After winning 20 games for the first time in many years and finishing the 2023 season with a robust record of 20-6, the Houston High School baseball team will soon begin its encore.
Five players who played key roles for several seasons have graduated, but the good news is that four starters on last year’s squad return for more, including seniors Wyatt Hughes, Stone Jackson and Aiden Kelly, and junior Shaun Buck. The Tigers will again be led by head coach Brent Hall, who is in his 27th season at the helm of HHS baseball.
“I’ve been around forever,” said Hall, “so these guys know my routine, they know what I expect, and they do what I feel like is needed. Sometimes it kind of runs itself; they just know, and that’s a good thing to have.
“And the older I get, the more thankful I am for that.”
Last season ended in disappointing fashion for the Tigers, as they fell to county rival and eventual Class 3 state champion Licking in the Class 3 District 9 championship game at Tiger Field.
Hall expects several seniors who haven’t seen much playing time in the past to get their chance this year. Included in that group are Grayson Mitchell (infield, outfield, pitcher), Jake Allen (infield, outfield, pitcher) Gage Yardley (first base), Keaton Goetz (outfield) and Sheldon Starr (outfield).
“Hats off to those guys who didn’t play much last year,” Hall said. “They’re all back and want to be here, and they’re going to take their turn and run with it.”
Hall said pitching should once again be one of the Tigers’ primary strengths, with a rotation including Hughes, Kelly, Jackson and Buck, and support from several other players (both upperclassmen and underclassmen). The team’s large number of older players is also a plus.
“Even though some of them don’t have a lot of experience, they’ve been around the game a long time,” Hall said, “and that should benefit us.”
Kelly had a breakout season in 2023 as an All-State outfielder who hit .408 with 29 hits, 22 RBIs and 22 stolen bases, while also posting a 2-0 record on the mound. This year, he will be behind the plate whenever he’s not on the mound. Hall said the former All-State outfielder worked diligently last summer with a travel-ball team in Rolla to learn the ins and outs of being a catcher.
“He got in a lot of games and got a lot of good experience,” Hall said. “We kind of saw this coming; it’s what we had to do, and this is where we need him. But our guys are always willing to do whatever is needed for us to be successful, and that’s another thing I’m very thankful for.”
Kelly will bat in the lead-off spot, up from seventh last year.
“He’ll be our table setter,” Hall said. “I think he’ll do well with that.”
Hall expects Jackson and Hughes to pick up where they left off last season at the plate, and figures several other players will produce on offense, including Goetz, Mitchell and Allen. Last year, the lower portion of the Tigers’ lineup produced hits and runs prolifically, and Hall hopes for the same kind of top-to-bottom production this year.
“We’ll definitely score some runs,” Hall said. “But you don’t win lots of games with your top four batters, you win with your bottom five. Everybody’s got a good top four, so it’s usually a battle of who has the best bottom – especially in the big games.”
Buck, Hughes and Jackson each received South Central Association All-Conference recognition last year.
Jackson hit .372 in 2023, with a team-high 32 hits and 20 RBIs.
“We have a team with a lot of potential,” he said. “There are a lot of holes to fill since we had so many seniors graduate last year, but as long as we work hard, we should be just fine.”
As well as being one of the team’s offensive leaders in 2023, Hughes had a 1.97 ERA on the mound, and had a monster outing in May, striking out 17 batters in a home game against Ellington.
“Last year, we had a core group of seniors who really led,” he said, “and now we have a lot of guys who will be playing a lot for the first time. Some kids are just going to have to step up, but I think we have a good chance to be a salty team that can sneak up on some teams.
“We’re just going to have to be tough and play fundamental baseball. I’m confident that we can do our best and have a good year.”
Hall’s program includes a whopping 33 players this season (the most in his tenure), including 14 freshmen. In turn, plans are in place for freshmen games to be played as well as varsity and junior varsity.
“I’m kind of figuring out how to manage practice with so many players,” Hall said. “And with so many seniors graduating, next year’s team will look very different, so the young guys need to get in as many innings as possible since their turns are coming soon. We’re doing what we can to help everyone get better and succeed, but it’s a little rough with so many guys.”
Houston hosted a preseason jamboree with Cabool and Plato on Monday of this week. The Tigers begin their season this weekend at the Liberty Wood Bat Tournament and host the Houston Wood Bat Tournament next week.
As with any team in any season, execution will be crucial for the Tigers to reach their goal of a lengthy postseason run.
“Even though we have a lot of veteran guys, a lot of them are still improving,” Hall said, “so the execution of fundamentals and the finer points is going to be important.”
2024 HHS BASEBALL ROSTER
2024 HHS BASEBALL SCHEDULE
March 11: Houston Jamboree, TBA (V)
March 15: Liberty Wood Bat, TBA (V)
March 18-22: Houston Wood Bat Tournament, TBA (V)
March 23: St. James, noon (V)
March 25: Seymour, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
March 26: Liberty, 4:30 p.m. (V)
March 28: West Plains, 4:30 p.m. (Fr.)
March 29-30: Alton Tournament, TBA (V)
April 1: Salem, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 4: Mountain Grove, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 5-6: Plato Spring Classic, TBA (V)
April 8: Thayer, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 9: Norwood, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 15: Cabool, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 18: Ava, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 22: Willow Springs, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
April 23: Summersville, 4:30 p.m. (V)
April 25: Licking, 5 p.m. (V, JV)
April 29: Hartville, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
May 2: Ellington, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
May 7: Mansfield, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
May 9: Plato, 4:30 p.m. (V, JV)
*Home games in bold