Bloomfield BB resurgence being led by Upchurch

BLOOMFIELD – While it is true that the Bloomfield High School baseball squad got rocked 15-0 by the No. 2-ranked team in Class 1 (Oran) on Tuesday, that doesn’t take away from the potential that the Wildcats have shown over the past eight months.

Bloomfield (2-3) will host Caruthersville (2-2) today at 4:30 p.m. and have already beaten the Tigers 4-3 last Saturday.

“Right now,” second-year Wildcat coach Chris Smith said, “we’re running the bases well and we’re hitting the ball OK.”

Bloomfield is a mere two runs shy of having a 3-2 mark, which given its recent history, is very impressive.

The Wildcats have not won more than six games in the past five seasons, but still have at least 19 regular season contests remaining, as well as the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament.

A big reason for the early success that Smith’s club has had is the play of junior Caleb Upchurch.

“Caleb is our leader,” Smith said. “He is our best player.”

Smith said Upchurch is “by far the ace of our staff right now,” but his ability isn’t limited to the mound.

“He is our three-hole hitter,” Smith said, “so a lot of our team’s success relies on Caleb.”

In his 2024 spring debut against a still-unbeaten Senath-Hornersville squad, Upchurch threw two innings and didn’t allow an earned run, while getting a couple of hits.

He has notched a pair of doubles already, which doesn’t surprise Smith in the least.

“For a kid who is 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds,” Smith said, “he has incredible hips, strength and power.”

Upchurch has connected for 13 home runs in his career, “and he is just starting his junior year,” Smith added.

Upchurch had a hit against Caruthersville starter Bill Middleton, as well as scored a run in the earlier victory.

“He hasn’t found his groove yet,” Smith said of Upchurch (which is scary to think about when he does). “I think that he is pressing because he wants to do well, like any kid does.”

The Wildcats aren’t going to shock any team this season with their solid play.

Last fall, Bloomfield won half of its 16 games, which tied for the most fall victories in seven autumns by the program.

The Wildcats fell in their opener 6-2 to Senath-Hornersville but bounced back with wins at Delta (12-6) and against Caruthersville.

Bloomfield nearly knocked off Risco earlier this week, as it rallied from a 6-1 deficit before falling 6-5. In that loss, the Wildcats had the bases loaded before the Tigers registered the final out.