After missing tourney, Badgers look to step up
The Beebe Badgers are hoping for a bounce-back season in 2018. A year ago, the Badgers finished 8-23 on the season and failed to make the Class 5A State Tournament. “Expectations are high,” longtime Beebe coach Mark Crafton said. “We’ve been waiting on this senior and junior class to mature and get more games under their belt. There is lots of potential for this group the next two years.” Beebe returns eight starters from a year ago. They include seniors Blaine Burge, Mark Clairday and Jacob Rogers; and juniors Randy Smith, Hayden Crafton, Noah Jolly, Bryson Halford and Logan Sharp. “All of these guys could have really solid years this year because they all have been working hard to be better than a year ago,” Mark Crafton said. To be able to improve upon last year, Crafton said, his team has to be fundamentally sound. “We’ve got to have aggressive sticks at the plate,” he said. “Defense and pitching should be solid. We just have to score more runs. Expectations are to become closer as a team and for our guys to compete every day in games and practices. “We want to score runs and score in bunches.” Crafton said his son Hayden is the team’s best pitcher coming into the season. “He was all-conference as a pitcher in 2017, but we have a multitude of arms this year healthy and ready to compete and push him for the lead spot,” Coach Crafton said. “Randy Smith could be the best arm we have on the mound.” Crafton said the blended Class 5A/6A Conference the Badgers play in is loaded with talent. “All our blended conference games are going to be games to watch,” he said. “Greenbrier is just reloading. Sylvan Hills and us always have good matchups. Vilonia will have a target on their back from being the defending state champs from last year. Mountain Home has a new young coach in Tim Carver, who played for the Razorbacks, and he will have those kids ready to play.”
Clairday has signed to play at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge. Burge has signed with Central Baptist College in Conway. Crafton said Rogers could play at Williams Baptist. “Jonathan McGhee has a chance to play collegiate ball as well,” Crafton said. “We will just have to wait to see how he finishes up this year.” Crafton said the junior class has a chance to be the most-signed class he’s coached. “They have a lot of other things going on outside of baseball that takes them away from their time to improve their baseball skills in the short amount of time we have them, while they are playing for Beebe High School,” Crafton said. “Once they figure that out and prioritize those other activities, the sky is the limit for this group of young men.”