Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Mustang Baseball Hoping to Rebuild, Play Strong Defense

North Nodaway’s boys are adjusting to life without standouts Peyton Coleman, who graduated last year, and Koby Reynolds, who graduated the year before. They hope to rebuild with a mixture of promising freshmen and a core group of players which has seen a lot of varsity innings.

There are 13 Mustangs out this year. Signing up are Logan Keho, Tyler Bix, Lucas Alvarez, Makayla Cross, Dalton Smyser, Arron Coleman, Ryan Riley, Karson Oberhauser, Andrew Blackford, Cody Cline, Dakota Wray, Austin Bird, and Drexel Richardson.

Last year, the Mustangs were 10-8, their first winning season in school history. They got to district finals before being shredded 19-2 by St. Joseph Christian and taking second place. The goal now will be to learn to hit. The infield is solid, with Makayla Cross seeking to nail down third and Arron Coleman seeking to nail down shortstop. Tyler Bix returns as catcher, or he can play outfield as necessary. Keho, Smyser, and Riley also saw a lot of varsity action last year.

Without standouts like Peyton Coleman and Koby Reynolds to anchor the mound, North Nodaway will be looking at several different arms with the new pitch count limit. Tyler Bix, Arron Coleman, and Ryan Riley all return with mound experience, while Dalton Smyser can also pitch.
Coach Jake Shipman is in his second year as the baseball coach after guiding the Mustangs to their first-ever winning campaign. “Defensively, we can field the ball well,” he said. “We just have to learn to hit.”

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