Young Bell City baseball turning corner, focused on improving following early exit

It never feels good for your season to end on a playoff loss, but does losing close to the eventual state champion soften the blow at all?

If you’re Bell City baseball, after losing 2-0 in districts to an Oran team that outscored state final four competition 22-1, maybe just a little bit.

Way back when, in the days of yore (May 15, less than three weeks ago), Bell City got a gem out of sophomore pitcher Kale Richardson, who threw 5.2 frames against the veteran Oran team.

Richardson controlled the matchup defensively, allowing just two runs on five hits and four walks with single-run innings in the second and third.

Alas, a masterful performance from Oran senior Gabe Dirnberger saw Oran throw seven scoreless innings, six from Dirnberger, to grab the district title from the Cubs.

“Our guys played well,” veteran Bell City coach Justin Simpher said. “We just came up on the short end of it all.

“It's great, but at the same time, it's not what we wanted.”

The win made Oran’s sixth consecutive district title, dating all the way back to 2017, when they last lost at the hands of none other than Bell City.

In fact, the two teams have matched up in the district championship in seven of the past nine Class 1 District 2 championship games, forming a feud between the two nearby rivals.

Hardcore local baseball fans will also remember the dominance of Bell City from 2015 to 2017, winning three state titles in three years.

Between Bell City and Oran, the two programs combine for six Class 1 state championships in the past nine years, becoming a fixture at the state tournament and representing Southeast Missouri well on the biggest stage.

Despite the close loss this year, it’s looking up for Bell City after turning a major corner in the 2024 spring behind a highly talented group of underclassmen.

Losing to a loaded, senior-heavy Oran team, with seven players moving on from the team this offseason, it’s a loss that wasn’t world-shaking but Simpher didn’t make excuses.

“We did see some maturity, for sure,” Simpher said. “You know, the guys are young, but that's no excuse. They've been playing baseball for a long time, and we’ve just got to overcome that.

“We’ve got to go out there and play our best game, got to compete every day and compete in practice. We’ve just got to work hard to get it done.”

Losing Logan Stubenrauch and Easton Newell, both who got significant playing time for the Cubs this past spring, there’s some turnover that can’t be ignored with the team.

Aside from Richardson, some big names emerged including Baylor Eftink, Dawson Loomes, Blaine Scheible, Jacob Asher and Linc Scherer, all who contributed a hit in the Oran loss.

Those five, along with a hefty handful of fellow contributors who pushed Bell City to a breakout season this spring, all return for another year, pushing to make that next step.

A mixed bag of juniors and sophomores, the outlook is already quite bright for the impending 2025 season, as well as the 2024 fall ball season as development starts early for the small club.

The M.O. for Simpher, of course, is the process, and ensuring that his Cubs have to rely less on excuses and more on the fruits of their own labor.

“We’re all trying to push each other to excel and to reach that potential,” Simpher said. “They'll get themselves back in, refocus, and we'll just prepare like we always do.

“Working hard to get better every day, and we’ll see what happens.”