Baseball

After 10 months, the list is complete. On Monday, the 45 spring sport finalists for the 2018 Semoball Awards were announced during a selection show live on air on SEMO ESPN Radio 1220 AM. In addition to those individual student-athletes, 15 additional nominees were revealed for Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Sportsmanship, plus the Lifetime Achievement Award winner...

Gavin Brown and Weston Comstock will see at least one familiar face in the dugout when they begin their college baseball careers at Williams Baptist College this fall. The recent Bernie High School graduates signed recently to play baseball for the NAIA school located in Walnut Ridge, Ark...

KENNETT, Mo. - The summer success continued for the Kennett Indians junior varsity baseball team in Game 1 of a home doubleheader against the Cooter Wildcats Thursday night. Fresh off taking the top prize at the Charleston Invitational Sunday Kennett rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Cooter 12-3...

SIKESTON — With the summer just beginning and local sports teams a ways away from starting their respective seasons, comes a carousel of coaching changes. A new voice and vision are used to help struggling programs rise to the top and with that, here is the list of coaching changes for our local teams:...

The 2018 SCAA baseball awards have been released. Bernie’s Gavin Brown is the SCAA Player of the Year. Brown went 6-2 with a 2.93 ERA and struck out 48 in 45 1/3 innings pitched. He also batted .313 with four home runs. Advance coach Chris Asmus is the SCAA Coach of the Year. Advance finished 17-10 and placed second in the SCAA Tournament under Asmus...

Kennett graduate Tyson Campbell wasn’t thinking about receiving All-American accolades before the start of his junior season at Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., in 2018. “I honestly didn’t think about it until it was all said and done,” Campbell said. ...

The 2018 SEMO Conference all-conference baseball awards have been released. Kennett junior Andrew Spence, Kennett senior Ty Ellis, Kennett senior Patrick Maddox, Kennett freshman Payton Heinley and Kennett senior Brenton Tidd have received recognition on the all-conference team...

SIKESTON — Sikeston struggled to get things going early against the Cape Senior Legion team on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader at VFW Memorial Stadium in Sikeston. The Silver Sox fell 10-2, as Cooper Crosnoe was able to dictate the game...

The Bootheel Best Baseball Camp is slated to take place June 8 and June 9 at Gideon Baseball Park. Under the leadership of Mark Littel and other area coaches, youth baseball players will participate in throwing, fielding, base running, bunting and hitting exercises...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- When Oran baseball captured the Class 1 state championship Thursday, it wasn't just adding to the program's storied history. It was also showcasing the continued dominance of Southeast Missouri schools in Class 1. The Eagles' second-ever state championship, thanks to a 4-1 win over St. Elizabeth at CarShield Field, was the fifth time in the last six seasons a team from District 2 has claimed the Class 1 state crown...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Drew Reischman didn't know what to do. The dream he had for years was now a reality. As his teammates came pouring out of the dugout and onto the field, Reischman didn't throw his glove in the air or jump up and down. He slowly walked off the mound and gave his catcher a hug. Then his teammates were on top of him, leaving him at the bottom of the dogpile...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- With the final out recorded and a spot in the championship game secured, Layne Johnson stepped off the mound. Chills spread throughout his body as he walked towards the first-base dugout. Overcome by emotions, Johnson rose his right arm and pointed his index finger to the sky. Thanks to Johnson's complete-game performance on the mound, Oran baseball is now just one win away from its second-ever state championship...

O’FALLON, Mo. - Malden senior slugger Dee Triplett never lost hope when the Strafford Indians scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 6-4 lead in the Class 3 state championship Wednesday afternoon. “The way we have been hitting the ball I knew we would score again and get back in the game,” Triplett said. “We’ve just kept hitting and battling all season when we get behind.”...

ORAN, Mo. -- Competing in a final four isn't necessarily a new experience for the Oran baseball team. It just so happens that the players' previous experience came in another sport. A year ago, the Eagles captured a Class 2 state championship in boys basketball. It was a different story on the diamond, though. For the third straight season they fell in the district final to the eventual Class 1 state champions...

O’FALLON, Mo. - The Malden Green Wave entered Tuesday’s Class 3 state semifinal looking to do big damage with its bats before the Holden Eagles could implement its small-ball attack. “We’ve been waiting for a big game offensively,” Malden sophomore Shay Amoss said. “We hadn’t put a complete game together offensively in the playoffs. Today we put the ball in play, good things happened and things fell our way.”...

The 2018 Bootheel Conference baseball awards have been released. 2018 Senath-Hornersville graduate Lathan Brooks, who has signed to play baseball at John. A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., is the Bootheel Conference Player of the Year. Brooks batted .459 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and 25 runs scored for the Lions. He also went 6-1 on the hill with a 1.70 ERA. Brooks struck out 83 in 37 innings of work...

For four innings, Jackson baseball was locked in a dogfight with the top-ranked team in the state and appeared poised to take the game to the wire. Then, in a blink of an eye the Indians went from a one-run lead to a two-run deficit. It only got worse from there as St. John Vianney scored eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to turn a close game into a comfortable 9-2 win over Jackson in a Class 5 state quarterfinal Thursday at Jackson Indian Stadium...

PARK HILLS, Mo. - Malden cleanup hitter Gavin Bristow knew it was his time to shine when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning of a tie game against the West County Bulldogs Wednesday evening. “The tensions were high,” Bristow said. “I knew I had to do it [now] or we were going to have trouble coming back because we were getting to the bottom of our lineup. I knew if anyone was going to start it off it had to be me because I was leading off the inning.”...

EMINENCE, Mo. — Drew Reischman had himself a day, and Oran baseball is heading to state. Reischman pitched a no-hitter and went 4-for-4 at the plate during Wednesday’s 16-0 six-inning quarterfinal rout of host Eminence to lead the Eagles to the Class 1 final four. Oran advances to state for the first time since the 2013 season ...

POTOSI, Mo. -- The Notre Dame baseball team pulled off a small upset in claiming a district championship last week. But the Bulldogs ran out of luck against an even bigger upstart. Potosi got a go-ahead, two-run single from Bailey Crump in the fifth inning and slipped past Notre Dame 5-2 in a Class 4 sectional Tuesday, ending the Bulldogs' season at 17-13...

ORAN, Mo. - Right-handed hurler Dawson Treat put together a stellar performance on the mound but it wasn't enough to propel the No. 5 ranked Cooter Wildcats past the No. 3 ranked Oran Eagles in a Class 1 baseball sectional Tuesday afternoon. Oran left-handed starter Layne Johnson more than matched Treat’s outing on the hill as he did not surrender a run in seven innings of work...

ST. LOUIS -- Cole Welker was coasting into third base when he saw the ball fly over his head and bounce off the fence. Right away, the Jackson baseball senior knew. "I'm thinking, 'We just won it,'" Welker said. Welker's assessment proved correct as the center fielder scampered home with the winning run, giving Jackson an improbable 1-0 win over host Lindbergh in a Class 5 sectional Tuesday. For the first time since 2015, Jackson advanced to a state quarterfinal...

ORAN, Mo. – Seniors Denver Elfrink and Layne Johnson had the kind of game Tuesday most players only dream about. With Oran’s season on the line against Cooter in a Class 1 Sectional, the duo delivered the kind of performance that booked their team its first trip to the quarterfinal since 2013’s championship run...

MALDEN, Mo. -- Scott City's shortstop and third baseman bowed their heads as the green jerseys poured out of the opposing dugout, unable or unwilling to watch the celebration. Instead, they focused their eyes on the ground. The Rams' season had just ended in excruciating fashion, a four-run lead heading into the seventh inning turning into a walk-off loss. So all the left side of the infield could do in the aftermath of a crazy finish was stare at the ground...

ELLINGTON — Gavin Brown and Dalton Hobgood provided the highlights for Bernie. Unfortunately for the Mules, the Whippets provided many more memorable moments and beat Bernie 12-6 in a Class 2 sectional baseball playoff Monday at Elllington. The Whippets dominated early, taking an 11-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, and they came within one out of ending the game early on the 10-run mercy rule...

MALDEN, Mo. - The Malden Green Wave baseball team has been no stranger to mounting comebacks in the 2018 state playoffs. Malden entered Monday afternoon’s Class 3 state sectional fresh off rallying from behind to beat Clearwater 7-6 in its district semifinal and Doniphan 9-5 in its district championship last week...

Several local players were chosen for the Class 4, District 1 All-District baseball team Thursday. After making the championship game for the second-straight year, Sikeston had eight players named, while Dexter and New Madrid County Central each had three...

This was not something many saw coming. At one point suffering through 11 losses in 12 games during the regular season, the fourth-seeded Oak Ridge baseball team captured postseason magic and on Wednesday pulled off its second straight upset, downing second seeded South Iron 5-3 in the Class 1 District 3 championship in Annapolis, Missouri...

SIKESTON — Pitching woes and fielding miscues cost Sikeston in its 15-4 loss to Notre Dame in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament championship game on Wednesday at VFW Stadium in Sikeston. The Bulldogs struggled to get out of the first inning, as junior Nate Self walked the first four batters of the inning before an out. Notre Dame wound up batting around in the inning and scored six runs in the process...

COOTER, Mo. - Although it was not the prettiest of wins, it was a win, says Cooter head baseball coach David Mathis. The Cooter Wildcats hosted the Class 1, District 1 baseball tournament and grabbed the top trophy with a 7-4 victory over the Gideon Bulldogs Tuesday, afternoon...

Bryce Hahs belted a triple and drove in two runs as the fourth-seeded Oak Ridge baseball team dealt a crushing upset to top-seeded Valley (Caledonia) in its 8-5 semifinal victory Tuesday in the Class 1 District 3 Tournament in Annapolis, Missouri. Jordan Barker went the distance on the mound to pick up the win for the BlueJays (7-16). He allowed five earned runs and recorded 14 strikeouts and one walk...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Through the first 21 games of the season, Chaffee baseball hadn't scored less than three runs in a game. That changed Tuesday as its worst offensive output of the season resulted in a season-ending loss. The top-seeded Red Devils were held scoreless over the final six innings and fell 7-1 to No. 2 Valle Catholic in the Class 2 District 3 championship at the Warriors' Alumni Field as a 16-game winning streak came to an end...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - The Malden Green Wave high school baseball team is developing a familiar post-game routine after championship games. 1. Wait for the first-place trophy 2. Lineup up in two rows 3. Hold up one finger 4. Look at the camera for a team photo...

SIKESTON, Mo. – An uncharacteristically rough start from ace Will Gilmer didn’t faze the Sikeston Bulldogs baseball team Monday night during their Class 4, District 1 semifinal matchup against Perryville. Gilmer got the backing of one of the Sikeston’s best offensive performances as the defending champions belted out 17 hits to rout the Pirates 15-6 and advance to Wednesday's title game...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The No. 2-seeded Scott City Rams broke a 3-3 tie with five runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back, as it beat the No. 1-seeded Portageville Bulldogs 14-4 in the Class 3 District 1 baseball championship Monday at Benny Hillhouse Park...

ORAN, Mo. -- Joe Bickings was so nervous, he couldn't eat before the game. The Oran baseball team eased its coach's mind with seven runs in the first two innings and cruised from there, eliminating a familiar foe -- the three-time defending Class 1 state champions Bell City...

Will Ferrell tossed a one-hit shutout as second-seeded Notre Dame baseball cruised past No. 3 Kennett in a Class 4 District 1 Tournament semifinal Monday in Sikeston, Missouri. Ferrell notched 12 strikeouts with no walks for the Bulldogs (16-12), who took an early lead with three runs in the first two innings...

The Jackson baseball team learned a thing or two in its SEMO Conference Tournament title-game loss to rival Poplar Bluff on April 30. Chief among those lessons: the Indians weren't going to no-hit the Mules every time, and defensive mistakes get you beat...

ORAN, Mo. — Layne Johnson pitched six innings of two-hit, one run ball, as Oran defeated Bell City 8-1 in the Class 1, District 2 Tournament championship on Monday in Oran. Johnson finished with 15 strikeouts to just three walks...

SIKESTON, Mo. - The No. 2 seeded Kennett Indians fell behind the No. 3 seeded Notre Dame Bulldogs early and had few opportunities to recover Monday night. Notre Dame tallied a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and another run in the second frame to take an early 3-0 lead...

CHARLESTON, Mo. - The Portageville Bulldogs rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie things up at 3-3 by the end of the second inning but was unable to generate enough offense to keep pace with the Scott City Rams the rest of the way. The No. 2-seeded Scott City Rams broke a 3-3 tie with five runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back, as it beat the No. 1-seeded Portageville Bulldogs 14-4 in the Class 3 District 1 baseball championship Monday at Hillhouse Park in Charleston...

Saxony Lutheran baseball held Jefferson (Festus) scoreless through six innings en route to 6-1 quarterfinal upset in the Class 3 District 3 Tournament in Festus, Missouri. Mason Lewis had a double and scored two runs to lead the fifth-seeded Crusaders past the fourth-seeded Blue Jays...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Going into the Class 3 District 1 tournament, Scott City baseball coach Jim May knew that his team hadn't been an offensive juggernaut; it would have to piece together what offense it could and put a pitcher on the mound that could make that stick. The approach worked to perfection in Saturday's semifinal, as the second-seeded Rams took advantage of the opportunities they had and let senior right-hander Bryan McNeely do the rest, as they eased past third-seeded Caruthersville 5-1 at Benny Hillhouse Park in Charleston, Missouri, and into the tournament title game Monday.. ...

SIKESTON , Mo. — A big first inning from Kennett doomed the Dexter baseball team in its 11-1 loss, in five innings, on Saturday in the first-round of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament at VFW Stadium in Sikeston. For the Indians, Ty Ellis led-off, what was a five-run first inning, with a triple to center field. Payton Heinley then scored Ellis on a sacrifice fly to right field, as Kennett (16-8) jumped out to a 1-0 lead...

SIKESTON — A big first inning from Kennett hurt the Dexter baseball team in its 11-1 loss, in five innings, on Saturday in the first-round of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament at VFW Stadium in Sikeston. For the Indians, Ty Ellis led-off, what was a five-run first inning, with a triple to center field. Payton Heinley then scored Ellis on a sacrifice fly to right field, as Kennett (16-8) led 1-0...

SIKESTON — Perryville scored 14 runs in the opening inning to take control of New Madrid County Central in its first-round matchup of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament at VFW Stadium in Sikeston on Saturday. The Pirates wound up defeating the Eagles 17-1 in five innings, but the most significant blow came when NMCC could not get one of the first 14 batters out...

Third-seeded Bell City baseball avoided the upset and eked out a 3-2 win over No. 6 Delta in the quarterfinals of the Class 1 District 2 Tournament at Oran High School. Andrew Hicks pitched six innings to be credited with the win for Bell City (8-10). He gave up two earned runs on two hits and had seven strikeouts and one walk...

In many ways, the end was a microcosm of Cape Girardeau Central baseball's season. There were ups, there were downs, and then there just wasn't enough to finish things off. The third-seeded Tigers twice let a lead get away as they fell to sixth-seeded Northwest 7-4 in a Class 5 District 1 quarterfinal Friday night at Cape Girardeau Central High School, ending Central's year...

ORAN, Mo. — The Advance baseball team put a walloping on Scott County Central in the first-round of the Class 1 District 2 Tournament on Friday in Oran, Missouri. No. 2-seed Advance (18-8) crushed the seven-seeded Braves 31-0 in five innings. The Hornets had back-to-back 10 run innings and had 10 extra-base hits as well...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Upset-minded Kelly did just that in Friday’s game against East Prairie in the first-round of the Class 3 District 1 Tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. The five-seeded Hawks defeated the four-seeded Eagles 6-2, in what was a game where Kelly capitalized in the late innings...