Wheaton relying on experience early in season

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Wheaton baseball team opened its campaign with five straight wins and the Verona Tournament championship, aiming to continue its pace with a strong returning core and depth on the mound.

Seven lettermen return to the Bulldogs, and Coach Nathan Jones said pitching is expected to be a strength, with multiple arms capable of contributing in key situations.

“Guys that will see the most time are senior Riley Roller, who does a very good job of mixing speeds and filling up the strike zone; junior Bodie Lauderdale, who is our go to guy when it comes to must win big games; as well as junior Brody Bateman,” Jones said. “Our other two juniors, Mitchell Shockley and Logan Brattin, give us a ton of depth and usually do a great job closing out games for us.”

Behind the plate, Wheaton will rely on a pair of juniors.

“Brattin and Bodie Lauderdale will see most of the innings behind the plate,” Jones said.

The infield features a mix of experience and youth across multiple positions.

“When Roller isn’t on the mound, he will primarily play third base,” Jones said. “Bateman will be our starting shortstop, freshman Kaman Kinnaman did most of the work at second base this fall, and sophomore Casen Bolton is our starting first baseman.”

In the outfield, leadership and competition for playing time will shape the lineup.

“Our other senior, Evan Pyle, will lead our outfield in center field, with Shockley in left and sometime in center, and three guys fighting for playing time in right field in junior Senji Chang, sophomore Matt Young and freshman Jayden Eggleston,” Jones said.

Leadership will be anchored by a senior who sets the tone for the program.

“Roller is our leader on and off the field,” Jones said. “He is the type of guy that isn’t afraid to tell guys when they need to pick their energy and effort up. He is someone that everyone looks to when things go wrong to right the ship. Him, along with Bateman and Brattin, will be who keeps our team in the right mindset all year long.”

Jones said the team has made strides collectively during the offseason.

“I think as a team last fall and all winter, we had guys really buy in to what we were trying to do as a program,” Jones said. “They have all put in great hours off the field and in the weight room to improve all the areas of their abilities which lead to us having a successful fall and into this spring.”

Depth on the mound gives Wheaton confidence heading into the season.

“I think our pitching staff is very deep,” Jones said. “We have five guys I’m not afraid to throw against anyone at any time that I think will give us a great chance to win any game.”

Consistency at the plate will be a focus moving forward.

“We need to be more consistent up and down the entire lineup with our at bats at the plate,” Jones said. “We had some guys at the top really carry us this fall and for us to be more consistent the whole team will need to improve.”

The Bulldogs aim to establish a disciplined, resilient identity.

“I think we will be a no-excuse type of team,” Jones said. “We have put in a ton of effort in maturing as a team and understanding everything isn’t going to go our way and we can’t control the other team, we just have to control the controllables and produce the best outcomes we can.”

At 7-3 so far, expectations remain high as the season continues.

“I think if we build off our positive steps from the fall into the spring I believe we can be one of the best teams in our district this year,” Jones said. “It will be up to us to go out on the field and prove it.”

Wheat last fell to Walnut Grove, 6-3, in the Wheatland tournament. The Bulldogs next travel to Southwest on Monday for a 5 p.m. first pitch.