Bulldogs anxious for 2018 season semifinal
The Bald Knob Bulldogs played some of their best baseball at the end of the season in 2017. Bald Knob finished as the fourth seed from the Class 3A Region 2 Tournament, then won two games in the Class 3A State Tournament, advancing to the semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Harding Academy 10-3 in Harrison. Bald Knob beat Corning 8-2 in the first round and Junction City 3-2 in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs return five starters from last year’s team, which went 22-10 and 6-2 in league play. “We ended up making the semifinals and played Harding,” third-year coach Joey Nelson said. “They just outpitched us. They had a few more bullets in their holster than we did. It didn’t work out for us.” At the same time, Nelson wasn’t disappointed with the season in 2017, but the players worked hard during the offseason, Nelson said. “We’ve worked pretty hard this offseason from August to now to add to our pitching staff and build up those guys that we had in place,” he said. Pitching will be the big key for the Bulldogs. A year ago, senior Brayden Roberts was 12-1 on the mound. That’s more than half his team’s victories. He also struck out 76 batters in 68 innings pitched. He had a 0.93 earnedrun average. “He’s a phenomenal kid,” Nelson said of his ace. “The transformation he made from his sophomore to his junior year is almost unheard of. He’s back and even better this year.” As a sophomore, Roberts was 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA. Nelson said sophomore Johnson Capps has improved his pitching during the offseason. Other pitchers include senior Drake Miller and Trent Jackson. Nelson said he expects his team to compete for conference, regional and state championships in 2018. “If we aren’t there at the end, it will be a disappointment,” he said. The key will be pitching. “We’re going to have to pitch,” Nelson sad. “Last year, we had a couple of kids who led us. Roberts and Dylan Bradley, who graduated. We’ve got to have that grid guy and fourth guy step up. We’ve got to have that. Right now, we have 12 or 13 kids who can get on the mound and throw, but what I need is for kids to get up there and pitch and manage a game. “That is what we lack. This is my third year here, and I’ve been trying to build that since I got here.” Nelson said that it’s getting closer to reality. “I’ve made it abundantly clear that if we’re going to compete with Harding, we’ve got to pitch, and we’ve got to hit,” he said. “Defensively, we’ve been pretty solid. As long as we get our chances, we’ll get the muscle memory of playing defense.” In all, Bald Knob returns five starters, including Roberts, Chandler McAnelly, Jackson, Rhett Roach and Miller. Nelson said Roach, who is a switch hitter, is the best hitter for average on his team. A year ago, Roach hit .446 with 33 hits and 8 doubles. The best power hitters are Roach and senior Bradley Lyons. The best fielder is junior Austin Fisher. Nelson said Roach has the best team speed. The Bulldogs were 18-7 two years ago and 22-10 a year ago. Nelson hopes for improvement this season but has a great outlook for 2018. “I do hope we have a good record, but I told the guys that I wanted us to win the last 10 games of the season,” he said, referring to the district tournament, regional tournament and state tournament. “If we go 0-for until that time and we win the last 10 games of the season, everything is going to be fine. In the meantime, you need to be improving and getting better.” Nelson said he’s excited for the upcoming season. “I’ve been waiting for this, and the kids have been excited about it,” he said. “When I got here, my seniors were in the 10th grade. I knew then that this could be a special group. No. 1, because they love the game, but they are also coachable. They love to learn different pitches and more about the fundamentals of the game. “They are so eager to learn and be the best possible forms of themselves that they can be. It’s exciting. I can’t wait to see what they can do.”