Carthage High School has tabbed Kevin Burgi as its new head baseball coach.
The appointment was announced on Friday.
Burgi previously coached at McDonald County, Joplin and Hollister and played collegiately at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.
Also of note, Burgi’s father, John, is a former Carthage baseball coach.
“I am very excited to take a job at a school district and within a community that I have felt a connection with my entire life,” Burgi said in a press release. “This position comes with great responsibility because of the rich tradition that has been established by so many great people in the program’s history. The success was built through hard work and dedication from many stakeholders in the community. The coaching staff will work to continue and build on this tradition. I would like to thank the Carthage administration and school board for giving me this amazing opportunity.”
During his time at McDonald County, Burgi was named the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year in 2021 and ’22. Burgi resigned after the ’22 season to move into an assistant principal position at MCHS.
Burgi was on the coaching staff at Joplin for five years, including a stint as the interim head coach in 2017 after Kirk Harryman retired.
Burgi, who was born in Carthage, graduated from Valley View High School in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After a standout prep career, Burgi played at Arkansas State, Garden City Community College and MSSU.
Burgi and his wife, Carrie, have three children—Olivia, Brooks and Brynlee.
Burgi replaces Luke Bordewick as Carthage’s head coach. Bordewick recently resigned after three seasons in charge of the program.
NEW BASEBALL STADIUM IN THE WORKS
The Carthage School District announced on Thursday that the K.D. & M.L. Steadley Trust, Bank of America, N.A, Trustee, pledged $2.5 million to construct a baseball stadium on the CHS campus.
According to a press release, no specific construction schedule or anticipated completion date have been finalized.
The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its all-state teams for 2023.
CLASS 5
Webb City had three players recognized as second team all-state in Class 5—senior pitcher Kaylor Darnell, senior infielder Cy Darnell and junior catcher Shaun Hunt.
Cy Darnell was recognized for the second straight year.
Webb City finished fourth in Class 5, the program’s best finish since 2010.
Other all-state picks in Class 5 from the Central Ozark Conference were Willard’s Klayton Kiser (second team INF), Cooper Wilken (second team DH/Utility) and Chris Massey (HM pitcher).
The Class 5 Player of the Year was Camdenton’s Kade Durnin.
CLASS 6
No Joplin area players were recognized as all-state in Class 6.
Recognized as all-state in Class 6 from the Central Ozark Conference were Nixa’s Rylan Michel (first team OF) and Ethan Taylor (second team pitcher) and Republic’s Gavyn Beckner (first team DH/Utility) and Wyatt Woods (second team catcher).
The Class 6 Player of the Year was Liberty North’s Tate McGuire.
CLASS 4
Nevada, Monett and Aurora had players selected in Class 4.
Nevada senior Case Sanderson was a first team all-state pick as a designated hitter/utility player.
Nevada senior Cade Beshore was an honorable mention pick at catcher.
Aurora senior Hayze Hoffman was a first team pick at infielder, while junior Heath Hoffman was an honorable mention selection as an outfielder.
Recognized as honorable mention all-state from Monett were senior pitcher Marcus Young, senior infielder Jason Garner and sophomore outfielder Aidan Clapper.
John Burroughs’ Bowen Brantingham was the Class 4 Player of the Year.
CLASS 3
Stockton had three players listed in Class 3.
Stockton sophomore Cale Johnson was a first-team selection at catcher, while sophomore Easton Hubbard was a second-team pick at DH/Utility and senior Wyatt Downs was an honorable mention selection as an outfielder.
Hermann’s Parker Anderson was named the Class 3 Player of the Year.
CLASS 2
Purdy senior Ezequiel Garcia was a first team pick at infielder in Class 2.
Pierce City senior Clayton Raley was a second team infielder, while Purdy senior Travis Hughes was a second team pick as an outfielder.
Purdy senior Bosten Goetz and Miller senior Brady Johnson were honorable mention picks at catcher, while Purdy senior Josh Brown was an honorable mention selection at DH/Utility.
The Class 2 Player of the Year was Ash Grove’s Parker Crow.
CLASS 1
Liberal had seven players selected as all-state in Class 1—senior outfielder Payton Morrow (first team), junior infielder Justin Payne (first team), senior outfielder Chase Ray (second team), sophomore infielder Kole Wiles (second team), senior DH Nate Smith (second team), junior catcher Kaleb Coleman (HM) and junior infielder Brodie Wilson (HM).
Lockwood had three players selected. Lockwood junior Hank Eggerman was a first team pick at infielder, while senior infielder Rader Boyd and senior outfielder Dylan Snider were honorable mention selections.
St. Elizabeth’s Jace Kesel was the Class 1 Player of the Year.
OZARK, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals will attempt to end the 2023 season with a win on Saturday.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals will look to capture the third-place plaque as opposed to a state championship trophy.
A strong pitching performance from Jack Nobe led St. Francis Borgia to a 4-0 victory over Webb City on Friday in a semifinal contest of the MSHSAA Class 5 state baseball tournament at Sky Bacon Stadium.
With the setback, Webb City (22-14) will take on Fort Zumwalt South (27-7-1) at 10 a.m. Saturday in the tourney’s third-place game.
Winners of 11 straight games, Borgia (25-5) will meet Festus (26-8) in the title game at 1 p.m.
Simply put, the Cardinals couldn’t get the bats going against Borgia’s Nobe, a junior right-hander who has verbally committed to Xavier.
Webb City managed just two hits against the hard-throwing Nobe, who improved to 7-1 on the mound.
“We knew coming in he was a really good pitcher,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said of Nobe. “He did a good job of mixing his fastball and his breaking ball. I thought we put the ball in play quite a bit…we didn’t have many strikeouts. But we couldn’t get anything to fall.”
For most of the semifinal contest, it was a pitcher’s duel between Nobe and Webb City senior right-hander Kaylor Darnell.
Nobe went the distance, surrendering just two hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out five. Nobe faced only three batters in five of the seven frames.
“He was hard to square up,” Doennig said. “He keeps hitters off-balance. We could never really hit too many balls hard. Sometimes that happens in baseball…it was just one of those days.”
Webb City infielder Cy Darnell throws to first base during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
Nobe also tossed seven shutout innings against Glendale in the quarterfinals, limiting the Falcons to two hits.
Kaylor Darnell (9-3) threw well in defeat. The Missouri Southern recruit went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits. He struck out five, walked two and hit three.
Darnell left in the sixth to a nice round of applause from the Webb City faithful with his team trailing 1-0.
“Kaylor kept us in the game,” Doennig said. “You could see he didn’t have his best stuff today, but he battled through it. He did a great job. You could tell he was pretty gassed. We’ve asked a lot of him. This was his fourth start in-a-row. That’s tough for a kid, but he did a good job for us.”
In the Final Four for the first time in 13 years, Webb City came up with a key defensive play in the bottom of the first inning.
Borgia’s Nobe tripled to right-center and later attempted to sprint home when a pitch in the turf scooted away from Cardinals catcher Shaun Hunt.
But Hunt was able to pick up the ball in front of the plate and tag out Nobe to keep the game scoreless.
Webb City’s first hit came in the third inning, as senior center fielder Gage Chapman singled to left with two outs. But Nobe was able to retire Sam Weller to end the threat.
Webb City designated hitter Christian Brock makes contact during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
A private school located in Washington, Borgia broke through in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Nobe drew a walk before Tanner McPherson singled to left to put runners on the corners.
Next, Reagan Kandlbinder smacked an RBI single through the left side to get the Knights on the board.
The score held up all the way until the sixth, as both pitchers kept the opposition at bay.
Darnell left after hitting a batter with one out in the sixth inning, with senior right-hander Walker Sweet taking over on the hill.
After an out, a Webb City error on a ground ball allowed Borgia to extend the inning with two outs.
Two straight walks, the second on a close 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, made it 2-0 in favor of the Knights.
McPherson followed with a two-run single up the middle for a four-run cushion.
Webb City pitcher Kaylor Darnell delivers to the plate during a Class 5 semifinal game against St. Francis Borgia on Friday. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
After a walk, junior Payton Marshall took over on the mound and recorded the final out.
Webb City senior shortstop Cy Darnell reached on an error to start the seventh.
After Hunt was retired, junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar reached on an infield single.
But Nobe was able to retire Christian Brock and Kenley Hood to end the game.
With that, Webb City will look to end the ’23 season on a high note on Saturday in the third-place game.
“It’s tough,” Doennig said. “It’s going to be tough for the kids to come back tomorrow after this one. But we told the kids to flush this one and come back tomorrow and be ready to play for third place. We’ll regroup and we’ll try to win one tomorrow.”
“We’ll treat tomorrow’s game like a state championship,” said Cy Darnell, who entered the game as the team’s leading hitter (.331 BA). “We’ll be ready to go. We’re going to leave it all out there tomorrow.”
MSHSAA CLASS 5 SEMIFINALS
(At Sky Bacon Stadium)
Friday’s scores
Festus 2, Fort Zumwalt South 0
St. Francis Borgia 4, Webb City 0
Saturday’s schedule
10 a.m. — Fort Zumwalt South vs. Webb City (3rd place)
Webb City pitcher Walker Sweet delivers to the plate during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
Webb City shortstop Cy Darnell throws to first base during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
For the first time since 2010, the Webb City Cardinals are in the Final Four of the MSHSAA state baseball tournament.
Webb City (22-13) meets St. Francis Borgia (24-5) at 1 p.m. on Friday in a Class 5 semifinal at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
The Webb City-Borgia winner will take on either Festus (25-8) or Fort Zumwalt South (27-6-1) at 1 on Saturday in the state title game.
The third-place game is slated for 10 a.m. on Saturday at what was previously US Ballpark.
In the quarterfinals, Webb City beat Kearney 3-2 and Borgia knocked off Glendale 2-0.
The quarterfinal opponents are the lone common opponents this season. Glendale nipped Webb City 5-4 and Borgia beat Kearney 8-5.
Webb City is 8-1 on neutral fields this season, while Borgia is 5-0.
The Cardinals score 5.5 runs per game and allow 3.1, while the Knights average 6.2 runs per game and give up 3.1. Washington-based Borgia is on a 10-game winning streak.
Webb City captured its seventh district title since 2011.
The Cardinals were the Class 4 runner-up in 2010. In recent history, Webb City was second in Class 3 in 2008 and the program won back-to-back state championships in ’05 and ’06, also in Class 3.
Before that, Webb City was second in ’97 and fourth in ’88.
The Knights won the Class 4 title in ’19.
PROBABLE LINEUP
Webb City’s probable lineup will feature junior second baseman Sam Weller in the leadoff spot, followed by senior shortstop Cy Darnell, junior catcher Shaun Hunt, junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar, junior designated hitter Christian Brock, senior first baseman Kenley Hood, senior pitcher Kaylor Darnell, senior left fielder William Hayes and senior center fielder Gage Chapman. Senior Eli Miller starts in right. Senior right-hander Walker Sweet is the closer.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals are Final Four bound for the first time in 13 years.
Drew Vonder Haar scored the go-ahead run in dramatic fashion and Walker Sweet maneuvered out of trouble on the mound in the sixth and seventh innings, propelling Webb City to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Kearney in a Class 5 quarterfinal on Saturday in front of a large crowd at Chuck Barnes Field.
Webb City coach Andrew Doennig noted it was rewarding to watch his team get over the hump and advance to the Final Four.
“It’s been 13 years since Webb City has been in the Final Four,” Doennig said. “We’ve played in this game six times since I’ve been at Webb City and we’d never won it. We told the kids this was their chance and their opportunity and they did it. It was just a great job by these kids, up and down the lineup. And the kids in the dugout did a great job, too.”
Webb City (22-13) will meet St. Francis Borgia (24-5) in a semifinal contest of the state tourney at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 2 at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
A senior right-hander, Sweet struck out the final three batters of the game after the Bulldogs put the tying run on base in the seventh inning.
“It’s a great feeling and this is a great team win,” Sweet said. “They were a tough team, but we kept battling. We stayed composed in tough situations and that’s what led us to victory today.”
Webb City senior Walker Sweet celebrates after recording the final out of the game, preserving a 3-2 win over Kearney on Saturday in a Class 5 quarterfinal at Barnes Field. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
GAME RECAP: ANOTHER NAIL-BITER
Kearney (24-10) entered the game ranked fifth in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Unranked Webb City defeated Kearney 8-5 on April 29.
Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell started on the mound against Kearney on Saturday in the Class 5 quarterfinal at Barnes Field. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The rematch was a nail-biter, as the final home date was a memorable one.
The contest was scoreless until the top of the fourth.
The visitors on the scoreboard, Webb City pushed across a single tally in the top of the fourth.
A junior third baseman, Vonder Haar doubled down the left field line to get things started.
Vonder Haar went to third on junior designated hitter Christian Brock’s ground out and then charged home on senior first baseman Kenley Hood’s RBI single to right.
Kearney answered with two runs in the bottom half against Webb City senior right-hander Kaylor Darnell.
Jackson Melberg walked, stole second, went to third on Manny Lithacum’s infield hit and then came home on Chase Porter’s sac fly. Next, Kale Conway lined an RBI single into left for a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth.
Senior left fielder William Hayes doubled to left, senior center fielder Gage Chapman was hit by a pitch and junior second baseman Sam Weller reached on an error to load the bases with no outs.
Senior shortstop Cy Darnell grounded into a double play, with Hayes scoring the tying run on the play.
The Cardinals went ahead for good in the sixth.
Vonder Haar singled, went to second on Landon Johnson’s sac bunt and then took third on Hood’s ground out.
With Kaylor Darnell at the plate, Vonder Haar ventured off third base, drawing a throw from Kearney catcher Helberg.
Vonder Haar sprinted towards the plate and beat the throw home, allowing the Cardinals to take a 3-2 lead in exciting fashion.
“We knew their catcher kind of struggled to throw the ball back to the pitcher, so as soon as it left his hand, I was going to go,” Vonder Haar said. “I didn’t quite see the ball leave his hand, so it was a little dramatic. It worked out nonetheless.”
“That was some great advanced scouting and a little bit of luck and just a really good play for us,” Doennig said. “Drew did what he was told to do. It worked out.”
Down one, the Bulldogs threatened in both the sixth and seventh innings.
A senior right-hander, Sweet took over on the mound in the sixth. He walked the first batter he faced, induced a ground out, but then hit a batter and walked another to load the bases with one out.
But the Missouri Southern recruit regrouped and struck out both Carson Shear and Casey Rooney to end the threat in the sixth.
“I had to get back to the basics and not let the moment get too big,” Sweet said. “I just went back to the basics and that allowed me to get those big strikeouts.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Sweet walked Cameron Webster, who stole second to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.
But Sweet came through in the clutch. With the season on the line, Sweet struck out three straight batters to end the game, setting off a celebration for the hosts.
“If Walker’s in the strike zone, he’s got a chance to get anybody out,” Doennig said. “When I went out to the mound, I told him all the pressure was on those guys…they’re the ones that have to score. I told him all I needed him to do was put the ball in the strike zone. He’s got great stuff. It was a great job by him.”
Webb City’s Drew Vonder Haar slid in safely on a play at the plate in the sixth inning, scoring the go-ahead run in an eventual 3-2 win over the Kearney Bulldogs. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Kaylor Darnell was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and limited the Bulldogs to two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four.
Sweet earned the save, striking out five in two frames.
The Cardinals had five hits, two by Vonder Haar. Weller, Hood and Hayes had one hit apiece.
The Webb City defense turned a pair of key double plays.
Kearney’s Linthacum took the loss after allowing one run in three innings in relief of Elijah Helberg, who gave up two runs on four hits in four frames.
“That’s a really good baseball team that we just beat,” Doennig said of Kearney. “That’s a good win for us over a good team. I told the kids that’s why we played a touch schedule this year. Those games prepared us for today’s game.”
FINAL FOUR BOUND
Webb City last advanced to the semifinals in 2010. The Cardinals finished second that year.
Borgia beat Glendale 2-0 in the quarterfinal round to earn a date with Webb City. The other semifinal features Festus (25-8) vs. Fort Zumwalt South (27-6-1).
The Cardinals, who captured a second straight district title and the program’s seventh district crown since 2011, are now guaranteed to have two more games this season.
They’ll end the season in a state title game or in the third-place game on Saturday, June 3.
“It’s awesome,” Vonder Haar said of advancing to the semifinals. “We haven’t been there in a long time. These guys…we’re all best friends, so it’s awesome to make it this far with them. It’s great for the seniors. They’re a great group of guys. We really wanted it for them. Now we’re ready for the next step.”
The Webb City Cardinals celebrate after beating the Kearney Bulldogs 3-2 in a Class 5 quarterfinal on Saturday. The win advances the Cardinals the Final Four in Ozark.
The Webb City Cardinals hosted the Kearney Bulldogs in a Class 5 quarterfinal contest on Saturday in front of a large crowd at Chuck Barnes Field. Webb City won the game 3-2 to advance to the semifinals on Friday in Ozark.
Webb City senior Walker Sweet delivers a pitch to the plate late in Saturday’s Class 5 quarterfinal contest against Kearney. Sweet earned the save, striking out the final three batters of the game. Photos by Jessica Greninger/SoMo Sports.
William Hayes slides safely into second base after a double against Kearney on Saturday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A first ever appearance in the Final Four of the state baseball tournament wasn’t meant to be for the Nevada Tigers.
A two-run home run by Logan Ripper in the seventh inning lifted Springfield Catholic to a 2-0 victory over Nevada in a Class 4 quarterfinal on Thursday at Catholic High School.
The champs of District 12 who beat Monett 13-2 in the sectional round of the state tourney, Nevada ends the season with a record of 19-10.
Springfield Catholic (20-7) will take on Excelsior Springs (28-12) at 7 on Wednesday, May 31 in a semifinal contest at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
Nevada was in the quarterfinal round of the state tourney for the first time since 1995.
Both starting pitchers, Nevada’s Case Sanderson and Catholic’s Coleman Morrison, kept the opposition at bay for most of the game.
The home team on the scoreboard, the Tigers had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the second, as Riddick Shook, Hunter Seaver and Kellan Ast all walked to load the bases with no outs.
But Morrison struck out both Kennedy D’Elia and Barrett Nadurata and then induced an inning-ending fly ball off the bat of Drake Ketterman to end the threat.
With the game still scoreless, Nevada threatened again in the bottom of the sixth.
Sanderson ripped a single to center field in what was Nevada’s first hit of the game. After Cade Beshore was retired, Caden Klumpp reached on an infield single to put two runners on with one out.
But Catholic’s Morrison struck out Shook and got Seaver to pop out to get out of trouble.
In the top of the seventh, Catholic sophomore second baseman Colin Soetaert walked before Ripper, a senior catcher, connected with a fastball for a two-run home run over the fence in left field.
Nevada’s Kellan Braden drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but he was stranded.
Despite the loss, Sanderson was stellar on the mound. A senior southpaw who is headed to play for Nebraska, Sanderson allowed two runs on five hits in 6 1/2 innings. Sanderson struck out 12 and walked three before reaching his pitch count (105) in the top of the seventh. Klumpp recorded the final two outs.
Morrison allowed just two hits, both in the sixth, and five walks and struck out 14 in the complete-game gem.
Ranked fifth in the Class 4 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, the Fightin’ Irish knocked off top-ranked Rogersville 2-1 in their district title game and then beat Eldon 5-1 in the sectional round to advance to the quarterfinals.
Catholic finished second in Class 3 last year before bumping up to Class 4 this season.
When Webb City High School first year head baseball coach Andrew Doennig moved into his new role last summer, he quickly realized one key staffing decision that would be particularly advantageous to this program.
Coach Doennig knew the best person to work with Webb City’s hurlers would be his own uncle, who just happened to be long-time former minor league pitching coach Steve Luebber.
Luebber certainly had all the credentials, as a former Major League Baseball pitcher over parts of five seasons from 1971–81, who then served as pitching coach for several organizations (Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals) during a lengthy career.
Most recently, Luebber had worked with the Quad Cities River Bandits, which is a High ‘A’ farm team of the Kansas City Royals.
“When I took the job, I knew it would be hard for me to continue working with our pitching staff and everything else,” Coach Doennig reasoned. “I knew there would be a chance that ‘Lueb’ might not go back to pro ball.
“I met with him and asked if he’d be interested in being the pitching coach at Webb City. He and I discussed it for a little while. When he said, yes, I fired myself as the pitching coach immediately.”
Luebber rationalized that, “I knew when I accepted the job that the caliber of play was different than what I had experienced in the past and there were some side issues working with high school pitchers.
“But since I had dealt with all age groups for 55 years, I was sure it would mainly be a positive experience for the kids.”
“I think he’s fit in well with the rest of the coaches and kids,” Doennig assured. “He’s been around a lot of high school-aged kids in the wintertime when he gives lessons, but it’s different seeing them every day. The kids enjoy being around him.”
Doennig affirms that, “Coach Luebber’s experience and knowledge have been immeasurable. High school teams aren’t typically fortunate enough to have someone with 50-plus years of professional baseball experience. So, everything he tells someone carries weight.”
As for how Luebber has been most beneficial, Doennig assesses that, “His biggest influence with our kids has been the small things. He came in and took notes on everyone and watched the guys a few times. Then he started making some small changes.
“Whether it was with their grip, their arm stroke, the way they held their hands, or their pick off move. His ability to see a pitcher’s consistency has been big for our kids. He would notice in just one pitch whether a pitcher did something different and call immediate attention to it. It’s been great.”
Steve Luebber, pictured at left during his time with the Quad City River Bandits, has spent the spring as Webb City High School’s pitching coach. Courtesy photos.
Family ties aside, Doennig couldn’t have asked this partnership with his uncle to sparkle any brighter on the baseball diamond and he raves that, “For him to come in and take care of all the pitchers without me having to concern myself with it has been a blessing.
“Whenever those guys are down in the bullpen, I don’t have to worry what they are doing, or if they are getting their work done. It allowed a seamless transition between me, and him as the pitching coach.”
Luebber has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with these young men and ascertained, “Coaching this age group keeps you in touch. You hear them talk, play, work, hear the music and help them have positive outcomes, avoid possible problems and hopefully aid them in moving on to higher baseball levels and life experiences in college or even further.”
There’s no doubt that Doennig couldn’t be more thrilled at how this has worked out and he says, “What I really appreciate is how he showed up and formed great relationships with our kids. It would have been easy for him to come in and tell everyone, ‘This is what I have done, and this is who I have coached.’ But he didn’t.
“He showed up and said, ‘I am here to make you better.’ The kids have latched onto him and what he has been saying. Every day you can see the guys improve and you can see it show up in games.”
QUARTERFINALS
After winning a district championship on Monday, Webb City (21-13) will host Kearney (24-9) in a Class 5 quarterfinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Chuck Barnes Field.
Saturday’s winner will advance to the semifinals on June 2 in Ozark.
STEVE LUEBBER FAST FACTS
Age: 73
Spouse: Lee Ann Luebber
High School Alma Mater & Year Graduated: Joplin High School/1967 Graduate
College Alma Mater & Year Graduated: Missouri Southern, 1967–72 (Majored in PE)
Hometown: Born in Clinton, Missouri & moved to Joplin, Missouri at 5 years old
Favorite Baseball Movie: Eight Men Out
Favorite Pitching Coach: Ray Berres, Pitching Coach for the Chicago White Sox for nearly two decades and former catcher who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/Braves and New York Giants
Favorite Baseball Manager: Cal Ermer, played and managed in the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins farm system for more than five different decades.
LIBERAL, Mo. — The Liberal Bulldogs, who averaged 10.2 runs scored their first 30 games this season, jumped out to an early 4-2 lead Wednesday against the defending state champion St. Elizabeth Hornets in a Class 1 state quarterfinal at Brown Percy Memorial Ball Park.
Liberal, officially the visiting team and batting first, scored two runs in the first and two in the second and drove St. Elizabeth senior pitcher Caleb Oligschlaeger’s pitch count up to 50 after two innings.
However, four Liberal pitchers combined to walk 10 St. Elizabeth batters and Oligschlaeger settled down and retired 10 straight Liberal batters to cap off a complete game performance, and the Hornets erased their two-run deficit with one run in the fifth and three in the sixth to earn a 6-4 win and their fifth straight appearance in the Class 1 Final Four.
“I’ve said all year that we don’t really have a true No. 1,” Liberal coach Travis Walton said. “Justin Payne would be called our No. 1, but after that, you never know what you’re going to get with each one. They’re all just as equally talented, and I know some guys struggled (Wednesday) but I hope they don’t shoulder that loss.
“I was so proud of Kole Wiles coming in, he’s a 15-year-old sophomore, I know he doesn’t look like a sophomore, he’s huge, but he struggled spotting up a lot this season. Today, he went out there and commanded against a state-caliber team and kept us right there in the ballgame and gave us a chance. Honestly, he probably could have got us out of that sixth inning, but a few plays didn’t go our way. I thought he pitched phenomenal, and I hope that he carries that confidence level over into next year because I think he’s going to be a stud.”
The Bulldogs scored all four of their runs with two outs — senior Payton Morrow opened the scoring with a solo home run to right and they scored their next three runs with the help of two St. Elizabeth errors, one fielding and one throwing.
Liberal collected eight hits through four innings against Oligschlaeger and the Hornets, but their defense improved and Oligschlaeger strengthened over the last three innings.
“I feel like all game we hit the ball,” Walton said. “We just barreled it up right to them and they made plays. That’s what I told the kids. I think it might have been the fourth inning, but we got out on three barrels. We barreled up three times and they just made the play. We told them to keep finding barrels and you’re going to score.
“That’s been our strength all year, barreling up the ball. We took the small ball game out of our lineup because we hit it so well. Before this game, I think we had a .379 batting average. We play a tough schedule. We don’t play a bunch of Class 1 schools. We play Class 2, Class 3, and a couple Class 4 schools. We hit it well, our on-base percentage is over .500, and they do a good job with their approaches and their at-bats.”
St. Elizabeth junior third baseman Isaac Green made a couple stellar defensive plays in the fourth, catching a Chase Ray line drive for one out and stopping a hard-hit Nathan Smith grounder and throwing him out from the knees to end the inning and preserve the 4-2 score.
Liberal starter Ray struggled to find the zone and walked all three batters he faced without throwing a strike.
Wiles came on for Ray and walked the first two batters he faced, but the sophomore southpaw settled in and found a groove with four scoreless innings of work.
St. Elizabeth cut the deficit to 4-3 after plating one in the fifth: Wiles walked Oligschlaeger and Green and surrendered a single to Jace Kesel to load the bases with Hornets. Gavin Williams scored Oligschlaeger with a single to left, but Wiles worked his way out with the bases loaded and retired the Hornets with two straight balls caught by shortstop Payne.
Levi Holtmeyer reached on an error and worked his way around for a tie score, beating a throw home on a fielder’s choice, and the Hornets scored for the third time on a walk with the bases loaded and Williams’ second RBI single closed out the scoring.
Wiles, Brodie Wilson, and Matt Boehne pitched for the Bulldogs in the sixth.
Liberal, who scored 28 runs in games against Osceola (March 28) and Midway (April 24) and scored 144 runs over a 10-game stretch in late April and early May, finished with a 19-12 overall record and the Bulldogs repeated as district champions and won their third district title in their last four seasons.
The Bulldogs were attempting to make their first Final Four since their 2011 team finished second place in Class 1.
“This was a fun group,” Walton said. “I knew early in the year that it was going to be fun, whenever we had a couple of our top seniors that were hurt, and we went into Butler (March 31) and lost a tough game. They’re a Class 3 school, we’re a Class 1 school, and we lost 7-6 on a walk-off.
“We expected to win, and I feel like that’s the way we stepped on the field every night. Their fight, their resilience, I mean it would be easy, St. Elizabeth’s played in the state championship four years in a row, and these kids knew that. It would have been easy to be intimidated, and we weren’t intimidated at all. I think we showed that early.”
Liberal seniors Boehne, Morrow, Ray, and Smith played their final HS game Wednesday.
“A lot of it is just leadership,” Walton said. “Last year, we had 10 kids go out for baseball. It would have been easy for them to get complacent, and they came out here and work hard every day. They do all the little things we always preach, and they believe in what we’re trying to do. When the top half believes and does all those little things that you expect from them, I feel like that filters down and I hope that carries on through our program.
“They’re good kids. They’re good baseball players. Two of them are going on to play college baseball and they’re going to do great things. The other two are great kids. Chase, Matt, Nate, and Payton, I just talked with them out there in the huddle. I had them in not only baseball but basketball, so we spent the last six months together. I’m going to miss those four. They’re a big reason why we got to where we are, and I hope our younger guys carry what they started on this foundation, and we make our program get to a consistent level.”
NEOSHO, Mo. — History repeated itself on Monday night at Roy B. Shaver Field.
For the second straight year, the Webb City Cardinals captured a district title inside the Neosho School District’s Marion Sports Complex.
A stellar pitching performance, flawless defense and timely hitting led second-seeded Webb City past top-seeded McDonald County 2-0 in the championship game of the Class 5 District 7 baseball tournament.
“Winning a district championship two years in-a-row was one of our goals at the beginning of the year,” Webb City coach Aaron Snow said. “The kids on both sides executed all game long. It was a great baseball game. I knew whoever scored first was probably going to win the game. I’m just really proud of the kids.”
Webb City defeated Carl Junction in last year’s district title game at the same location.
“It feels great to come out on top,” Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell said after the nail-biter. “I have a bunch of great players to play with. I can’t stress enough how much fun it’s been to play with all these guys over the years. Winning a district championship is a lot of fun. And winning a district championship back-to-back is really great.”
Webb City (21-13) will host Kearney (24-9) at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in a Class 5 quarterfinal at Chuck Barnes Field.
McDonald County was looking to win its first district title since 2001. The Mustangs end the season with a record of 20-9.
“You always want to win a district championship, that’s always the No. 1 goal when you start the season,” McDonald County coach Heath Alumbaugh said. “In the end, it’s all about the relationships you build with the kids. We have a great group of seven seniors. I’ve had them for six years myself. It’s a great group of kids.”
Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell delivers a pitch to the plate against McDonald County on Monday night in Neosho. Darnell allowed just two hits in 6 2/3 innings. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
GAME RECAP: A PITCHER’S DUEL
Drew Vonder Haar motions to his teammates after hitting a leadoff double in the sixth inning. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Simply put, the district title game was a well-played pitcher’s duel between Webb City’s Kaylor Darnell and Mac County’s Weston Gordon.
In the end, Webb City was the team that was able to manufacture a couple of runs.
Webb City had their first real scoring opportunity in the top of the fourth. Christian Brock walked and Kenley Hood singled to left before Kaylor Darnell’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with two outs.
But the runners were stranded in scoring position, as Gordon induced William Hayes into an inning-ending chopper back to the mound.
The Mustangs had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the fourth. Destyn Dowd reached on an infield single, took second on Cross Dowd’s sac bunt and went to third on a wild pitch.
Next, Isaac Behm flew out to shallow right field. On the play, Dowd tagged up and tried to score, but Webb City right fielder Eli Miller threw a perfect strike to catcher Shaun Hunt, who applied the tag at the plate for a key double play.
In the fifth, Webb City’s Sam Weller singled, went to second on a botched pickoff attempt and took third on Cy Darnell’s fly out. But Gordon was able to strike out Hunt to end the threat.
The Cardinals finally broke through in the sixth.
Junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar led off the inning with a double to deep center field. Vonder Haar advanced to third base on Brock’s fly out to right before Hood drew a walk to put runners on the corners with just one out.
Sam Weller lays down a bunt during the district title game.
Next, in a game-changing play, Kaylor Darnell laid down the squeeze bunt towards first base, Vonder Haar charged home and Darnell was safe at first for the clutch infield single.
“Going into that at-bat, I knew I was going to bunt down the first base line,” Darnell said. “I knew what I had to do and I was able to lay it down.”
“Kaylor is a great bunter, so I knew instantly to go with the safety squeeze,” Snow said. “He executed it perfectly.”
The Cardinals could do no further damage, as the Mustangs turned a nifty 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Darnell struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth before Webb City added a key insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Senior center fielder Gage Chapman walked and later scored on Hunt’s clutch RBI double to right field.
Kaylor Darnell retired the first two batters of the bottom of the seventh before allowing a single to Behm. With that, Coach Snow called on senior right-hander Walker Sweet to close out the win.
Sweet walked Tucker Walters to give the Mustangs two runners on base, but he struck out Gordon to end the game.
Weston Gordon threw well in defeat for the McDonald County Mustangs on Monday night in the district title game. Gordon was one of seven Mac County seniors this season.
NAMES & NUMBERS
A senior right-hander, Kaylor Darnell was the winning pitcher. In a masterful performance, Darnell allowed just two hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out eight.
“My fastball was working for me today and it’s easy to throw fastballs when your team plays great defense behind you,” Darnell said.
Sweet earned the save after recording the final out.
“Kaylor did a great job of filling it up,” Snow said. “He had all of his pitches working. And Walker came in and shut the door.”
The Cardinals did not commit an error.
“Our defense was huge,” Snow said. “In a game like this, you know both teams are going to put the ball in play. We had a couple of great turns up the middle. Eli’s throw from right field to get the runner out at home was a huge play. It was just a well-executed baseball game.”
A senior right-hander, Gordon took the loss, but threw well in defeat.
“Weston is our ace,” Alumbaugh said. “I think those are the first runs he’s allowed in like 42 innings. He pitched his butt off tonight. He’s been our guy all season. Arkansas State-Three Rivers is getting a fierce competitor.”
Gordon allowed two runs on six hits and four walks and struck out four in seven innings.
“Weston is a great pitcher and he had a great outing,” Snow said. “He was in the zone. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
The Cardinals had a little extra motivation, as the Mustangs beat the Cardinals 6-3 in the regular season meeting back in April.
“Our kids were pretty hungry after losing to them 6-3 (earlier in the season),” Snow noted.
“Last time, he struggled to throw strikes,” Alumbaugh said of Darnell’s early-season outing. “But we knew he’d be much better tonight. We knew he was their No. 1. He came out, threw strikes and they made routine plays behind him.”
Alumbaugh noted it was a fun game to be a part of, regardless of the final outcome.
“Great pitching and great defense…that’s what you want in a district championship game,” he said. “That’s what makes it fun.”
As far as Saturday’s opponent, Webb City defeated Kearney 8-5 earlier this season. The rematch will determine who advances to the semifinals.
As far as Snow, he was thrust into a head coaching role for the district title game, as Andrew Doennig was absent after being ejected from the district semifinal.
“Coach Doennig had a great game plan coming in and he’s involved all of us assistant coaches all year, so that really played a huge role in my confidence today,” Snow said.
Webb City senior Walker Sweet closed out the district title game by recording the final out. Webb City defeated McDonald County 2-0 in the district title game. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
VENUE CHANGE EQUALS LARGE CROWD
The district title game was originally scheduled to be played in Warrensburg.
The game’s location was changed to Neosho. And with that, fans of both schools were able to come out and cheer on their favorite team.
There were more than 500 fans in attendance at Roy B. Shaver Field, which created a great atmosphere for the district title game.
“Warrensburg has a great facility and they’re a great host, but not having to drive three hours one way was huge for us,” Alumbaugh said. “We were able to stay in our normal routine. And that type of crowd is what you want in a championship game.”
Snow had a similar view.
“It was a no-brainer to move the game here,” Snow said. “Having the big crowd here today was fantastic. Our crowd was awesome…their crowd was awesome. The atmosphere was great. I hope the atmosphere is even better at Chuck Barnes Field on Saturday.”
The Webb City Cardinals celebrate after recording the final out of a 2-0 win over the McDonald County Mustangs on Monday in Neosho. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The Webb City Cardinals pose with the district championship plaque on Monday after beating McDonald County 2-0 for the Class 5 District 7 title. Photo by Jason Peake.
Webb City catcher Shaun Hunt shows the ball to the umpire after tagging out Mac County’s Destyn Dowd at the plate in the fourth inning of the district championship game.
Sam Weller and the Cardinals turn a double play against McDonald County on Monday. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Shaun Hunt delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, leading second-seeded Webb City past third-seeded Belton 3-2 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 7 baseball tournament.
In the first semifinal, top-seeded McDonald County got past fourth-seeded Warrensburg 1-0.
With their respective wins, the Cardinals (20-13) and Mustangs (20-8) will meet in the district title game at 6 p.m. on Monday at Neosho’s Roy B. Shaver Field.
WEBB CITY 3, BELTON 2
The game was deadlocked when Webb City came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Sam Weller walked and went to second on Cy Darnell’s sacrifice bunt before Hunt smacked a game-ending RBI single into left field to give the Cardinals a thrilling walk-off win.
Webb City scored twice in the first inning. Weller walked and Cy Darnell singled to start the frame. Drew Vonder Haar drove in a run with a ground out to third before Christian Brock lined an RBI single into left.
The Pirates cut their deficit in half in the third, as Ethan Yinger doubled to left, went to third on a fielder’s choice and scored on a ground out to first.
Belton stranded the bases loaded in the fourth, as Webb City starting pitcher Kaylor Darnell maneuvered out of trouble by recording a pair of strikeouts.
The Pirates tied it up in the sixth on Bryan Choi’s RBI single into left. A hit by pitch and sac bunt started the inning.
Webb City pulled off a key double play to end the top of the seventh after the Pirates had the go-ahead run in scoring position.
The Cardinals stranded the go-ahead run at second in the bottom of the seventh, as Belton’s Jacob Ross struck out two straight batters to send the game into extra innings.
Belton had the bases loaded with one out in the eighth, but Walker Street recorded back-to-back strikeouts to get out of trouble.
A senior right-hander, Sweet was the winning pitcher. He went 2 2/3 innings and did not allow an earned run while striking out five. He allowed four hits and two walks.
Kaylor Darnell went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on five hits and struck out four.
Kenley Hood had two of Webb City’s six hits.
Ross went the distance for Belton. He took the loss after allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine in 7 1/3 innings.
Belton ends the season at 17-14.
MCDONALD COUNTY 1, WARRENSBURG 0
Both starting pitchers, McDonald County’s Cross Dowd and Warrensburg’s Sam Slobaszewski, kept the opposition at bay for most of the game.
The Mustangs pushed across the game’s lone run in the bottom of the second without a hit, as Weston Gordon and Fischer Sanny walked before a pair of Warrensburg errors allowed Gordon to cross home.
The Tigers stranded the bases loaded in the fourth, as Dowd struck out Cole Kreisel to end the threat.
The hosts had the tying run at third base with two outs in the seventh before the Mustangs closed out the win.
Warrensburg out-hit Mac County 5-2. The Tigers (11-15) committed three errors, while the Mustangs did not have a miscue in the field.
Dowd delivered a stellar performance on the mound. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out nine.
Angel Ruiz recorded the final out to earn the save.
Dowd and Jack Parnell had Mac County’s lone hits.
Slobaszewski took the loss but allowed no earned runs in six innings. He gave up just two hits and three walks while striking out two.
NOTE: McDonald County defeated Webb City 6-3 on April 4 at Barnes Field.
The rematch, which will be held at Warrensburg High School, will determine who advances to the state quarterfinals.
CASSVILLE, Mo. — Marcus Young tossed an eight-inning no-hitter as top-seeded Monett defeated third-seeded Seneca 1-0 in the championship game of the Class 4 District 11 tournament on Thursday.
The Cubs scored the game’s lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk.
A Missouri Southern recruit, Young walked two, struck out five and did not allow a hit in a masterful performance.
Seneca’s Grant Houchin did not allow a run in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven. Lincoln Renfro took the loss after allowing a run in the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, Young was hit by a pitch, Aidan Clapper sacrificed, Evan Witt was intentionally walked and Joshua Wallace singled to load the bases. Miles Young drew a walk to end the game in walk-off fashion.
Seneca ends the season with a record of 18-13.
Monett (16-8) will host Nevada (19-9) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the sectional round of the state tournament.
PLEASANT HILL, Mo. — Led by a strong pitching performance from Case Sanderson, second-seeded Nevada knocked off top-seeded Pleasant Hill 8-0 in the championship game of the Class 4 District 12 baseball tournament on Wednesday night.
It’s Nevada’s first district title since 2018.
Nevada will meet either Monett or Seneca in the sectional round of the state tournament on Tuesday. The Cubs and Indians meet for the District 11 title on Thursday night.
Sanderson delivered a masterful performance on the mound. A Nebraska recruit, Sanderson struck out 12 and gave up just three hits and one walk in the complete-game shutout.
Helping his own cause, Sanderson went 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBI.
Nevada scored once in the first inning on Sanderson’s RBI single that allowed Drake Ketterman to score.
Nevada erupted for four runs in the fourth inning. Barrett Nadurata contributed a run-scoring single, Ketterman delivered a two-run single, and Sanderson followed with an RBI single for a 5-0 lead.
The Tigers added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Kellan Ast scored on a passed ball and Sanderson smacked a two-run triple to center, scoring Jett Snyder and Ketterman.
Ketterman and Hunter Seaver each had two hits for Nevada. Cade Beshore doubled, while Kennedy D’Elia, Snyder and Nadurata had one hit apiece.
Riddick Shook walked twice and scored a run. Ast drew three walks and scored once.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The higher seeds all prevailed in the quarterfinal round of the Class 5 District 7 baseball tournament on Tuesday at Warrensburg High School.
Top-seeded McDonald County rolled past eighth-seeded Ruskin 15-0, fourth-seeded Warrensburg topped fifth-seeded Carl Junction 4-2, second-seeded Webb City blasted seventh-seeded Grandview 13-0 and third-seeded Belton beat sixth-seeded Bolivar 6-1.
In Thursday’s semifinals, McDonald County (19-8) meets Warrensburg (11-14) at 4 p.m. and Webb City (19-13) takes on Belton (18-13) at approximately 6:15.
WEBB CITY 13, GRANDVIEW 0
Webb City junior Drew Vonder Haar tossed a five-inning perfect game, and the Cardinals’ offense put up runs in four straight innings to earn a dominant run-rule victory.
The Cardinals scored twice in the first inning, three times in the second, once in the third and seven times in the fourth. The game ended after the top of the fifth due to the run-rule.
Webb City scored twice in the first on two hits, an error and a ground out.
In the second, Sam Weller contributed a sac fly and Cy Darnell delivered a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.
One inning later, William Hayes smacked an RBI single to left.
The Cardinals extended their lead to 13-0 by scoring seven runs in the fourth.
In the big inning, Kaylor Darnell walked with the bases loaded, a run scored on Hayes’ fielder’s choice, Gage Chapman delivered a sac fly, Weller contributed a two-run triple, Cy Darnell hit an RBI double and Hunt followed with a run-scoring single.
Cy Darnell went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Weller and Hayes had two hits apiece.
Vonder Haar struck out six batters in five innings of work. He did not allow a hit or a walk. Vonder Haar needed just 46 pitches to get through five frames.
WARRENSBURG 4, CARL JUNCTION 2
Warrensburg’s two-run fourth inning proved to be the difference in this one.
Carl Junction scored a run in the second inning when Drew Massey drew a bases-loaded walk.
The Tigers scored once in both the second and third innings.
Massey’s RBI double to left in the top of the fourth made it 2-2.
But Warrensburg went ahead for good on Keaton Frey’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth.
The Bulldogs were limited to four hits, one apiece by Arlen Wakefield, Wyatt McAfee, Deacon Endicott and Massey.
Carl Junction’s Lucas Vanlanduit took the loss. He went five innings on the mound, allowing four runs, none earned, on six hits and two walks while striking out four.
Logan Eck tossed a scoreless inning in relief.
Warrensburg’s Gauge Claunch was the winning pitcher. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight.
Carl Junction ends the season with a record of 9-18.
Note: No other information on McDonald County’s game was available at the time of publication.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian Cougars dug themselves an 8-0 hole after three innings during their Class 2 District 12 quarterfinal game on Friday night against the third-seeded Miller Cardinals at Chuck Barnes Field.
College Heights’ bats came alive in the sixth and seventh innings with two runs in the sixth and the seventh erasing half of the Cougars’ deficit and resulting in a season-ending 8-4 loss.
“Yeah, it’s tough to dig yourself in such a big hole, especially against a very good baseball team,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “I’m very proud of the guys for not calling it a night. We fought and had a couple good innings there. The ball bounces a different way, maybe we’re making it a little more competitive, but the guys never quit and in a situation like that, that’s what you want to see.”
College Heights pitchers Ben Thomas, Jayce Walker and Josh Anderson combined to allow two hits against the Cardinals, but they also combined for 12 walks and two hit batters that allowed Miller scoring opportunities despite being outhit 10-2 on the night.
The Cardinals scored four in the first and their first hit did not produce a run, a single by starting pitcher Garrett Stewart.
Miller scored one in the second and three more in the third without a hit in either inning, as the Cardinals did not get their second hit until an infield single in the fifth.
“It was uncharacteristic with walks tonight,” Jordan said. “We’re typically in the zone pretty well … I don’t know … we didn’t throw strikes and that’s why we lost the game. Obviously, like you said, we outhit them … we had a few errors … but, at the same time, you can’t walk 12-13 guys and expect to win a baseball game.”
Thomas, Smoke Ezell and Caleb Evans sparked College Heights’ rally with consecutive singles to load the bases in the sixth.
College Heights’ first run scored on a double play turned by Miller and Phillip Thompson hit an RBI double for an 8-2 score.
In the last chance seventh, College Heights again loaded the bases to start with a Walker single, a walk by Anderson, and a Kelton Welch hit by pitch.
The Cougars managed two more runs to close out the scoring, before the game and their season ended on an Austin Miller groundout to Miller first baseman Owen Pritchett.
College Heights, who defeated Miller 6-4 back on April 10, ends the season 7-13 overall and Cougar seniors Thomas and Bo Sitton played their final games in a College Heights uniform.
“Bo is a team player,” Jordan said. “He’s a selfless player. He brings a lot of joy and excitement to the team. He works hard.
“Ben loves baseball more than any kid I’ve ever coached and he’s also very selfless and plays the game the right way. He’s a kid that I hope the younger guys on our team look up to and try to emulate as they continue their high school career. If they do that, we’ll see lots of good things.”
More than half of the Cougars’ starting lineup this season were sophomores.
“Experience is a great teacher,” Jordan said. “We’ve had some great experiences … learned some great lessons and maybe not great experiences. We’ve lost a lot of baseball games the last two years. Yeah, you hope as we get older, now that sophomores and juniors are juniors and seniors, that’s when you hope to see good things happen and some of those close losses turn into wins. Hopefully, next year, we’ll be able to put a good season together.”
Miller improved to 16-10 overall and the Cardinals advance to the semifinals on Monday against second-seeded and eighth-ranked in Class 2 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Marion C. Early (21-6).
Top-seeded and top-ranked Ash Grove (19-0) plays fifth-seeded Pierce City (9-12) in the other semifinal Monday. Pierce City defeated Jasper 6-3 in the first quarterfinal Friday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a final tune-up before the postseason arrives, Webb City earned a 4-3 win over Frontenac, Kansas, on Thursday night at Chuck Barnes Field.
Four early runs held up for the Cardinals after the Raiders rallied for three unanswered tallies late in the non-conference clash.
Frontenac entered the day with only two losses on their record, so for the Cardinals, it was a solid way to conclude the regular season.
“All wins are good wins,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said. “Frontenac’s a good team. That’s a good win for us. Both teams are preparing for their district tournaments, so it’s a good way to end the regular season.”
Webb City finishes the regular season with a record of 18-13.
Playing a tough schedule, Webb City has suffered five one-run losses this season, along with three two-run setbacks.
“We’ve played a really tough schedule, so I feel like 18 wins is good,” Doennig said. “We’ve had a lot of close losses. We could easily be 23-8 or something like that. But we played a tough schedule to prepare us for the postseason.”
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the first inning after junior second baseman Sam Weller doubled to left-center field and junior right fielder Drew Vonder Haar lined an RBI single into right-center.
Webb City added two runs in the second.
Senior left fielder William Hayes, senior center fielder Gage Chapman and Weller all singled to load the bases before senior shortstop Cy Darnell lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Later in the inning, a Frontenac error made it 3-0.
Chapman’s RBI single to left gave the hosts a four-run cushion in the third.
The Raiders got on the board in the fourth after two singles, a fielder’s choice and a Webb City error. A second run scored from third after a wild pitch.
The Cardinals stranded the bases loaded in the fourth before the Raiders scored once in the fifth to trim their deficit to one.
Frontenac had the tying run on base in the seventh before Webb City closer Walker Sweet retired the side.
“We got a few runs early, but we couldn’t get a timely hit here or there later in the game,” Doennig noted. “That’s baseball. One of these days we’re going to have the bases loaded and we’re going to get three hits in-a-row. It’s going to happen.”
Sophomore left-hander Luke Beverlin earned the win. He went four innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits. He struck out four.
Chapman allowed a run on two hits in two innings of relief.
“Beverlin continues to get better each time out, and Gage did a good job, too,” Doennig said. “I thought all of our pitchers did their jobs today.”
A senior, Sweet pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two. Doennig noted Sweet has been nearly automatic in save situations.
“If we can go to Walker in the seventh inning with a lead, we feel like we’re in a good place,” Doennig said.
Weller, Chapman and Vonder Haar had two hits apiece for the Cardinals.
Mario Menghini took the loss. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits in three innings. Bryant Kitchen pitched three scoreless innings in relief for the Raiders of the CNC League.
Logan Myers had two of Frontenac’s seven hits.
Frontenac fell to 17-3 ahead of their regional tournament.
DISTRICT TOURNEY AWAITS
Webb City is the No. 2 seed for the Class 5 District 7 tournament.
The Cardinals will take on seventh-seeded Grandview at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16 in a quarterfinal contest of the district tourney at Warrensburg High School.
If the Cardinals win their opener, they’d take on either No. 3 Belton or No. 6 Bolivar in the semifinals on May 18.
The district title game is slated for May 22.
“We feel good about our chances in the district tournament, but you never know what will happen in districts,” Doennig said. “Anything can happen in postseason baseball. There are a lot of unknown teams in our district. We don’t know them, but they don’t know us. We’ll go up there and see what happens.”
WILLARD, Mo. — With a share of the conference championship on the line, Willard defeated Webb City 3-2 on Thursday afternoon.
Willard and Republic finished as COC co-champs after going 8-1 in conference play.
Webb City and Nixa finished 7-2 in COC play.
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Willard improved to 22-8 overall after an 11th straight win.
Webb City fell to 16-10 overall.
As expected, the game was a good one.
The Tigers pushed across a single tally in the bottom of the third inning after Owen Bushnell doubled to left before Klayton Kiser delivered an RBI single into right.
Webb City junior Christian Brock launched a game-tying home run over the fence in left field in the top of the fifth inning.
The game wasn’t deadlocked for long.
The Tigers re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kiser homered to right-center to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage.
The Cardinals tied it up in the sixth when Kenley Hood was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The visitors were unable to do further damage in the frame, however, as they stranded the bases loaded. And that proved key.
Willard went back ahead in the bottom of the sixth on Cameron Jennings’ RBI single into right.
The Cardinals threatened in the seventh, as Gage Chapman reached on an error and Cy Darnell singled with two outs. But the Tigers retired the side to secure the win.
Webb City was limited to three hits, singles by Shaun Hunt and Cy Darnell and Brock’s homer.
Drew Vonder Haar started on the mound for the Cardinals. He went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits.
Gage Chapman and Walker Sweet pitched in relief. Chapman allowed a run on two hits in the sixth. Sweet recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
Willard left-hander Hayden Larson was the winning pitcher. He tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief. Larson allowed one hit and struck out two.
Willard southpaw Chris Massey started and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits while striking out nine.
Webb City has a pair of non-conference games in Arkansas on Saturday, as the Cardinals take on Springdale Har-Ber at noon and Fayetteville at 3 p.m.
WALKER, Mo. — The McAuley Catholic Warriors scored nine runs in the first inning and 10 more in the fifth on their way to a 22-4 run-rule win in five innings against the host Northeast Vernon County Knights on Wednesday.
The Warriors accumulated 14 hits, highlighted by nine doubles, and capitalized on 10 Northeast Vernon County errors.
McAuley Catholic pitchers Tripp Miller, Trey Martinez, and Kable Reichardt split mound time with each pitcher on a pitch count of 30 because the Warriors are slated to return to action, weather permitting, Thursday against Liberal.
“Our kids came out ready to play and hit,” McAuley Catholic coach Bryan Jones said. “That’s one thing we talk about is having a good approach. They gave us some extra opportunities and our kids took advantage of it.
“Being that we have so many games together right before districts, we had everybody on a pitch count. That’s why we had three guys. We possibly could have got the game over with quicker. We did barrel some balls that went right to people. Otherwise, we keep hitting in those other innings, but that’s the way it works.
“These guys, at this age, they get up a little bit and it is easy for them to think ‘Oh, we got this.’ We had to refocus them and say, ‘Let’s get our job done.’ Being that we are on pitch counts, we need to make sure that we do our job on offense as well as defense. They did a good job of staying focused.”
McAuley Catholic scored three runs in the second and the Warriors failed to score in the third and fourth innings as they only sent seven batters to the plate during a game in which they batted around in two innings.
Joe Staton led the Warriors’ 14-hit attack with three and Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, Noah Black, Michael Parrigon and Brek Sickman each had two, while Case Richards, Kendall Jones, and Chase Gardner each added one hit to the collective tally.
Staton, Black, and Parrigon each doubled twice and Bazzano-Joseph, Richards and Sickman each reached second base once on a hard-hit baseball.
The Warriors ran at will on the bases against Northeast Vernon County with 22 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
Staton, Bazzano-Joseph, Black, Richards and courtesy runner Dylan Taffner each scored three runs and Staton had four steals, Bazzano-Joseph had three, and Richards, Jones and Parrigon each had two.
Bradley Wagner reached base twice on a hit-by-pitch and a third time working a walk.
Miller earned the win and allowed two runs (both earned) on two hits over two innings with two strikeouts and one walk, Martinez allowed two runs (both unearned) on five hits over 2 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks and Reichardt pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
Both Martinez and Reichardt earned the distinction of their first pitch being good for a strikeout — as Martinez entered on a 3-2 count and Reichardt on a 0-2 count.
McAuley Catholic enters the game Thursday against Liberal with a 8-10 overall record, including three straight wins and wins in five of the last seven.
The Bulldogs of Liberal, meanwhile, have won 9 of their last 10 with their only loss coming against an unbeaten Frontenac (Kansas) team.
“They are a good team and hopefully we can get the game in due to weather,” Jones said. “It looks like we might have some weather coming in, but yeah, they’re in a different district than we’re in … typically, though, it’s a battle. Look forward to hopefully getting our game in.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Tuesday’s Central Ozark Conference game between the host Webb City Cardinals and the visiting Joplin Eagles demonstrated how every little thing adds up and makes a difference.
Webb City second baseman Sam Weller and courtesy runner Andrew Elwell ran wild on the bases with a combined eight stolen bases and Weller scored two of the Cardinals’ three runs, while Joplin struggled on the bases with one runner picked off at second base by Webb City starter Kaylor Darnell and another caught in a rundown between second and third and eventually tagged out at third for the second out in the last chance seventh during a 3-0 win for Webb City at Chuck Barnes Field.
“You’re able to take advantage of some stuff on the bases to put yourself in a better scoring position,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said. “I was pretty happy to see our guys moving around the bases and creating some pressure on them.”
“We made too many mistakes in critical situations, most notably on the basepaths and against a good team like they are, when you have your opportunities, you can’t run yourself out of innings with mistakes on the bases,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “The frustrating part is that it’s stuff that we coach on a daily basis, and I’ve just got to be a better coach to get them to understand the importance of those things and why they matter in big situations in a game. I’m not doing a good enough job of getting them to understand that those things matter and that we have to do those little things correctly.”
Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell delivers a pitch to the plate against Joplin on Tuesday at Barnes Field. Photo by Israel Perez.
Webb City is now 16-9 overall and 7-1 in conference, while Joplin is 6-16 overall and 1-6 in conference.
Darnell and Walker Sweet combined on a four-hit shutout, besting Joplin pitchers Byler Reither and Kutler Schwarting who allowed five hits over their six innings.
“Kaylor did a great job battling through 6 1/3,” Doennig said. “He always does a great job staying in the game, so that’s what you ask for in a starter, to give you a chance and he gave up four hits, had one walk and nine strikeouts and that’s a pretty good stat line.”
Darnell finished at 86 pitches, nearly 75 percent of them for strikes, and his sharpness included nine strikeouts and one walk.
Sweet came on in relief and picked up the last two outs.
Offensively, Shaun Hunt and Gage Chapman each led Webb City with two hits and Weller had the Cardinals’ first hit of the game with a single to right.
Weller stole second, stole third, and then scored the game’s first run on a throwing error trying to get him out at third.
Cy Darnell worked one of his two walks on the day and worked his way around the bases to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after one.
The Cardinals scored their last run in the third in a similar fashion as their first: Weller led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a steal of home.
Webb City honored seniors Cy Darnell, William Hayes, Kenley Hood, Sweet, Eli Miller, Kaylor Darnell, Landon Johnson, Chapman, Tyler Marbut, and Evan Freeman between the varsity and the JV game Tuesday.
Joplin starter Reither took the loss and he allowed three runs (all earned) on four hits over five innings with two strikeouts and five walks.
Schwarting pitched a strong sixth inning and he worked through one Webb City hit with two strikeouts during his 12-pitch outing.
Joplin’s Byler Reither fields a ground ball during Tuesday’s game against Webb City.
Caden Shoemaker led Joplin with two hits, including a perfect bunt single in the third, and Brady Mails and Cole Lawrence each had one.
“I thought we had a good offensive approach,” Wolf said. “We didn’t chase a lot and found a way. We had baserunners throughout the course of the game with opportunities to try and score. Maybe one inning where it was a pretty quiet inning.
“Byler didn’t have his best stuff by any means today, but I thought he competed, settled in, and to get him into the fifth inning for us was huge. It was a credit to him for competing and keeping us in a situation where if we don’t have some baserunning miscues, a base hit puts us right in the midst of the game to have an opportunity to win it.
“It’s just disappointing because those are little things that really take no talent, they just take focus to understand that we have to do it better.”
The Cardinals have one conference game remaining and it’s a big one Thursday with a share of the COC at stake between a pair of 7-1 teams in conference play in Willard.
“I told the kids after our game in Nixa (8-7 loss on April 20) that if we want a chance to play for the conference championship, you’ve got to win the rest of ’em,” Doennig said. “They’ve done a great job since then, won some close ones, and gave us a chance to play for one, so we’ll go to Willard on Thursday. They’re a good team, so we’ll be ready to play.”
The Cardinals take a five-game winning streak into a critical game, while the Tigers, 21-8 overall, are on a 10-game winning streak with a 7-6 win Tuesday over Branson on a walk-off from Cooper Hampton setting themselves up for Thursday.
Willard also moved into the second spot in the latest Class 5 state rankings released Tuesday by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Meanwhile, Republic improved to 16-9 overall and 7-1 COC with a huge 7-2 win Tuesday over eighth-ranked in Class 6 Nixa, and the Tigers have their chance to clinch their share of the COC when they host Neosho (14-12, 2-6 COC) on Thursday.
Joplin returns to action Wednesday and Thursday on the road against conference foes Ozark and Branson.
Webb City first baseman Kenley Hood attempts to haul in a pick-off throw against Joplin’s Caden Shoemaker on Tuesday afternoon at Barnes Field. Photos by Israel Perez.Joplin’s Byler Reither delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City on Tuesday.
Joplin’s Landon Maples is pictured during Tuesday’s game against Webb City.
ANDERSON, Mo. — McDonald County improved to 15-7 on the season by earning a 9-0 non-conference victory over the Carthage Tigers on Monday.
McDonald County senior right-hander Weston Gordon earned the complete-game shutout victory. Gordon allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out six. Gordon retired 18 straight batters before giving up a hit in the seventh.
The Mustangs pushed across multiple runs in the first three innings before adding a single tally in the fourth.
Tucker Walters and Jack Parnell both delivered run-scoring singles in the bottom of the first inning to give the Mustangs an early 2-0 lead.
McDonald County added two runs in the second, as Cross Dowd hit an RBI single before a run scored on a Carthage error for a four-run cushion.
Destyn Dowd’s grand slam to left field gave the Mustangs an 8-0 lead in the third.
In the fourth, Parnell hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Isaac Behm, for a 9-0 lead.
Carthage’s lone hits were recorded by Blayne Lilienkamp and Taylor Stevens-Diggs.
Clay Kinder was charged with the loss. He surrendered eight runs on six hits and six walks and struck out three in three innings. Eider Lyckman allowed one run on two hits in three innings.
Carthage (3-23) hosts Neosho at 4:30 on Tuesday at Joe Becker Stadium.
McDonald County hosts Bentonville West on Thursday.
CARL JUNCTION 14, MOUNT VERNON 1 (5 INNINGS)
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Carl Junction rode a seven-run second inning to a run-rule win over the Mountaineers on Monday.
Up 7-1 after two innings, the Bulldogs added a single tally in the third, four runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to end the game early.
Carl Junction recorded 11 hits, with eight different players contributing at least one.
Bentley Rowden went 2-for-4 with three RBI, Deacon Endicott went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Cody Hollingsworth drove in two runs on two hits.
Drew Massey also had two RBI, while Wyatt McAfee, Lucas Vanlanduit, Aidan Streight, Endicott and Massey all scored two runs apiece.
Endicott and Massey both homered, while Rowden had two doubles.
Gaige Carson earned the pitching victory. He allowed one unearned run on two hits in four innings while striking out five.
Logan Eck pitched a scoreless inning.
Mount Vernon’s lone hits were recorded by Braden Dodson and Brayden Jameson.
Payton Jones took the loss after allowing seven earned runs on six hits and two walks.
Carl Junction (9-14) hosts Ozark on Tuesday.
Mount Vernon (10-9) is at Springfield Catholic on Tuesday.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC 13, BRONAUGH 2 (5 INNINGS)
McAuley Catholic scored crooked numbers in every innings on the way to a five-inning win over Bronaugh on Monday.
The Warriors (7-10) opened the game in a 2-0 deficit before scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning, five times in the second, three more runs in the third and twice in the fourth on the way to the win.
Rocco Bazzano-Joseph earned the win after allowing two unearned runs on three hits and eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Tucker Duncan took the loss after wallowing eight runs, seven earned, on four walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.
Joe Staton had a hit and scored three runs, while Noah Black had a hit, scored twice and drove in once. Bradley Wagner had a hit and two RBI. Bazzano-Joseph had a hit, drove in two and scored a run.
McAuley is at Northeast Vernon County on Wednesday.
EAST NEWTON 11, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 1
East Newton scored four times in the first inning and never looked back in a win over College Heights on Monday at Joe Becker Stadium.
The Patriots added two runs in the second frame, three in the fourth and two more insurance runs in the seventh.
Braiden Vanlue earned the win after pitching four scoreless innings on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts.
Jayce Walker took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts in three innings.
Josh Anderson had a hit and scored a run for College Heights (6-10).
Vanlue had three hits and scored a run for East Newton.
Burgi previously coached at McDonald County, Joplin and Hollister and played collegiately at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.
Luebber rationalized that, “I knew when I accepted the job that the caliber of play was different than what I had experienced in the past and there were some side issues working with high school pitchers. 
