Oran baseball team's offense erases recent arm struggles

ORAN, Mo. -- The Oran baseball team has relied on its offense during its run to the Class 1 final four after some uncharacteristically poor performances from its pitchers in the latter part of the season.

"Our first 12 to 15 games, I thought that this staff was probably as good as some of the staffs I've had," Oran coach Mitch Wood said. "We played that well and pitched that well and did some good things. Since then we've struggled a little bit."

The Eagles have given up at least six runs, including 13 runs twice, in four of their last six games, something they did just twice all season up to that point.

"We've had some sore arms and different things," Wood said. "I'm sure that teams we've played later in the year have also had something to do with that. Right now we're struggling throwing strikes the last few outings. I don't have an answer for it because I'm not sure what it is. But on the same token, all three of the kids that we pitch a lot, they can come up with a big performance. They're capable of doing that."

Senior Zac Chasteen, junior Dalton Elfrink and sophomore Kody Moore have split the majority of the time on the mound for Oran this season, and all three have dealt with ailments this season.

Oran senior Zac Chasteen likely will get the start for the Eagles in their Class 1 state semifinal against Liberal on Wednesday. (Kristin Eberts)

Chasteen, who Wood said is the healthiest at the moment, has had lingering elbow soreness, which kept him from pitching most of last season. Elfrink injured his landing leg during Oran's sectional win over Cooter and also fractured the thumb and broke the pinky knuckle on his pitching hand this season.

Moore's velocity, according to Wood, has dipped as the season has worn on thanks to tightness in his arm, though Moore says he's healthy.

"At one point, I had a little trouble with my elbow," Moore said. "It's just sore, I think, just from throwing, but it's gone now. I'm good.

"I'm positive."

All of this could be concerning for the Eagles, who are trying to capture the school's first state baseball championship in its 10th trip to the final four, except for the fact that they just keep on winning anyway.

"The other day, that's what made them come back," Wood said, referring to his team's dramatic 14-13 win over Naylor in the quarterfinals. "They know that there are days we're not going to pitch well, not going to do well, and we're going to have to outscore them. Anybody that knows me knows how I do baseball. Definitely that's not my philosophy, but that's part of it."

Oran (23-2) lost just one of the games in which it gave up more than six runs, a 13-6 setback to Poplar Bluff in its regular-season finale.

"I can promise you this team right here is probably one of the few teams -- I've had few -- but they're one of the few teams that it doesn't bother them to give up runs," Wood said. "It doesn't bother them to get down. I don't know if the correct [phrase] is 'not bother,' but it doesn't affect the way they play. Sometimes it wears me out."

Elfrink, who is 7-0 with a 3.14 ERA in 55 2/3 innings, gave up all nine runs over the first three innings against Bernie in Oran's 13-9 district championship win. The Eagles fell behind 2-0 after the top of the first and 7-5 midway through the second inning.

"Knowing him and knowing our team, he wasn't worried about it just because we know that you're not going to score two runs and beat us this year," Moore said about Elfrink, who also hit a grand slam in the game. "We've got too good of hitting, and unless you've got an absolute stud on the mound to shut us down, we've hit some pretty good pitchers this year. We've done some good stuff offensively."

Elfrink, like Chasteen and Moore, declared himself mentally and physically healthy and prepared for the final four.

"I've had a little struggle outside of baseball and stuff," Elfrink said. "I wasn't trying to let it get to me, but sometimes it's a little harder to hold it back than what you think it is. I'm pretty sure I've fixed that now, so I ain't got nothing to worry about. I've got a clean head on my shoulders, and I'm ready to go."

Moore, who pitched the final 4 2/3 innings of Oran's 5-2 win over Cooter, is 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA. But Chasteen is the most likely candidate to start against Liberal in the state semifinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo.

Chasteen is 8-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 45 2/3 innings.

"We try to stay with a kind of rotation and the rotation's been Elfrink starting and the other guys come in, but right now Chasteen's the favorite to start," Wood said.

"To be honest with you, we're right now digging for information. This holiday, it's the same thing for everybody. We just can't find people and get things done like we need to. Everybody's busy and nobody's returning our phone calls."

Despite its recent string of high-scoring wins, Oran might not need to outslug its opponents to win. The Eagles have allowed two runs or fewer in 16 games this season.

"They just haven't done it [lately], but like I said when we haven't shut teams down, we've come out and scored and did what we had to do," Wood said. "It's a weird team as far as that part of it. They really are."