will be the biggest key.
“I think the biggest thing right now after watching (the jamboree) is we just need to have some confidence in ourselves,” Wolf said. “We just need to believe we can play this game confidently at a high level.”
FILLING OUT THE LINEUP
Senior IF Fielding Campbell and junior IF Bodee Carlson project to start the season near the top of the order as table setters.
“If they can get on base, they are instinctive baserunners who will put pressure on the defense,” Wolf said.
Senior OF Kohl Cooper, senior OF Kirk Chandler and senior 1B Alex Curry figure to fill out the meat of the batting order. Senior C David Fiscus, IF Carson Wampler, sophomore UTL Byler Reither and junior OF Kyler Stokes will be names to look for near to fill out the card.
“Those are guys who can handle the bat well and do some things at the back end of the lineup,” Wolf said. “They have the ability to hit the ball in the gap, or they can lay down a bunt, can run and can do some other things, too. There is a lot of flexibility in the lineup … and I think as the season progresses, we will be tough to pitch to.”
RELIABLE ARMS
Joplin will be relying on Chandler, junior Ethan Guilford, Campbell and senior Josh Harryman to provide most of the innings on the bump in 2021.
“We have to be able to throw them out there with them having the confidence they can keep us in the game to compete,” Wolf said.
Junior Joe Jasper, Reither and sophomore Justin McReynolds are slotted as possible relief options for Joplin this season as well, with the opportunity to grow into expanded roles given the needed progression.
SEASON OPENER
Joplin opens the season at home on Saturday with two games. The Eagles host Parkview at noon before taking on Hollister with a 4 p.m. matchup.
