AREA TEAMS WAIT IN ON-DECK CIRCLE; SQUADS GO THROUGH FINAL PREPARATIONS AS 2001 SEASON BEGINS THIS WEEK

Last season was a banner one for area high school baseball teams and this year should feature more of the same.

A year ago, St. Vincent won the Class 1A state championship, Notre Dame finished third in Class 2A and Cape Girardeau Central reached the Class 4A quarterfinals.

St. Vincent and Cape Central return many of their key players and figure to be strong again. While Notre Dame was hit hard by graduation, the Bulldogs should still be solid and the same can be said for many other teams in what shapes up to be a strong season around the area.

The season begins this week for most local squads, with a couple of feature early games being Notre Dame at Jackson Monday and Chaffee at Cape Central Wednesday.

Cape Central Tigers

Cape Central returns five full-time starters and two of its top three pitchers from a 21-8 team that won a district title and prevailed in the sectional round, so coach Steve Williams is naturally excited.

"We lost some good players (including all-stater Mark Fisher, the Tigers' leading hitter, and ace pitcher Jay Pierce), but we've got a lot of experience with 12 seniors," said Williams, whose squad has been ranked 10th in the state's 4A preseason poll. "I'm very optimistic that we'll have a good season."

Senior first baseman/outfielder Justin Welker is the Tigers' top returning hitter as he batted .390 last year while being hit by pitches a state-record 15 times.

Other returning starters, all seniors, are shortstop T.J. Erlacker (.333), catcher Dusty Barrows (.333), outfielder Zac Fidler (.311, 39 runs scored) and third baseman John Snider. Three more seniors, Rob Carr, Ricky Ogles and Adam Stevens, also saw action a year ago.

Williams said he is also high on several other players, including seniors Jason Chavez, Travis Wissman and Ben Martin; juniors Kyle Duncan, Gabe Keys and Mark Wittenborn; sophomores Seth Hudson, Aaron Dohogne and John Thies; and freshman Mitch Craft.

On the mound, the Tigers return two of their top three hurlers in senior Jay Pierce (6-1, 3.04 earned-run average) and Welker (2-2). Snider and Carr also did some pitching last year while Chavez, a transfer student, has looked solid.

Notre Dame Bulldogs

Notre Dame graduated a host of standouts from last year's 23-5 team that qualified for its second staight final four, including leading hitters Josh Eftink and Wes Steele, who both earned all-state honors, and ace hurlers Mark Ostendorf and Brian Obermann.

But the cupboard is certainly not bare for coach Jeff Graviett's club, which he feels could surprise some people.

"We lost a lot of great players, but we still have a good senior-junior nucleus," said Graviett. "It's going to be a challenging year, because the talent level in our area is really up.

"A lot of people think with us losing a lot of talent, we'll be down, but I think we're going to be a surprise team."

The Bulldogs return three starters in senior shortstop John O'Rourke, senior outfielder Todd Friend and junior outfielder Timmy Wencewicz. O'Rourke, who played second base last year, batted better than .400 while Friend hit better than .350 and had three big home runs in the playoffs.

Graviett will also be counting on the likes of seniors Andrew DePeder, Lance Dohogne and Phillip Davidson; juniors Shane Kistner, Adam Ralls, Dustin Klipfel, Neil Essner and Matt Pobst; and sophomore Kyle Diveley.

On the mound, O'Rourke went 2-0 last year in spot duty while senior left-hander Scott Eftink was 1-1. Also being counted on are junior Scott Wittenborn and freshman Lee Essner.

St. Vincent Indians

St. Vincent coach Rick Wibbenmeyer has high hopes, and with good reason. The Indians return their two ace pitchers from a 16-13 team that was way below .500 at one point but finished with 10 straight wins and captured its first state title.

While the Indians did lose four starters including all-stater Gabe Hotop they return three all-staters in senior pitcher Derek Kutz, junior pitcher Tyler Wengert and senior catcher Ryan Brown. No wonder they have been ranked first in the 1A preseason poll.

"Last year didn't start out real well, but it ended great and I'd take it again," said Wibbenmeyer. "You always have to catch some breaks (to win state). The key is to play your best ball at the end of the year, which we did. That's our goal again."

Wengert was 8-3 with a ERA of a little more than 3.00 last year while the tough-luck Kutz went 4-7 with an ERA of barely more than 2.00.

Wengert, who hit nearly .300 last year, and Kutz both play shortstop when the other is pitching.

Joining Brown, who batted almost .300 a year ago, as returning regulars are senior outfielder Brandon Carroll and junior outfielder Adam Bockman. Carroll is the Indians' top returning hitter at better than .300 while Bockman was just short of that mark.

Jackson Indians

Jackson had a solid season last year, going 12-9, and coach Sam Sides returns several key players, which has him hopeful of another competitive campaign.

"We lost some good players, but I think we're better athletically," said Sides. "We lack experience and we have some question marks, but I think we'll be competitve."

The Indians return their top hitter from last year in senior first baseman Lance Limbaugh (.381). Other regulars back are junior outfielder Michael Birk (.350), senior outfielder Jason Brown (.315, team-leading two homers), senior outfielder Garrett Williams and senior third baseman Ricky Renfroe.

Among others Sides will be counting on are senior Joey Beard and juniors Brad Berry, Bryan Austin, Matt Gordon and Dusty Roberts.

In the pitching department, the left-handed Limbaugh went 3-4 a year ago. Other mound prospects are Brown, Austin and senior John Jackson.

Chaffee Red Devils

Chaffee could very well turn out to be the area's 2A team to beat this year as coach Brian Horrell's Red Devils return 10 players with starting experience from a 20-5 squad that lost to Notre Dame in the district finals.

The Red Devils did lose all-stater Tommy Stidham, a standout both on the mound and in the field, but they return all-state senior outfielder/pitcher G.P. Glueck along with senior shortstop/pitcher Matt Stroup, one of the area's premier hurlers.

"We're hopeful about the season," said Horrell, whose team is No. 9 in the 2A preseason rankings. "We've got a lot of experience back and we're fortunate to have eight seniors."

Glueck batted .357 last year with four homers and 22 RBIs while Stroup hit .324.

Stroup (4-3, 2.84 ERA) and Glueck (6-1, 2.47 ERA) will also be Chaffee's top two pitchers.

The Red Devils' top returning hitters are senior catcher Travis Hanback (.403, 24 RBIs) and senior second baseman Perry Rice (.365).

Other returning regulars are senior outfielders Shawn Powderly, Jeremy Lynn and Rocky Portell; sophomore first baseman Brent Thomason; and senior Rusty Duncan and sophomore Zac Horman, who split time at third base.

Scott City Rams

Scott City went only 9-12 last year, but things are looking up for coach Mike Umfleet's Rams as they will play on a new field this year, located behind the football field at the school. In past years, the Rams played home games at the Scott City Park.

"It's the first time we've had a field at the school since 1987," said Umfleet. "It's going to be real nice."

As for his team, Umfleet said, "We have a lot of experience and I think we'll be pretty decent up and down the lineup. The key will be pitching, but I'm optimstic."

The Rams return six regulars, including their top two hitters in senior first baseman Jacob Ressel and senior outfielder Ben Sample, who both hit around .400. Others back are senior outfielder Jamie Heisserer, junior outfielder Marcus Klund, junior shortstop Charlie Lindbergh and junior catcher Jordan Comer.

Scott City graduated its top two pitchers from last year, but Umfleet will be counting on the likes of junior Trenton Estes, senior Jared Schenimann, Ressel, sophomore Steven Posey and freshman Jason Umfleet.

Perryville Pirates

Perryville graduated quite a bit from last season's 14-13 team, but coach Dennis Glueck is hoping the Pirates can be competitve.

"We lost five starters, but hopefully our juniors from last year will step up," he said. "I'm not counting on a great season, but if our pitching comes around, I think we can be in a lot of ballgames."

Returning regulars for the Pirates are senior shortstop Colby Palisch, junior catcher Andrew Meyr and senior outfielders Jeremy Roth and Mark Cissell.

The Pirates do welcome back their No. 1 pitcher from a year ago in Palisch (6-2, 2.00 ERA). Other mound hopefuls are senior Thomas Barber, Roth, junior John Miesner and sophomore John Steffens.

Oran Eagles

Oran figures to be among the the area's premier 1A squads as coach Mitch Wood's Eagles graduated just two starters from a 13-11 team that lost 2-0 to St. Vincent in the district semifinals. Two years ago, the Eagles finished third in the state.

While Oran lost all-stater Philip Seyer and is still young, the Eagles return plenty of talent and are ranked sixth in the 1A preseason poll.

"I definitely feel good about the season," said Wood. "A lot of our kids did well as freshmen and hopefully they'll do a little more as sophomores, and I think we'll get good senior leadership out of Adam (Friga) and Garrett (Cook)."

Starters back from last year include the two seniors, shortstop Friga (.445, five homers) and third baseman Cook (.440, five homers, 26 RBIs), along with five sophomores: catcher Nathan Seyer (.360), shortstop Ryne Wood (.350), outfielder Joey Bickings (.300), outfielder Trey Graviett (.300) and first baseman Tyler Cookson.

The Eagles also return some of their top pitchers in Friga (4-3), Graviett (3-2) and Wood (3-2).

Kelly Hawks

Kelly has been one of the area's more consistent small-school programs in recent years and coach Mike Scott's Hawks, coming off a 13-9 season, should be solid again.

The Hawks lost all-stater Brad Kolwyck, but they return six starters, including senior designated hitter/pitcher Justin Simpher, one of the area's top hurlers. Simpher went 6-3 with a 1.80 ERA last year while hitting .400 with three homers and 20 RBIs.

"We have a lot of experience returning and we have high expectations. We always do," Scott said. "We know Simpher is the kind of guy you expect to have a chance to win every time he goes out. The key will be the other pitchers."

Joining Simpher as returning regulars are senior catcher John Heuring (.385), junior outfielder Drew Moore (.333), junior shortstop Tyler Schlosser (.317), senior infielder Tim Schmitt and junior first baseman Barry Ziegler.

Along with Simpher, other hurlers will be Schmitt, Ziegler and junior Garrett Stricker, who each recorded two victories last season.

Advance Hornets

Advance was one of the area's top 1A teams last year as the Hornets went 15-7, but they lost to St. Vincent 3-2 in the district finals and they also graduated star pitcher Garrett Broshius, an all-stater who received a baseball scholarship to the University of Missouri.

But first-year coach Jim Below --an Advance assistant the last two years -- still has high hopes thanks to the return of five starters, including senior outfielder Adam Rainey (.450), junior shortstop Andrew Jenkins (.300) and junior first baseman Aaron Cantrell (.300). Also back are sophomores Eric O'Hare in the outfield and Jason Bahr at catcher.

The Hornets return two of their top three hurlers in Rainey, who is 8-0 on the mound the last two years, and Cantrell.

Leopold Wildcats

Leopold went 11-7 and won the school's first-ever district title last year before being eliminated in the 1A sectional round.

The Wildcats of coach Ted LeGrand lost several key players, incuding all-state pitcher Jason Van de Ven, but they return quite a bit of talent in senior catcher Ashton James (.500), sophomore outfielder Josh Van de Ven (.500), junior first baseman Scott Van Gennip (.350) and senior outfielder Adam Landewee.

James was Leopold's No. 2 hurler last year while Josh Van de Ven threw a no-hitter in the district tournament.

Woodland Cardinals

Woodland was another local small school that had a solid season in 2000 as coach Barry Stafford's Cardinals went 15-7, but they lost seven starters and face what could be a rebuilding year.

The Cardinals do return three solid hitters in first basmen Jared Houchins (.400), outfielder Kyle Long (.383) and shortstop Ryan Bandermann (.309).

Long was one of the Cardinals' top pitchers a year ago, going 3-2.

Bell City Cubs

Bell City, while finishing below .500 last year, is being mentioned among the area's other small schools as a potential 1A district threat.

The Cubs of first-year coach David Heeb return two strong pitchers in Gabe Scherer and Jason Rampley.