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Campbell BB taking 'aggressive' mentality as solid spring nears its conclusion
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Second-year Campbell High School baseball coach Quinton Stevens (left) watches his team compete recently against Caruthersville in the Bootheel Conference Tournament at Caruthersville.
Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com
In the big picture, the Campbell High School baseball team has enjoyed a very solid spring.
The Camels (10-9) have won the most games in three seasons, and second-year coach Quinton Stevens has his players taking an “aggressive” mentality to the diamond every day.
“We preach swinging the bat,” Stevens said recently. Hit the ball and be aggressive.”
That has worked for most of this season, as the Camels are averaging nearly seven runs per game, which is three more than the program did a year ago. However, of late, Campbell has struggled offensively, accumulating just six total hits in recent losses to Class 2 No. 3-ranked Portageville (5-0) and to Puxico (3-2), a game in which the Camels tallied just four hits.
“When we’re aggressive at the plate,” Stevens continued, “we make pitchers throw pitches that they don’t want to.”
That philosophy is going to be needed over the next 48 hours, as Campbell closes its regular season with a home game against Neelyville (5-13-1) today at 4 p.m., followed by its MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Tournament opening game against Holcomb (11-12) on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Senath-Hornersville.
The Camels opened the spring with a 3-1 loss to the Hornets but rebounded quickly by winning five of their next six games.
“We try to hit the ball up the middle,” Stevens said. “The more aggressive we are, the more runners that we get on base.”
Campbell has produced double-digit run totals in six games this season and put up seven in a recent win against a very nice Caruthersville team.
“We have the mentality,” Stevens concluded, “that on the first pitch if it is there, hammer it.”
Against Puxico, Campbell Sam Bunting connected for two hits while sophomore Kennan Siebert and senior Logan Townsend also had hits in the loss.
The lack of offense, coupled with three defensive errors, wasted a very solid pitching performance from junior Tanner Smart, who allowed just three hits and two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Smart walked just one Indian and struck out 12.
“We’ve grown a lot,” Stevens said of this group. “Number one, in our mentality. We have had a hard-nosed-to-the-wall mentality. Every day do the best that you can, as hard as you can.
“If you do that, a lot of times, the game will take care of itself.”
Campbell has an uphill battle in the postseason, as the Class 2 District 1 is one of the tougher tournaments in the state.
Not only are the Bulldogs vying for their third straight trip to the Final Four, but also Bernie (16-9), Holcomb, and Senath-Hornersville (11-7) will be tough tests for any team.