How does Logan-Rogersville baseball continue to be so good after graduating star players?
After helping lead Logan-Rogersville basketball on a run to the state semifinals, Ross Lawrence didn't know what to expect when he joined his teammates on the baseball diamond.
Lawrence, a future Missouri State pitcher, knew the success of recent years would be difficult to replicate. The Wildcats lost a handful of starters, including a pair of current Missouri State baseball players, from a state runner-up team two years ago and one that ranked at the top of the state for most of last season. Outside expectations were understandably lower.
A day after leading the Wildcats basketball team to a third-place finish, Lawrence made his first appearance at baseball practice and those nerves disappeared. He saw a group that was capable of making another deep postseason run.
"I had it in the back of my mind that if we worked as hard as we could, we'd be a good ball club this year," Lawrence said. "When I showed up the day after we made the run to state, I saw everybody working hard and I realized that these guys can and were ready to play. That kind of lit a fire inside of me and I was just ready to go compete with them."
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Logan-Rogersville remains one of the state's best baseball programs as it sits atop the Class 4 rankings. It has statement victories including ones over No. 2 Blair Oaks, No. 4 Father Tolton and No. 6 Summit Christian. The Wildcats won their ninth-straight game when they beat Aurora 8-2 on Thursday night.
The Wildcats' success has come down to a pitching staff and defense that hasn't allowed more than two runs in a game since April 2. Over the five games between April 11 and 18, the Wildcats scored 51 runs with no fewer than eight in a single game.
"These kids have worked their tails off," Rogersville head coach Casey Ledl said. "We kind of challenged them. Expectations were going to be lowered and that's not something they took kindly to. We've done it a different way when our pitching and defense have been much improved and probably better than we thought they'd be. And we're finally hitting the ball. If it all comes together, we could be pretty darn dangerous by the end of it."
Lawrence has been the team's ace and not many have been able to get a hit off of him this season. Senior Ethan Desanti was dominant in Thursday's Aurora win while Chase Hampton has also stepped up on the mound. Freshman Nate Eakins has added valuable innings for the Wildcats in a deep pitching staff throwing strikes.
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Offensively, Desanti and his brother Shane Desanti are move-ins from California who have been a great one-two atop the lineup in front of Lawrence. Fort Scott Community College commit Jackson Rousey continues to be a consistent bat as well as Chase Hampton and Eakins.
Some are getting their first moments in the spotlight after sitting behind the great players to come through the program in recent years and they're making the most of it.
"I think a lot of it goes back to practice and how the coaches have been developing them every day," Lawrence said. "Some of these guys haven't been playing varsity the whole time but they've been ready to do that. I think they're showing it this year at the varsity level."
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Ledl has attempted to keep the regular season loose while even calling it a "preseason" of sorts. It's all about getting right for the postseason where the Wildcats fell in a district championship game against Catholic last year when the two were ranked No. 1 and 2 in the state.
Right now, it's all about having fun for the Wildcats. If they keep playing the way they are, the Wildcats will have plenty of fun in the postseason, too.
"This is about kids," Ldel said. We're trying to get ready for May and our kids have taken hold of that. I think they've kept a pretty good head on their shoulders and they're just excited to play baseball. We're having a really good time while doing it."
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Logan-Rogersville baseball remains top team in state despite graduates
