Spring Sports Preview
A special section dedicated to McDonald County High School’s spring sports teams including schedules, rosters and more.
After missing all of last year due to the closing of school because of covid-19, it’s not surprising when asked to list starters and newcomers for the 2021 McDonald County High School baseball team, coach Kevin Burgi listed only two returning starters and a long list of newcomers.
“We had a good summer, but I still feel not having a season last year is comparable to our football team this fall,” Burgi said. “The football team had a transition year, but they still had a lot of success with an eye on taking a big step forward next season. I thought that’s where we would have been last year. I hope we can combine those two years into one — we are in a transition year, but I hope we can take a big step forward at the same time. I have a lot of confidence in these guys. I think by the end of the year we can be a very good baseball team.”
The two returning starters are both juniors who earned starting spots as freshmen. Cole Martin is back behind the plate where he will handle the pitching staff and anchor the defense. Levi Helm will be one of the Mustangs’ top pitchers and play third base when not pitching.
“Cole swings the bat well, but I also will rely on him to control our opponents running game,” Burgi said. “Helm will throw a lot of innings and hopefully he will also be in a position at the plate to drive in some runs. He has worked really hard in the off-season, including at a new position when he is not pitching. He is moving from the outfield to third base this year and he has embraced the switch.”
The only other player to see
any varsity action two years ago is senior pitcher Rylee Boyd, an early signee with Northeastern Oklahoma Junior College in Miami, Okla.
“I expect Rylee to be in really good shape by opening day,” Burgi said. “It will be entertaining to watch when he is on the mound — some good, sometimes not so good.”
Newcomers include infielders Cross Dowd, Weston Gordon, Ethan Lett, Wyatt Jordan, Coty Dumond and Destyn Dowd and outfielders Isaac Behm, Wade Rickman, Levi Malone, Jack Parnell and pitchers Colton Ruddick and Ethan Francisco. Both Dowds will also be counted on for innings on the mound.
Burgi said his team’s strength will be defense and pitching.
“We have a lot of good athletes,” Burgi said. “We have a lot of speed in the outfield so I think we can run some balls down. I think our pitchers are going to throw strikes. The pitching staff will have a test with our early schedule. We play eight games in nine days to start the season so we will use a lot of pitchers. They all will be on limited pitch counts so we can keep their arms fresh. I have talked to several college coaches and I think our arm care program is really good. I also want to thank Coach McCullough (strength and condition coach Sean McCullough) for his work with these guys in the weight room. It really has helped us be ready for the season. We are on a different program than in the past and I feel good about it.”
Burgi said the key for the Mustangs will be the ability to score runs.
“We have to find the right batting order and balance of players to score runs,” Burgi said.
“But in batting practice so far I think the ball seems to be carrying better this year. It also sounds different when the ball comes off the bat.”
Despite the youth and inexperience of his team, Burgi thinks the Mustangs have the potential to be pretty good.
“We are stressing patience because we are so young and inexperienced,” Burgi said. “We have a tough road to start the season, but we want the kids to understand the process to get where we want to be is important. It’s a long way to May.”
McDonald County opened the season at the Harrison, Ark. tournament. The Mustangs returned home to face Neosho, Bentonville West and Springdale Har-Ber on the road before traveling to Carl Junction for a doubleheader on March 27. Mustangs’ home opener is set for March 29 against Shiloh Christian.