Baseball

Longtime baseball coach Chris McLain never had the luxury of working with his baseball players during the fall before arriving at Senath-Hornersville for the 2019-20 school year. “I never had a fall season before I came to Senath-Hornersville,” McClain said. “Having a fall season is something that is invaluable for a coach that is coming into a program. It gives you an opportunity to learn more about not only their athletic ability but also their character.”...

The Southland Rebels baseball squad is blessed with experience entering its spring campaign. Southland has four seniors, four juniors, and five sophomores out for baseball this spring. “We’ve got eight upperclassmen on our 13-man roster,” Southland coach Matt Bailey said. “Most of the upperclassmen have been in our program since I’ve been here for the last two years so they should know what to expect.”...

Carson Webb and Dawson Hanner have been playing baseball together since as long as they can remember. The Poplar Bluff seniors recently signed their National Letters of Intent to play together at Three Rivers College on the same day...

The pieces appear to be in place for another big year for the Kennett Indians baseball squad if it has an opportunity to compete on a diamond this spring. Kennett has seven returning upperclassmen who started on last season’s squad that put together the Indians’ seventh winning season in the last decade with a record of 17-7...

SIKESTON — Just as spring sports begin to start through the state of Missouri, a worldwide pandemic shuts all of it down. Still, with a hope that their respective seasons will begin, three Standard-Democrat coaches are looking to hopefully start their seasons and give their seniors a chance to play with their friends one final time...

The Holcomb Hornets baseball program enters its spring campaign looking to build upon a 13-5 fall campaign. “We had a pretty decent fall,” said longtime baseball coach Darrin Shipman, who took over the Holcomb program at the start of the 2019-20 school year. ...

The Campbell Camels baseball program enters the 2020 season with the luxury of having a surplus of upperclassmen on its roster. Campbell has eight juniors, one senior, two sophomores, and two freshmen out for high school baseball. “We’ve got everyone back from last year with the exception of Ben Barnett who graduated,” Campbell coach Joe Campbell said. “We’ve got the same players but hopefully they’ve gotten a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger since last year.”...

The Malden Green Wave baseball program enters the 2020 season in search of its third straight district title. “We’ve had a pretty good run since I’ve been here,” Malden coach Tim Harmon said. “We’ve either competed for the district title or been right there in the semifinals so we are looking forward to another run this year.”...

Good Sports is a weekly feature appearing in the Southeast Missourian and online at Semoball.com. It profiles the life of a person connected to sports and allows readers the opportunity to know the people who are impacting athletics throughout Southeast Missouri in a deeper way. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity...

Expectations remain high for Kentucky State University pitcher Brady Bibbs his senior season. Bibbs, who is a 2016 graduate of Senath-Hornersville High School, has been selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II South Region preseason second-team. Bibbs is one of eight baseball players in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to earn a spot on the first or second-team...

The Poplar Bluff baseball team will be hitting the road this spring with trips to Kansas and either side of Missouri. To help with travel costs, the Mules will be hosting a Home Run Derby at Bobby Strenfel Field on Saturday, March 14. There will also be a Fungo Golf Tournament starting at 7:30 a.m. before the 10 a.m. start of the derby...

The SEMO Umpires Association will host its annual preseason meeting, along with MSHSAA rules review meetings for both baseball and softball February 26 at River Eagle Distributing in Cape Girardeau.

Good Sports is a weekly feature appearing in the Southeast Missourian and online at Semoball.com. It profiles the life of a person connected to sports and allows readers the opportunity to know the people who are impacting athletics throughout Southeast Missouri in a deeper way. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity...

Kennett senior Marshall Brown found exactly what he was looking for when he attended a tryout camp at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas, last fall. “I went on a visit there and liked the atmosphere,” Brown said. “They also have a good baseball program. I just liked everything about it.”...

EAST CARTER — The Redbirds are sending a player to Division I. “It feels pretty good, pretty exciting. I’ve always wanted to play Division I and to finally get to fulfill that is something I’ll always remember,” said East Carter senior Dalton Rudd, who recently signed to play baseball for Western Kentucky. “It’s a lot of weight (off my shoulders). It’s hard to explain. It’s just really exciting.”...

Three Rivers College baseball coach Stacey Burkey has been keeping an eye on Kennett senior Jackson Henfling since he was in middle school. “I’ve known about Jackson for quite a while,” Burkey said. “I knew his family well. His dad pitched for us at Three Rivers so Jackson is a second-generation recruit for us. He’s certainly someone we wanted to represent our program because of his work ethic and high character.”...

Noah Burkey planned on pitching at Three Rivers College where his father has been head coach for the past 26 years. Instead, the Poplar Bluff senior signed his National Letter of Intent on Friday to play at Missouri State University. “That was my plan at first,” Burkey said of playing for his father, Stacey, “but when I got the opportunity to go to my dream school he understood and they supported me through it all...

SIKESTON — Sikeston senior baseball player Payton Howard signed his National Letter of Intent with Saint Louis University on Tuesday at the Sikeston Field House. Howard batted .308 for the Bulldogs in his junior season. He also scored 25 runs, had three triples, two home runs, and 11 RBIs...

Good Sports is a weekly feature that appears in the Southeast Missourian, as well as online at Semoball.com. It profiles the life of a person connected to sports and allows our readers the opportunity to know the people who are impacting athletics throughout Southeast Missouri in a deeper way...

Good Sports is a weekly Thursday feature that appears in the Southeast Missourian, as well as online at Semoball.com. It profiles the life of a person connected to sports and allows our readers the opportunity to know the people who are impacting athletics throughout Southeast Missouri in a deeper way...

BENTON, Mo. — Kelly is looking for a new baseball coach. Former head coach Justin McAlister resigned from the position last Monday, leaving a void. The school is hoping to name its new head coach by the December board meeting.

SIKESTON — Community support is one thing that every coach tends to instill within their respective programs. On Thursday night, the Sikeston baseball and softball teams competed in the “Battle for the Diamond” at the Sikeston Recreation Complex. A seven-inning softball game where the baseball players took hacks in an unfamiliar sport...

It’s been 30 years. Backed by a strong pitching performance from Chase Sarabia and a comeback-crushing double play by Damian Thilman, Naylor beat Neelyville 4-2 for the Eagles’ first Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship since 1989. “This is freaking awesome,” Naylor senior Caleb Dealba said. “We haven’t done this in forever. To be able to have a banner in the gym every time we walk in there, it feels good.”...

The Tri-County Conference baseball awards have been released. Cooter’s Lane McLevain is the Tri-County Conference Player of the Year. “Tyler batted .475 with 21 RBIs, one home run, and 21 runs scored this fall,” Cooter coach Davis Mathis said of McLevain. “He also went 6-0 on the mound with a 0.56 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched.”...

In 24 hours, Neelyville went from giving up 12 runs to giving up nothing. Propelled by excellent defense from their freshmen, including a pair of diving catches from right-fielder Preston Goodnight, the fourth-seeded Tigers beat top-seed East Carter 6-0 in the semifinals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Roger Pattillo Field, a day after edging Twin Rivers 13-12...

POPLAR BLUFF — In the first inning, Naylor scored a run off a walk and stranded the bases loaded while Clearwater had one runner reach on an error. It was a harbinger of things to come as third-seeded Naylor beat second-seeded Clearwater 11-1 in five innings in the semifinals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Three Rivers College...

POPLAR BLUFF — After three innings, Neelyville was losing 5-0, had committed six errors, had one hit. Instead of collapsing and calling it a day on their fall season, the Tigers kept working and rallied to beat Twin Rivers 13-12 in the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament quarterfinals Monday at Roger Pattillo Field...

POPLAR BLUFF — Naylor scored in every inning as it overcame being outhit and kept its fall season alive. Tied at 8-all after 4 1/2 innings, the Eagles closed by outscoring Greenville 8-1 late to win 16-9 in the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Monday at Roger Pattillo Field...

Cape Girardeau Central's Emily Ford and Megan Maxton paired up to win the doubles competition at the Class 2 District 1 Individuals Tournament on Thursday in girls tennis at Cape Girardeau Central High School. The duo downed two of their fellow teammates, Anita Kellum and Maria Seidu-Sofo, 6-1 each set to win the doubles championship...

BERNIE, Mo. - The third time proved to be the charm for the South Pemiscot Bulldogs baseball team against the Campbell Camels Thursday night. After suffering a 5-1 loss to Campbell on Sept. 16 and a 2-1 loss to the Camels on Oct. 1, South Pemiscot found a way to prevail in the third meeting between the two squads...

The championship is set at the Bernie baseball tournament following a dramatic finish in the second semifinal Tuesday night. No. 3 seeded Campbell tallied three runs in the seventh inning to force extra innings, and scored two more runs in the eighth frame to upset No. 2 seeded Bell City 7-5...

CLEARWATER 10, WOODLAND 3 Ahead 1-0 going into the fourth inning, the Tigers (9-2) scored in each of the final four innings to score 10 runs on 12 hits. Karson Fay was 3 for 3 with three runs, a double and an RBI as Clearwater’s leadoff hitter. Gage Keller tripled and was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and a run. Trey Rivas doubled and drove in two runs while Jackson Eaton scored twice...

BERNIE, Mo. - The favorite to win the Bernie Fall Baseball Tournament opened with a quarterfinal victory Saturday morning. The No. 1 seeded South Pemiscot Bulldogs scored in all five innings it battled as it run-ruled the No. 8 seeded Senath-Hornersville Lions 11-1 in five innings in the first semifinal Saturday...

CLARK TON, Mo. - The No. 1 seeded Cooter Wildcats are set to take on the No. 2 seeded Holcomb Hornets in the championship of the Tri-County Conference baseball tournament after both teams collected semifinal wins Tuesday at Clarkton. Cooter (21-1) beat No. 4 seeded Gideon 16-0 in its semifinal and Holcomb (13-5) beat No. 3 seeded Risco 9-5 in its semifinal Tuesday...

The St. Vincent Indians managed to shake off a drubbing in the second set to win a close third set and pick up a 25-23, 8-25, 26-24 home victory over Ste. Genevieve in volleyball. St. Vincent (3-8-3) was led to the win by Hannah Riney and Grace Schremp. ...

ELLSINORE — Bottom of the seventh, down a run, two outs, runners on second and third, and East Carter’s Luke Roark at the plate. Roark was 0 for 1 with a strikeout and reached on an error so far as East Carter’s No. 9 batter. The entire Redbird roster was having trouble against Clearwater pitcher Trey Rivas, who went into the seventh inning working on a complete-game shutout...

Winning the Tri-County Conference is a top priority for the Cooter baseball program every fall. “We play a bunch of games in the fall and hopefully that makes us better for the spring,” Cooter coach David Mathis said. “But our main goal in the fall is to learn how to play the game the right way and win the Tri-County title.”...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Sikeston opened the 29th Jackson Invitational with an 8-2 win over Doniphan at Shawnee Park Sports Complex on Saturday morning. The Bulldogs got off to a fast start after base hits from Naudia Lazcano, Nayla Bonner, Emma Drury, and Julia Spurlock wound up scoring a pair of runs...

The Notre Dame tennis team won the SEMO Conference Tournament on Friday in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on the strength of its doubles play. Both Bulldogs doubles teams won semifinal matches and will play for the title at date to be determined. Claire Bruenderman and Anna Grace Stroup defeated Dexter's Kyla Propst and Julianna Rivera 6-0, 6-2 in one semifinal, while Claire Southard and Megan Gullette rallied to defeat Cape Girardeau Central's Anita Kellum and Maria Seidu-Sofo 0-6, 6-2, 6-4...

The Notre Dame tennis team prevailed in a meeting of unbeatens, rolling past Potosi 9-0 at the Brother David Anthony Migliorino Tennis Complex on Wednesday.

Cooter 5, Oran 2 ORAN - The Cooter baseball team took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning on its way to a 5-2 road victory against OranTuesday. Cooter improved to (20-1) with the win. Cooter leadoff hitter Hayden Nazarenus finished 2 for 3 with a solo home run. Chris Crowder, Preston Hatch, and Luke Barnes also drove home a run for Cooter...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. — Six different Sikeston softball players collected multiple hits in Tuesday’s 14-10 win over Neelyville. Jordi James, Megan Witt, Emma Drury, Nayla Bonner, Sarah Keller, and Sydney Burton each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Both Drury and Bonner drove in a pair of runs as well, as the Bulldogs exploded for 16 hits...

SENATH, Mo. - The Senath-Hornersville Lions baseball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to move ahead 5-2 but was unable to withstand the six-run surge that followed by the Bloomfield Wildcats. Bloomfield scored six unanswered runs in the final three innings as it rallied past host Senath-Hornersville 8-5 Thursday...

SIKESTON — The Sikeston girls tennis team dropped its match to Kennett on Thursday. The Bulldogs got swept in every singles and doubles match. In singles matches, Mackenzie Conway lost to Anelle Harris. Isabel Collins fell to Taylor Hufford while Claudia Santos lost to Kamryn Jaco. Audrey Phillips defeated Quinn Riley, Zakyirrah Montjoy lost to Molly McClain, and Katelin Taber fell to Carley Winston to round out singles’ competition...

Mackenzie Stoner slammed eight kills as the Jackson volleyball team denied host Notre Dame its 10th win of the season and picked up a big conference victory in straight sets (25-10, 25-19) on Thursday in Cape Girardeau. Hannah Shinn and Olivia Ward chipped in seven kills apiece for the Indians. ...

Cooter 2, Holcomb 0 COOTER, Mo. - The Cooter Wildcats baseball team wrapped up the Tri-County Conference regular season championship by beating the visiting Holcomb Hornets 2-0 Thursday afternoon. Lane McLevain pitched an 83-pitch complete game shutout for Cooter.He allowed two hits, struck out two, and walked two...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Megan Witt and Emma Drury came up big in a clutch situation on Tuesday night against Cape Central. After Sarah Keller led off the sixth inning with a single, and Jordi James and Naudia Lazcano were promptly hit by pitches, Witt gave Sikeston the 6-5 lead on a sacrifice fly...

PIEDMONT — Clearwater suffered its first loss of the fall Monday, but bounced back Tuesday with a win over defending Class 2 state champion Ellington. The Tigers scored in every inning but the first to beat Ellington 7-5. The Whippets had the tying run on base in the top of the seventh, but Ellington coach Jake Hime sent Garrett Morris from second to home following an RBI single to right field with two outs. ...

HOLCOMB, Mo. - The Holcomb Hornets baseball program isn’t off to a perfect start but has enjoyed considerable success this fall. A youthful Holcomb squad is currently 7-3 entering Tuesday’s home contest against Neelyville. “We’ve only got one senior on the team,” Holcomb first-year baseball coach Darrin Shipman said. ...