Goals set high for Tiger baseball

The bar has been set high for this year's Fort Scott High School baseball team. Third-year head coach Josh Regan has 30 players out for his squad this season, one which is still relatively young as there are just two seniors on the team.

"It's a lot but it's a solid 30," Regan said Wednesday afternoon. "Top to bottom, we're very, very good."

Every player who started in the Tigers' first-round playoff win over Louisburg -- one of only five home games they got to play last year -- returns along with two others who didn't get into that game but did see quite a bit of playing time during the season. That's part of the reason that the Kansas Baseball Coaches Association saw fit to vote the Tigers (15-5 last season) into a tie for 10th in the Class 4A-Division I pre-season poll.

"We were extremely young two years ago," Regan said. "We were still young last year. And we're still young this year, honestly. But the bar's extremely high this year. We're the defending SEK (Southeast Kansas League) champs. We're ranked 10th in the preseason.

"From the beginning, we've had a high expectation and we've talked about that a lot. This the first time that I've set as a team goal the possibility of being state champions. Not to be arrogant whatsoever. We've got to go out and win games. We're zero and zero right now; those wins we got last year mean nothing. We've got to go out and earn it all over again."

The spring break trip to Florida to watch the Washington Nationals -- and FSHS graduate Adam LaRoche -- in camp was also a chance for the team to develop some chemistry. Only three players were not able to make the trip, during which Regan said they had to make observations about how the Nationals do things and turn in "homework" about it.

"I knew it would be huge for our chemistry," Regan said. "It was a sure-fire way of getting every kid to every spring break practice. Nice weather; there's a reason major-league teams have spring training down in Florida. It was a great opportunity to go down there and practice. And also, beyond that, it's a great grout of kids and I wanted to give them that once-in-a-lifetime experience that this provided. I felt they deserved that.

"Coaching high school is about the experience and what they players will carry into their lives afterwards. I felt like that trip was something that would have an impact on them as men and not just as baseball players."

Defense will again be a strength for the Tigers, who lost only once when allowing 4 runs or fewer last season. Regan also feels his team is improved at the plate, which will give them a better chance in the first game of a doubleheader when the opponent is likely to send out its best pitcher.

"Last year, especially early in the year, we struggled against a team's ace," Regan said. "We'd usually get on the No. 2 pitcher pretty good in the second game. This year, I expect for us to be able to hit anyone's No. 1. Not to be arrogant, but that's got to be our mindset. Most of these guys have been varsity starters for three years and it's time to take it to that level."

Pitching will also be a strength for the Tigers. Junior Ryan Pickert was 5-0 last season and classmate Mason Knopp was 3-2 with a save. Also able to pitch are juniors Wyatt Reehl (1-2) and Jacob Payne (2-0) and sophomores Carter Young and Kaleb DeLaTorre.

The staff may not have one of those big power arms. But they do have a great knowledge of how to pitch and they can be confident in the defense behind them.

"We play defense and we hit well enough and we do the little things well enough that if our staff keeps us in the game, we're going to have a great shot at it," Regan said. "Mason and Ryan, I'll put them up against anybody. They know how to get guys out and that's more important than anything."

The rest of the starting lineup has some flexibility, depending on who's pitching. For instance, either Knopp or junior Chase Brown will be the catcher. Freshman Grant Goldston may even see a few innings behind the plate.

Payne will play first base when he's not pitching. DeLaTorre will play second, senior Jacob Durossette at shortstop and junior Benjamin Labbe at third base. Brown can also play on the infield. Sophomore Dalton Barnes can play second or short. And Young and junior Ajele (AJ) Smith can play in the infield or the outfield. Young can play first or third. Smith can play second base.

Junior Jake Bradbury is set as the starter in left field. Classmate Alex Fink is penciled in at center and senior Zach Denton is the starter in right. Young, Reehl and junior Drew Martin are also candidates to play in the outfield.

Regan says that there's enough depth on this team that the starting lineup could change through the season as the players are making some decisions tough.

"We knew last year, we talked about this, that we'll have some very tough decisions to make down the stretch of this season," he says. "It's certainly a good problem to have. A lot of times, high school teams have the same eight or nine starters for all 20 games. I think we'll mix and match based on who's pitching, based on who's hot. Our lineup will look slightly different from night to night.

"I think this team is pretty unselfish and they've all bought in to the main goal which is to do damage as a team. That's where we're at as a program and that's exciting."

There wasn't a pre-season media conference this season, so who the SEK league coaches would pick as the favorite isn't known. But Regan sees Coffeyville, Labette County, Pittsburg and Chanute -- which is coached by another FSHS grad, Josh Messer -- as the teams to watch in a league that will be better overall this season.

Coffeyville and LCHS were also young teams last season, Regan said. Pittsburg feels it's better and Chanute feels that it's solid based on conversations he's had with their coaches.

"I think the league will probably be up from last year," Regan says. "Which is good. When you're talking about going to the State tournament and doing damage, you want to play the best teams, night in and night out. I think the SEK will give us an opportunity to do that."

Fort Scott's season begins Monday against Nevada at Lions Field. The varsity game will begin at 4:30 p.m. to be followed by the junior varsity contest.

NOTES -- Unlike last season, when the Tigers had just five home games -- four in the regular season -- the varsity is scheduled to play at home eight times for a total of 15 games. Beginning with Monday's game, Fort Scott's first seven games will be at home. However, this means the junior varsity team will begin the season at home against Nevada, then have five straight road dates. Their next home game won't be until May 9 against Parsons....

Defending champion Topeka Hayden was voted No. 1 by the KBCA in the pre-season poll. DeSoto was picked second followed by Ottawa, Andover Central, Paola, Spring Hill, Towanda-Circle. Bishop Miege and Mulvane. Fort Scott was voted in a tie for 10th with Augusta....

Fort Scott will host Paola on April 15....

Circle finished third in last year's Class 4A State Tournament, beating DeSoto in the third-place game. Coffeyville also qualified for State, losing to eventual runner-up Iola in the first round. Andover Central was a qualifier in Class 5A last season....

Baseball is one of the sports that was split into divisions in Class 4A this season. Fort Scott, Coffeyville, Independence, Labette County and Chanute are 4A-Division I schools while Parsons is in 4A-II. Pittsburg is in Class 5A....

2014 FORT SCOTT HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Bold -- Southeast Kansas League games.

All dates are doubleheaders and begin at 4:30 unless indicated.

VARSITY

Monday....................NEVADA (one game), 4:30

April 3........................................GIRARD

April 8.....................................LOUISBURG

April 10.......................................PITTSBURG

April 15......................................at Parsons

April 22..................................INDEPENDENCE

April 25............................LABETTE COUNTY

April 28..........................................PAOLA

May 1...................................at Coffeyville

May 2....................at Nevada (one game), 4:30

May 15.............................................CHANUTE

Junior varsity

Monday..................NEVADA (one game), 7 p.m.

April 7.....................................at Independence

April 8..................................at Louisburg

April 14....................................at Pittsburg

April 21...........................................at Paola

April 28.................................at Labette County

May 2..................at Nevada (one game), 7 p.m.

May 3.................at Colgan Tournament, 9 a.m.

May 9............................................PARSONS

May 13.........................................COFFEYVILLE

May 15..............................................CHANUTE