4 seniors asked to lead slew of returners this season

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

With multiple returning starters, the Cassville baseball team this spring is going through a philosophy change, shifting to put greater emphasis on the process as the season gets underway.

“We’ve tried to somewhat distance ourselves from result-oriented goals and shifted our focus towards being process-oriented,” said Simon Beeson, Cassville baseball coach. “As results are entirely out of our control 99% of the time, we’ve tried to get our guys to focus more on their character and process that leads up to the result they desire.

“What was their focus area when hitting off the tee? What was their intent in the bullpen? Did they utilize their time in the on deck circle appropriately?”

Beeson said returning experience will be a strength for this year’s team.

“We have several returning starters, most of whom were just sophomores last year and gained a lot of varsity experience for the first time, which will serve them well this year,” he said. “We have a lot of versatility throughout our lineup, guys that are pretty good athletes overall and not limited as to where they can play defensively. We have four seniors returning, as well, and all have good experience and strong arms on the mound and in the field.”

Beeson said competition within the program has been strong, especially with a large freshman class.

“Our freshman class is fairly large and full of good athletes as well, which helps us as a team when it comes to creating competition within practice,” Beeson said. “Our guys have been competing really hard against each other and it’s helped to culminate a culture of pushing each other past their boundaries and out of their comfort zones.

“The sooner our guys get comfortable being uncomfortable, the higher our ceiling will be as a team, and as individual players.”

Beeson said his expectations for the senior class go beyond on-field performance.

“We only have the four seniors this year, but I do have high expectations for all of them that honestly don’t have anything to do with on field results,” Beeson said. “My expectations for my seniors have everything to do with the way they conduct themselves on and off the field.

“As seniors they know the standards we have as a coaching staff and the manner in which we expect those standards to be met. ‘m looking, first and foremost, for the way they conduct themselves at school. How serious are you taking your academics? How do you act in the hallways between classes? Are you a disruption in class, or do your teachers look forward to having you in class?”

Beyond the halls and classrooms of Cassville High School, Beeson said the practice field is his next area of attention.

“Are they focused?” he said. “Are they going through all of our pre-practice routines correctly and not going through the motions? How are they interacting with the underclassmen who they’re supposed to be leading and bringing up to the standard we’ve set?

“Are they a living breathing walking example of the standard we’ve set, which is to graduate respectable young men of good character who will go on to become beneficial, productive members of society? Because that is the basis of this program.”

Beeson said defense will be a strength for the team entering this year’s campaign.

“I think our defense is most proficient right now,” Beeson said. “We’ve got good athletes who can cover ground and make plays; it’s just going to be up to our pitchers to throw strikes and force contact. We can’t defend walks, and those killed us last year.

“Offensively I’ve been pleasantly surprised with where we are so early in the season, but still lots of room for improvement, particularly within our approach.”

Beeson said pitching and hitting will be key areas of focus moving forward.

“We only threw 56% strikes last year, and it hurt us big time, so the biggest focus for our pitchers is being more competitive and having better intent with our locations,” he said. “Offensively, we have to cut down on our strikeouts and find ways to put the ball in play and give ourselves a chance — force the defense to make plays.”

Beeson said senior night remains a highlight of the season.

“Just like last year, I will always choose senior night [as the go-to game],” Beeson said. “Our seniors deserve a good turnout on their night of recognition, and I would love for our community to come out in full force and give them the sendoff they’ve earned.”

Beeson said the schedule this season will provide a challenge for his team.

“It’s tough,” Beeson said. “We’ve got 29 games scheduled, including three tournaments with good opponents who all made solid runs in the postseason last year. As long as we stay focused on our character and process, and stay healthy, we should have no problem being competitive within our district and our conference.”

As games get underway, Beeson said team chemistry has stood out early.

“I don’t know how much it separates us from other schools, but the thing I’ve noticed most about this year’s team is how much fun they seem to have just being around one another,” Beeson said. “They enjoy one another’s company and there’s a deeper sense of brotherhood amongst them —which hopefully translates to a willingness to fight for each other instead of for personal glory.”

The Wildcats kicked off the season on Thursday with a 10-5 loss to Gainsville in the 28th Annual Forsyth Tournament, then a 5-9 loss to El Dorado Springs and a 15-7 win over Dadeville.

The Cassville Classic runs Thursday through Saturday in Cassville, and the regular-season home opener is April 2 against Marionville.