Jackson alum Caden Bogenpohl starting solid at Missouri State

Everywhere Caden Bogenpohl goes, he finds success on the baseball diamond.

A year ago, when going to Missouri State was an inevitability, he led Jackson High School to third place in the MSHSAA Class 6 State Tournament. He joined the Cape Catfish of the Prospect League over the summer and went to the playoffs.

Now at Missouri State, Bogenpohl is hitting like a senior. Through the first 15 games of the season, the freshman it batting .294 with two home runs and nine RBI. He went 1-for-4 during the Bears’ 5-3 road loss at St. Louis on Tuesday.

Missouri State outfielder Caden Bogenpohl waits his turn in the dugout during an game against St. Louis on Tuesday, March 12 in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

“It's honestly a whole nother level,” Bogenpohl said. “When I made the jump, I didn't know what to expect, to be honest with you, but it's awesome.”

His lone hit led off the top of the nine and represented the tying run until St. Louis reliever Ethan Bell closed the door on the Bears for a five-out save. Bogenpohl was able to extend his hitting streak to seven games.

“Everybody's got that one pitch that's their go-to pitch,” Bogenpohl said. “Everybody throws strikes. It's a lot different than high school ball. It's a lot more challenging but I love that. I'm a competitor and I go out there every day and try to do my best.”

Missouri State outfielder Caden Bogenpohl snags a fly ball against St. Louis on Tuesday, March 12 in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

From a scheduling perspective, it’s a drastic change of pace between high school and college baseball. Jackson played 41 games last season after going the distance. A college baseball season goes 52 games before the conference tournament with a three-four-game series every weekend.

“You get to compete every day, go out there with your guys and you know you're gonna be facing a good squad every day so you got to bring it,” Bogenpohl said.

Bogenpohl entered the college season as an outfielder and pitcher but has exclusively been the Bears' everyday right fielder this season and has yet to commit an error. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, Bogenpohl tracked down a fly ball toward the right field line to prevent the Bears from falling down a deeper hole.

Missouri State outfielder Caden Bogenpohl takes a lead off first base during a game against St. Louis on Tuesday, March 12 in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Bogenpohl is also one of six freshmen on the Bears roster, including pitcher Curry Sutherland, who were teammates with the Catfish. Bogenpohl slashed .286/.392/.548 through 25 games last summer and credited his time with the Catfish for preparing him for Division I pitching.

“It was a great stepping stone to kind of get my feet wet with college-level guys,” Bogenpohl said. “That was a big contributor to the transfer to college ball. The Catfish was an awesome team and helped me get to where I am today.”

MSU is currently 9-6 while going through a competitive non-conference schedule leading up to the Missouri Valley Conference slate, which is one of the most competitive mid-major leagues in the nation. SLU (15-1) is the favorite to win the Atlantic-10 and is among the top-hitting teams in the nation.

Missouri State�s Caden Bogenpohl, right, stands in the outfield next to Jahlani Rogers, center, and Jake McCutcheon during a game against St. Louis on Tuesday, March 12 in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Bears are slated to travel to Kansas State for a weekend series, followed by a midweek stop at Oklahoma State before starting MVC play at Indiana State to conclude an 11-game road trip. Their next home game will be against Southeast Missouri State on March 26.

“We play a really tough schedule,” Bogenpohl said. “Playing those big-time schools is good for us. It gets you prepared for the postseason, and it allows us to grow as a team and get better every day.”