The regular season for the Fort Scott Community College baseball program is approaching quickly. The Hounds will open the regular season February 11 at the LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott. John Hill III will enter his 9th season as the head coach of the Hounds, and is just 33 wins shy of winning his 300th career game as a head coach. Coach Hill's tenure at Fort Scott has included many outstanding baseball accolades, but this season the team has put itself once again in contention to compete for a national championship in the classroom. With a fall GPA of 3.48, the Hounds are in contention for the top spot.
"I have been incredibly impressed with the efforts of our players both on the field, and in the classroom. Our players take the core values of the program, and make them their own. That is the greatest feeling as a coach, to know that the players take such pride in the values we preach," Hill said.
2017 Sophomore Outlook
Spring practice began for the Hounds on January, 17th. The program returns ten players, and has added two transfers to the team. On the mound, Justin O'Laughlin (Chandler, Oklahoma), and Boby Johnson (Miller, Missouri), will claim the first two spots in the rotation. While returning pitchers only accounted for 37 percent of the innings last year, the coaches will look to a strong core of sophomores to lead the staff this season. Right handed arms Nick Sloan (Paola, Kansas), and Avery Boehm (Paola, Kansas), will be the Greyhounds go to arms from the bullpen this season. Also look for left handed pitcher Kevin Land (Crosby, Texas), and transfer righty Keller Agre (Olathe, Kansas) to make significant impacts for the Hounds.
"Pitching undoubtedly is the area that we need our sophomores to step up the most. We've had some injuries this fall that have forced us to rely on a smaller number of pitchers than in years past. However, I feel really good about the work these guys have done, and feel comfortable using them in critical spots. Most of all we need these sophomores to lead the staff. Regardless of whatever happened last year, it's a new year and a clean slate for these guys," Hill added.
Offensively the Hounds return just 3 regular contributors from last season's team. Shortstop Danny Crews (Springfield, Missouri), Catcher Harrison Whitworth (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma), and Outfielder Mackay Williams (Overland Park, Kansas), all saw significant time for FSCC last season. Outfielder Mitch Sloan also returns after a redshirt due to injury. In addition the Hounds have added transfer catcher Brandon Krennrich (McHenry, IL) to help assist. If the offense is going to be successful, it will be important that the returning players produce close to the level they did last season.
"I am excited to see what this offense can do this spring. We don't return very much, but from what I saw this fall I am confident that this group will get the job done this season," Hill said.
2017 Freshman Outlook
Greyhound baseball added many promising pieces for the upcoming season. 19 freshmen will see their first college playing time in 2017. Coach Hill is excited about the new players making their debut in 2017:
"It is always an exciting time to see what all of the hard work we have done in recruiting produces. I am especially excited about this group, as I have already seen our new players excel on the field in fall scrimmages, and in the classroom. It will be fun to watch when we play games for wins and losses."
On the pitching side of things the Hounds have 10 new arms for 2017. Thomas Connor (Liberty Missouri), Tyler Henninger (Castle Rock, Colorado), Zach Ponce (Atoscosa, Texas), Treston Rook (Olathe, Kansas), Nathan Miller (Topeka, Kansas), Kobie Schmitt (Colorado Springs, Colorado), Kyle Smith (Willard, Missouri), Joe Fragano (Fort Worth, Texas), and Brian Aranda (Emporia, Kansas).
"We expect, and need big innings from these freshman pitchers this season. We intentionally recruit a smaller roster so that we can have the kids we want, and know are going to be quality talent. However with that is always the worry about depth on our team. These pitchers have shown the ability to get the job done; now we need them to carry over into the spring, and stay healthy," Hill said.
Offensively the Hounds added some bats that will be able to make an impact quickly. Catchers Ben Kiefer (Southlake, Texas), and Andrew Morrow (Omaha, Nebraska), both feature the ability to play quality defense, and swing power bats to change the dynamic of the Hounds lineup. A lot of athleticism has been added to the outfield, which is always tricky with the strong winds of a Kansas spring. Ben McConnell (Corinth, Texas), and Mitch McCallister (Lees Summitt, Missouri), will help provide some athleticism and speed to an outfield that will need it at blustery Lions field. On the infield the Hounds have added Andruw Mckenzie (Burleson, Texas), Sean Moore (Waxahachie, Texas,), Aris Nakagawa (Honolulu Hawaii), Carter Young (Fort Scott, Kansas), and Quinn Waterbury (Plano, Texas).
"I feel as though the group of players we have for the upcoming season is one that could really accomplish some special things in all avenues of the program. They have been professional in their conduct, and have really worked hard to prepare for the upcoming year. We are going to need every player on our roster to help us this upcoming season. 56 games is a lot of games for these guys, but they have prepared for five months to get to this point. It's always an exciting time of year when the season is about to start, the coaching staff is very excited!" Hill said.
Fort Scott opens the season February 11th against Cloud County Community College at The LaRoche Complex. Follow the Greyhounds live throughout the season on gamechanger, and all home games will be broadcasted with a live video feed through iscore. Information on how to access these avenues can be found on the Fort Scott Greyhound website www.fsgreyhounds.com.