Purdy tops 20 wins, sets sights on ’ship

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Purdy baseball team has not won a district championship since 2019, and though the defending state champion is in their district, the Eagles are hoping to return to their championship ways.

Falling in the district title game last season to New Heights Christian, and having been ousted by Marionville the previous three district tournaments in a row, Purdy boasts the state’s No. 2 ranking in Class 2 and a record of 21-1-1 this season — outscoring opponents 222-54 and not giving up more than 7 runs in any game. 

“Most of the year, our pitching’s been very, very good,” said Joshua Hughes, Eagles baseball coach. “We’ve got five or six guys that I feel very confident can get outs for us.”

That depth has allowed Purdy to limit opponents consistently, even when games have tightened due to mistakes behind the mound.

“We’re not giving up a lot of runs,” Hughes said. “When we have, it hasn’t been the pitching as much as defensive mistakes behind them.”

Offensively, Hughes said the Eagles have made noticeable strides compared to a year ago, continuing to emphasize daily improvement.

“We’ve gotten so much better at the plate from this time last year,” Hughes said. “We’re working on our hitting every day to be ready by district time.”

That combination of pitching command and offensive growth has helped Purdy compete beyond its size.

“We’ve had success against bigger schools because we don’t walk guys and we hit our spots,” Hughes said.

On the mound, Purdy has relied on a core group while still building depth throughout the staff.

“Damon Mahurin, Hunter Wormington and Grady Mahurin have started most of our games,” Hughes said. “We’ve also had Daniel Aldaba and Quentin Dodson get starts, and Simon Walker and Jackson Lee coming out of the bullpen. We’ve got seven guys with varsity innings. We feel like we can throw any one of them out there.”

That consistency led to a SouthWest Central League conference title, the last for the squad as it moves into the Ozark 7 next season.

“The boys really wanted to win that last conference championship,” Hughes said. “We’re excited about moving to the Ozark 7 there next year.”

Attention now shifts to district play at Marionville, where the Eagles expect to be among the top seeds. voting was held on Tuesday after presstime.

“We’ll be the one or two seed, I feel like,” Hughes said. “Miller is the defending state champion, so we’ll see how the coaches vote.”

The district field presents a familiar and challenging path, with several capable contenders.

“Jasper has a couple really good pitchers,” Hughes said. “New Heights has a really good pitcher, too. We beat Marionville early, but they’ve been playing well. They just beat a good Ash Grove team.”

At the top of the bracket, Hughes knows who sets the standard.

“Miller is the team to beat in Class 2 right now,” Hughes said.

To make a deep run, Hughes said execution across all phases will be critical.

“We’ve got to be playing our best at that time,” Hughes said. “We need to shore up some things on defense and keep pitching the way we have.”

Equally important, he said, is maintaining the chemistry that has defined the group.

“Our kids are super close right now,” Hughes said. “They want to be around each other and be on the baseball field together.”

That cohesion, paired with balanced play, gives Purdy confidence entering the postseason.

“If we can keep that chemistry, improve our defense and keep progressing at the plate, we’ve got a shot to beat anybody,” Hughes said.

Leadership from the senior class has also played a key role in guiding the team through the season.

“Our seniors are doing a great job leading,” Hughes said. “They’re very unselfish. Damon is our number one on the mound and he’s 7-1. Easton [Goetz] has done a great job at catcher, and Frankie [Salas] has been really good for us at the plate.

“Simon has hit in multiple spots and plays a great left field,” Hughes said. “Eric [Garcia] gives us good at-bats off the bench and can play multiple positions.”

As districts approach, Hughes said the formula remains straightforward — continue building on what has worked all season.

“If we do all three things — hit, defend and pitch — we’ve got a chance,” Hughes said. “If we don’t, anybody can beat us.”