EAGLES SEE BATTING AVERAGES SOAR IN 2000

Oran baseball coach Mitch Wood will be the first to tell you that the Eagles haven't played the toughest competition so far this year.

But what they have done offensively is nothing short of amazing.

Heading into the Chaffee Tournament, Oran was batting a mind-boggling .419 as a team.

In its first eight games, Oran scored 110 runs.

Garrett Cook has been especially hot, batting a cool .600 heading into the Chaffee Classic. Cook, in the first game of the tournament, went 3-for-4, a single shy of the cycle as Oran disposed of Perryville 15-2.

Oran has seven players batting over .400 this season and all of them have more than 13 at-bats. Catcher/pitcher/outfielder Philip Seyer leads the area with four home runs.

Oran, which took third in Class 1A last year and second the year before, is not the favorite to win its district this year. Oran lost its top two pitchers, Dustin Glastetter and Dustin Dannenmueller, to graduation. But if Seyer and Adam Friga keep their earned run averages to where they are now, the Eagles could give Advance, ranked third in the state, all it can handle when the postseason rolls around.

Jreece Johnson to go to Moberly Comm. College

Jreece Johnson, the area's leading scorer this past season, signed a letter of intent this past week to play basketball at Moberly Community College.

Johnson averaged 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game last year for the Scott County Central Braves.

"I think he's happy with his decision," said Scott Central coach Steve Wells. "He's hoping to have a good career there and hoping for nice things after that."

Wood resumes basketball position at Oran

It was decided at a recent board meeting that Mitch Wood, after stepping down for one season, will return as Oran's head basketball coach. Boshell will be assistant basketball coach and head coach of the junior high school team. He will remain the athletic director.

Also, Susan Diebold was named girls basketball coach, a position that had been occupied by superintendent Tom Anderson. Diebold will oversee the varsity, junior varsity and junior high teams.

Sauer resigns at St. Vincent

After five years at St. Vincent High School, Paul Sauer resigned at St. Vincent High School this past week.

Sauer led the Indians to a second-place finish at state two years ago, while St. Vincent fell to Rich Hill, the eventual state champs, in the state semifinals this past year.