2023 BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PREVIEWS

es are really starting to move. Hitting-wise, we have some ladies with some pop in their bats, but we will look to be gap hitters and move runners around when they’re on.

Pittsfield Baseball

Coach: Jerred Heinz

Last year’s record: 21-9

Returning starters: Nolan Daniel (.362 BA, .455 OBP, 26 RBI, 12 SB) -- Nolan was solid for us all year offensively in the two hole and covers a lot of ground in center field. He’ll be utilized out of the bullpen this season.

Konner Allen (.352 BA, .417 OBP, 24 RBI/54 IP, 1.82 ERA, 67 K) -- Was the ace of our pitching staff last season and will probably be hitting third or fourth in our lineup.

Brennen Tomhave (.291 BA, .418 OBP/41 2/3 IP, 3.53 ERA, 46 K) -- Came on strong during the second half of the season both at the plate and on the mound. He’ll be at the top of the rotation with Konner, and will be hitting in the middle of the lineup.

Justin Pennock (.333 BA, .435 OBP, 29 R, 15 SB) -- Justin can play just about anywhere defensively and will be pushing for the number three spot in our pitching rotation. He will most likely hit in the middle of the order this season.

Luke Saxe (.257 BA, 20 R/ threw out 15 runners) -- As a freshman, Luke caught about every game for us last season, and did an exceptional job managing our pitching staff. He also got stronger at the plate as the season went on. In addition, Luke will push to be a starter on the mound for us this upcoming season.

Key losses: Nate Scranton, TJ Reel, Jackson Fish and Caden Casto

Key newcomers: Sophomore Luke Archer (OF/P/C), sophomore Draven Puterbaugh (IF/P/C), junior Isaac Helms (IF/ OF/P), sophomore Clayton Reinhardt (1B/OF/P), sophomore Lane Foster (OF/P)

Season outlook: I think winning 20-plus games is realistic for this year’s team. We will be younger than last season, but we have a good amount of varsity experience returning.

Pittsfield Softball

Coach: Kristi Heafner

Last year’s record: 12-11

Pitching: Carlee Constable (pitched 63 innings, 4.0 ERA), Emma Henry (pitched 66 innings, 4.4 ERA), Jaynee Heafner (pitched 8 innings last year, 5.0 ERA). We plan on using these three ladies for the majority of the pitching this season.

Key losses: We will be replacing our middle infield and catcher. These are important spots to fill. We had three good seniors in these spots.

Offense: We will depend on the entire team to step it up at the plate. Ella Constable, Grace Hen- ry and Carlee Constable will lead the way. We also expect to see a lot of good offensive play from Rebecca Neupauer.

Goals: We want to improve on last year’s record and have success deep into the postseason.

PORTA/A-C CENTRAL BASEBALL

Coach: Brett Leischner

Last year’s record: 16-17

Returning starters: The Bluejays will return several starters from last year’s 16-win team. Pitcher/utility Ryan Bettis, outfielder Jake Hampton, pitcher Hunter Walters, pitcher/first baseman/outfielder Brady Kinney, pitcher/third baseman Trace Donnan, outfielder Drew Atwater, and catcher Hunter Roberts all will be returning to the Jays lineup.

Key losses: The Jays will miss Jake Shannon, Dane DeGroot, Aaron Suiter, and Bryton Butler.

Key newcomers: The coaching staff is very excited about many of the newcomers this year. Sophomore Barrett Morse looks to hold down the shortstop position this year and contribute to the offensive lineup. Sophomore Kendall Davis will be very strong on the bump as well, and looks to contribute with the bat. Sophomore Drew Marr looks forward to building off a strong freshman season that saw him filling in for an injured Drew Atwater. Junior Cael Cotner should also prove very valuable to the Bluejays on the mound and defensively.

Pitching: Pitching looks to be a strength for the Bluejays. The top end of the staff will be led by senior Ryan Bettis, sophomore Kendall Davis and junior Cael Cotner. Other arms that will be used regularly are junior Trace Donnan, junior Brady Kinney, and senior Hunter Walters. Freshmen Levi Hoagland, Brody Landon, and Jett Karrick have also looked good early in practice and could see some varsity innings.

Hitting: The big question for this year’s PORTA/A-C team will be the offense. The Jays will have to figure out a way to replace the production of Jake Shannon and Dane DeGroot, who led the Jays in several offensive categories. Senior Ryan Bettis, junior Trace Donnan, junior Brady Kinney, and junior Drew Atwater will all be key offensive players. The offense will rely on taking extra bases and putting the ball in play to score runs this year. The Jays look to eclipse the 100 stolen base mark this year as they were only six away last year.

Fielding: Many of the Bluejays will be moved around this year with versatility being a key aspect to the team. One player who will anchor the defense is junior catcher Hunter Roberts. Roberts took over the catching duties last year and performed very well as an underclassman. Another key defensive player will be Drew Atwater. Atwater had his sophomore campaign shortened due to injury, but he started in center field as both a freshman and sophomore. He has made only one error at that position his whole career.

Season outlook: This year the Bluejays enter the year eager to build off last season’s 16-win team. Sixteen wins in 2022 was the highest win total the program has had since 2007. There are high internal expectations this season. The Jays’ schedule is very competitive, and the Sangamo Conference is one of the best small school conferences in the state. The Jays will have their work cut out for them to improve on that 16-win total. The pitching and defense for this year should be strong as long as everyone stays healthy. The offense will need to cut down on the strikeouts in order for this team to be successful.

PORTA/A-C CENTRAL SOFTBALL

Coach: Andy Biermann

Last year’s record: 10-15

Returners: Karlie Hoke (catcher; all-conference selection last season, third season as starting catcher) will hit in the middle of the lineup this season; Gabbie Branson (pitcher; all-conference selection last year) will see most of the innings on the mound this season; Hailey Brown (third base; versatile infielder and table-setter in the lineup); and Erin Wallace (infielder; big bat in the lineup). Health will be the key.

Losses: Amber Teimeyer (unanimous first team all-conference)

Newcomers: Josie Bartels

(senior pitcher/first baseman) will eat up some innings on the mound and can play first base as well. Aubrey Vogel (shortstop) will fill a huge void at shortstop and probably hit at the top of the lineup.

Pitching: Gabbie Branson will see the majority of innings. She has worked really hard in the offseason, and we hope for a big year. Just getting to see Josie Bartels for the first time. She seems to be a strike-thrower, and will take some of the burden off Branson. Great attitude and has shown some leadership skills so far.

Hitting: I feel like one through six, we are strong. Good mix of lefty and righty bats. Brown and Vogel will probably be at the top, followed in some order of Hoke, Branson and Wallace. If the bottom of the order can roll the lineup over and have quality at-bats, we could score a lot of runs. We have some power in this lineup, but not a lot of team speed.

Fielding: Hoke and Branson will be the battery most games, with Bartels throwing innings, too. Looking at Brown and Vogel on the left side of the infield, Liv Hampton at second and then some options at first base. The outfield will be a combination of Cassidy Flack, Greta Butler, Marissa Jiannoni and Raygan Horn. We will also utilize the DP with one of the girls.

Having Vogel as the shortstop is a big plus for us this season. It was a revolving door last year at that position. Need Greta Butler to take on a leadership role in the outfield. Karlie Hoke is a three-