BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
Under new leadership coming off an 11-14 season, the Cassville baseball team is focused on the process.
Simon Beeson, former assistant coach in his first year as head coach, said the main goal for Cassville is a common one — get better every day.
“Our goal is simply to seek improvement day in and day out,” Beeson said. “When we focus too much on the numbers and wins/losses, it’s easy to lose focus, whether things are going well or poorly.”
Last year, Cassville strung together back-to-back-wins three times, but the campaign came to a halt with a five-game skid. This year, Beeson said the Wildcats have one of the tougher schedules in the area.
“I think we’ve got a pretty tough one,” he said. “Between simply playing in the Big 8 and scheduling teams like Logan-Rogersville, Forsyth, Strafford and Clever, I’d say we’ve got one of the tougher schedules around the league.”
Leading the Wildcats into the new era will be five returners: Evan Butler, Gates, Easton Hughes, Bodee Rose and Colton Roark.
“Evan has a strong bat at the plate and will find any way on base he can,” Beeson said. “He has good arm and talented infielder, Simon is a good arm behind the plate, controls runners well and has really shown improvement in his blocking abilities. Easton is a sophomore who got good experience at varsity level last year. He has a good bat and will be playing new position on defense and has bought in well.
“Bodee is a talented center fielder with a strong arm. He will see a lot of innings on the mound as well, and he has good power at the plate. Colton is just a good all-around athlete with a live arm. He’s extremely versatile in the field and can play anywhere.”
Seniors Butler, Gates and Rose, as well as fellow class of 2025 players Austyn Meltabarger and Miller Reid, aim to provide peer motivation this season.
“Evan has surprised me with the way he’s really taken on his leadership role,” Beeson said. “He’s bought into the idea of leaving behind a better place than when he arrived, and he has no problem holding his teammates accountable when they’re not meeting team expectations.
“All of our seniors do a great job of leading by example, doing everything with the right focus level and enthusiasm, and they all do a great job of taking the younger guys under their wings to teach them not just the skills, but the way we go about our routines within the program.”
Leading into the campaign, Beeson said he’s been happy with the bats, but hitting is only one aspect of the game.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the way we’ve hit so far this spring, but overall, I’d still say we will lean heavy on our pitchers’ ability to throw strikes and command the zone and our defense’ ability to make the routine plays behind them.
“We can still work on our offensive approach and mentality at the plate, as well as situational awareness on defense.”
Cassville hopes to iron out any wrinkles by the season’s end, as excitement for one contest is already building.
“If I have to choose just one game for fans to pack the stands, I will always say senior night, which this year is scheduled for May 8 against Reeds Spring. That being said, I want as many fans as possible at all the games. We’ve got some good opponents scheduled to come to our place and we’d love to see the community out in force.”
A quality Beeson hopes those fans see in his players is their resiliency, saying he and his coaching staff have put their players to work.
“As a staff we’ve really coached this group hard, and they haven’t backed down from any of it one step of the way,” Beeson said. “They’re going to see adversity this year, just like every other year, but I believe this group is going to handle it just fine and continue an upward trend.”
Cassville started the season at Strafford on Friday, falling 15-3. The Wildcats host the Cassville Classic Thursday through Saturday.
