With the high school baseball season starting this week, here are five storylines to watch this spring in the NewsTribune area.
Can Henry-Senachwine have more postseason success?
The Mallards’ senior class has had a lot of postseason success in their careers.
As freshmen, Carson Rowe, Jacob Miller and Ben Meachum were part of Henry’s run to the Class 1A state championship game.
After not winning any hardware as sophomores, the senior group helped the Mallards to a regional title last spring before losing 3-1 in the sectional semifinal to Lexington, which went on to place fourth in state.
Henry is poised to make another run this season as the Mallards only lost one player from last year’s roster and return their entire starting lineup.
How will St. Bede fare in a step up to Class 2A?
St. Bede has been bumped up to Class 2A for the first time since 2019. The Bruins have had success in 2A in the past with five 2A regional titles along with a state appearance under coach Bill Booker in 2015.
The Bruins have an experienced roster for their return to 2A as they graduated only two players from last year’s team that went 27-5.
St. Bede brings back 18 of its pitching wins and over 130 innings pitched along with the bulk of its offensive production.
New coaches take over at Mendota, Princeton
Mendota and Princeton have new coaches this spring as Jim Eustice takes over the Trojans, and long-time assistant Patrick Smith takes over the Tigers.
Eustice became Mendota’s football coach in the fall, helping the Trojans snap a 16-game losing streak and winning two games in a season for the first time since 2022 and just the third time since 2011.
Eustice, who previously was an assistant baseball coach at St. Bede and an umpire, looks to help improve the baseball program as well. The Trojans have not had a winning season since 2017 and haven’t won a regional title since 2009.
The Trojans return a solid core of experienced players as they look to take a step forward.
Smith served as Princeton’s third base coach and made mound visits the last three seasons under former coach Wick Warren. Princeton, which went 10-13-1 last season, lost its top four bats but does return six players with varsity experience.
Will Bureau Valley, Fieldcrest benefit from a drop down to Class 1A
Bureau Valley and Fieldcrest have both been in Class 2A since the inception of the four-class system in 2008, but this spring the Storm and Knights have dropped down to Class 1A.
Neither program has won a regional championship since 2009. With a drop in class, can either the Storm or Knights end their regional drought?
Bureau Valley is coming off a 22-win season, and while the Storm graduated a strong senior class, they do return a handful of experienced starters, including ace pitcher Logan Philhower.
Fieldcrest returns five starters from last year’s 13-14 team, including four players who have been multi-year starters on the varsity.
Who will rise to the top?
St. Bede’s Alan Spencer graduated after earning NewsTribune Baseball Player of the Year last spring, so the award is up for grabs.
Spencer’s former teammate Gus Burr could potentially take the top spot. He was one of the area’s top run-producers last season, leading the area in RBIs (46) and scoring 36 runs, which ranked second in the area. Junior teammate Geno Dinges (.387, 36 runs, 13 RBIs) could also be in the mix.
Hall senior Braden Curran was a strong two-way player. He was 5-2 with a 1.29 ERA and also hit .295 with 23 runs, 19 RBIs and 23 steals.
Putnam County senior Johnathon Stunkel excelled at the plate and on the mound last spring. He led the area in home runs (five) and doubles (17) last year while hitting .407 with 36 runs and 17 RBIs. He went 5-4 with a 0.89 ERA. Teammate Traxton Mattingly, a junior who has been a varsity starter since he was a freshman, also could contend as he hit .360 with 11 doubles, 36 runs and 27 RBIs last year.
Bureau Valley senior Logan Philhower has been the ace pitcher for the Storm the past two seasons. He already owns the school’s career records for wins (14) and strikeouts (224) after winning eight games with 103 Ks last spring. Philhower also hit .369 with 35 runs and 31 RBIs.
Henry-Senachwine senior Carson Rowe has been a mainstay for the Mallards since starting his freshman year and helping the team to a state runner-up finish. He had a 2.59 ERA last season and threw two complete games in the postseason. He hit .341 with four triples and 17 steals.
La Salle-Peru’s Grey Ernat, Jett Hill and Gavin Kallis, Earlville’s Aaden Browder, Fieldcrest’s Eli and Layten Gerdes and Drew Overocker could all be in the mix, or someone else could emerge.