PRIME CHIME: Bartlesville DF Indians set to ring in baseball season
Even though he'll go to war this weekend without a couple of veteran warriors, John Pannell still looks forward to pulling up the curtain on the 2023 Doenges Ford Indians baseball season.
The tribe (19-and-under) is set to surge into action at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the 2023 Katzer Tournament in Fort Smith, Ark.
Their Saturday schedule includes two games at Hunts Park in Fort Smith -- at 5 p.m. against Conway (Ark.) and at 7:30 p.m. against Fort Smith.
How they fare Friday and Saturday will determine what time they play Sunday.
After returning home, the Indians will prepare for their home opener on June 7 against Marucci Midwest, starting at 5:45 p.m. at Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium.
This will be the 87th-straight year of summer baseball in this age group. Pannell said he plans to register the Indians this summer with the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC).
Doenges Ford has been an integral part of the longevity and quality of Indians' program, going back to 1941.
Pannell has put together a schedule of approximately 40 games in 49 days, plus the opportunity to play in the Stan Musial World Series and the NBC World Series.
The breakdown of action includes nine doubleheaders, approximately 15-20 home games and the rest on the road.
Some schedule highlights include the Mountain Home (Ark.) tourney from June 15-18, a renewal of the longstanding rivalry against Three Rivers (June 21, 6 p.m., at Doenges Stadium), the 64th Annual Glen Winget Memorial home tourney (June 29-July 2) and playing host to Stan Musial World Series pool play (July 19-21).
Barring injuries or other conflicts, the Indians should bring a wealth of quality pitching among an incredibly eclectic mix that represents eight different high schools and four different colleges.
Some of the live arms mentioned by Pannell include Bartlesville's senior-to-be Brendan Asher, Nowata's Kaleb Bashford, Woodland's Trey Bennett, Caney Valley's Haden Fiddler, Dewey's Cole Hancock, Bartlesville 2023 graduate Nik Johnson, Wesleyan Christian's Kael Siemers, Barnsdall's Josh Weber and Glenpool's Matt Winters.
That adds up to nine pitchers -- and there's likely another thrower or more Pannell can cull from the remainder of the lineup.
Plus, the Indians could be greatly boosted by the occasional appearance of veteran Indian hurlers with significant college experience.
Pannell analyzed some of the pitchers mentioned above.
Fiddler put on 40 pounds and bumped his fast ball speed up to 84 miles per hour, Pannell said. Fiddler spent this past spring in junior college ball at NEO A&M.
Asher "had a great spring" for Bartlesville High and is "up and coming," Pannell said.
"Trey Bennett has a live fast ball," Pannell continued. "He reminds me a lot of Jakob Hall." Hall is a former Bartlesville High/Indians player who has been an ace starting pitcher this spring for Oral Roberts University.
Hancock -- a member of the Central Christian baseball program -- has ratcheted up his hummer to the low 80's and "his curve ball has gotten tons better," Pannell said. "He's way more consistent with it."
Last summer, "towards the end of the summer Weber became our best guy out of the pen," Pannell said. "We knew we could rely on him. Weber spent this past year at York College.
Johnson "had a great spring and he could toe the rubber for us," Pannell said.
Winters displayed a positive, energetic attitude last summer for the Indians and turned in some impressive outings, Pannell said. Winters saw mound action this past spring in junior college ball at Carl Albert State.
Rounding out the 16-man roster are Harrison Clark (Bartlesville/Allen Community College), Hayden Catlin (Bartlesville), Luke Fox (Bartlesville), Dawson Morey (Quapaw/Oklahoma Wesleyan), Jace Thompson (Nowata/Coffeyville College), Keegan Woods (Pangburn High, Ark.), and Kayden Young (Sand Springs/Oklahoma Wesleyan).
Pannell eyes desirable depth at catcher, led by returnee Keegan Woods. Pannell also is counting on Morey and Bashford to see a good deal of action behind the platter.
"All three have good arms that can stop baserunners," Pannell said. "Playing Keegan is like having another coach behind the plate. Those three guys could see time in a rotation."
Pannell pointed to Siemers and Bashford as his most versatile weapons.
"I could insert them in all nine positions," he said.
Pannell hopes his squad will insert itself into the momentum of last year's winning season (24-14) and make a deeper postseason impact.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: PRIME CHIME: Bartlesville DF Indians set to ring in baseball season
