Park Hill South baseball will lean on strong pitching

After achieving a 14-9 record last season, the Park Hill South Panthers lost a group of seniors known for their hitting. While the 2011 campaign will bring back a core of seniors to take their place, Josh Walker’s team will need to find a way to replace the hitting in order to be successful behind what is sure to be a talented pitching staff.

“I think our overall record will hinge on our hitting. With our pitching and defense we’ll be alright there,” Walker said. “We’ve got a core group back from last year. It’s not the same core, but they have the same values that are carried on and learned from their peers.”

The Panthers’ strength will be on the pitching mound with their senior left-handed ace Adam Schemenauer towering at 6’9”. With a letter of intent already submitted to Louisville, Schemenauer will be looking to lead Park Hill South to a strong season while also keeping one eye on being potentially drafted later this year.

“I think I’d do a disservice not to tout him. I’ve got a lot of scouts contacting me, I mean 6’9” lefties don’t grow on trees,” Walker said. “He’s got a lot to look forward to.”

Don’t expect a step down when Schemenauer is out of the rotation though, as first basemen John Christopher will also play a role for the Panthers on the mound.

“John is getting looks from colleges too, so it’s not like we’re losing a lot when we go from Adam to John,” Walker said. “We’ve got some other guys that can give us some big innings too.”

Walker says his team has focused heavily on scrimmaging in the early season. Getting innings under their belt early will allow them to work on the more particulars as the season progresses. While South is neither a veteran or young team, they could start as many as eight seniors on opening day, but along with their sophomore catcher will see a few underclassmen fighting for positions. Returning with varsity experience from last year include infielders Brice Turner, Kendrick White, and Kyle Wilenbrink which will give the Panthers a good foundation to build around.

“We’ve got some experience,” Walker said. “Looking pretty good defensively and pitching wise, just have to get them to swing the bats.”

South will start the season with five games in six days and their conference schedule will feature some long-distance trips with Belton, Raytown, and William Chrisman. The closest match-up might be their toughest as Winnetonka will bring back a quality squad this season.

From year to year, Walker believes there is one constant that he hopes shines through each season and that is having kids who are also good teammates.

“We carry over some strengths like communication and teamwork,” Walker said. “I think the kids get along well with each other which is something we try to build into the program.”

Park Hill baseball hopes to build on stellar 2010

After coming off the school’s best baseball season in history where their 17-6 record advanced them to the state quarterfinals for the first time, Park Hill returns just two starters and a handful of lettermen to the 2011 squad. While this year’s team will have a lot of new faces, the Trojans and coach Greg Reynolds know in order to build a program it requires successful seasons every year.

“Last year was great, but this year we have a chance to put our program where we want it to be,” Reynolds said. “Coming back after losing 11 seniors, playing well, putting together a record we want and getting back to the playoffs, now that would put our program where we want it.”

The three most experienced players returning include first baseman and slugger Adam Vanderpool, second baseman and pitcher Nathan Shores, and pitcher Luke Burnidge. These three will serve as the most experienced of their fellow teammates, but Reynolds believes there are several advantages to having a young team with positions up for grabs and players needing to prove themselves.

“One of their strengths is they are understanding things a little quicker than some of the more experienced teams we’ve had around,” Reynolds said. “We’ve got a lot of options for the things we consider holes right now and fighting for varsity jobs which will make us better, the competition will help.”

The firepower that came with last year’s team will be substituted for the Trojans’ focus on sound strategy and basics which thankfully cater to some of their emerging strong points.

“We’ve got some guys that can put the ball in play, but not with the power we did last year,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to have to play more small ball this year.”

There are a handful of players Reynolds will seek additional support from. Zach Thompson (SS), Zach Anderson(C), Jake Jones (3B), and Adam Fossett (2B/OF) will contribute to what will likely be a strong infield. While Jones and Fosdick will be interchangeable at the lead-off and middle lineup slots in the order at first, Reynolds says Thompson is baseball savvy and Anderson can play just about any position he’s needed at, creating a well-rounded group of athletes.

Reynolds sees two keys to this year’s squad. The first is the amount of walks his pitchers give up. Secondly, being able to bat around .300 as a team or slightly below means they won’t have to rely on the long-ball as in the past.

A young team will be paired with a difficult schedule featuring district or conference implications almost every time they step on the field. The untested Trojans hope to use it as a challenge.

“Every game will be very important. I don’t see a lot of games where it won’t mean very much,” Reynolds said. “Plus, with our kids wanting to prove themselves in a fighting battle for every game, I’m thinking we’ll take each pitch a little more seriously.”