Ark Valley News - PREVIEW: High expectations for Hornet baseball

Baseball varsity — Front left: Garrett Guynn, Austin Kruckenberg, Jason Barbour, Jeremy Chase, Don Boone, Carson Lee. Second row from left: manager Emily Kingsford, Chris Bluml, Andrew Skaff, Stanton Schnittker, manager Ryan Ranzau. Back from left: Ryan Garcia, Hunter Shockley, Tanner Padgett, Nathan Postlethwait, Blake Crager, Daniel Leach.

PREVIEW: High expectations for Hornet baseball
By Randy Fisher
Last Updated: April 02, 2015

Valley Center High School has not had a winning baseball season since 2008. Only once since then did it break even, going 11-11 four years ago. But after posting a 9-12 record last season, a winning year could be on the horizon.

"They've climbed a little bit," coach Nick Barnes said of his expectations. "When you've had more success than in the past years, you try to build on that."

Now in his second year, Barnes hopes to build by maintaining the intensity.

"We definitely try to bring intensity every single day and make everything a little more game-like so that we can correlate that to the game or translate that to the game when we do get there," he said.

Valley Center returns experience at nearly every position and on the mound.

"I think the only position that will be hard for us to fill is catcher, because we lost Braden Holle," Jeremy Chase said. "Other than that, I think we should be solid this year."

Back from last year is the starting infield of junior Tanner Padgett (.490, 24 hits, 4 2B, 17 RBI) at first base, with seniors Austin Kruckenberg (.302, 14 RBI) at second, Jason Barbour (.278) at short and Chase (.258) at third. In the outfield, Chris Bluml (.302, 11 RBI) in left field and Blake Crager (.400, 22 hits, 15 HBP, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBI) in right return for their senior seasons.

Last year, the Kansas Baseball Coaches Association named both Padgett and Crager to its Class 5A All-State Second Team. They are among five returnees from the 2014 All-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League II team, with Crager a first-teamer. Kruckenberg at utility and junior Stanton Schnittker at pitcher were on the second team. Padgett and Bluml each received honorable mention.

The pitching rotation returns intact with sophomore Nathan Postlethwait (1-4, 5.0 ERA), Schnittker (2-2, 3.08, 19 K), Kruckenberg (2-2, 4.63, 18 K) and Chase (3-3, 4.6). Postlethwait and Schnittker each tossed two complete games last year.

"A lot of our pitchers were young last year, their first year on varsity. They did well," Barbour said. "In their second year, they'll have experience. Our pitchers should be good."

Look for senior Garrett Guynn, junior Ryan Garcia, Barbour, Bluml and Hunter Shockley to come out of the bullpen.

"I think we're deeper in the pitching staff for guys we can throw out there and feel comfortable competing on the bump for us," Barnes said.

The Hornets need to fill two key defensive positions. The most important is at catcher, where Holle was a three-year starter and all-league last year.

"You don't realize how important a catcher is until you're having to rebuild or find a different one," Barnes said. "We were so fortunate with Braden Holle behind the dish last year. Not necessarily from the offensive standpoint, but from the defensive and mental side of it, he did a fantastic job for us."

Either Postlethwait, Bluml or Shockley, a junior, should step in behind the plate. Of the three, Postlethwait has the most experience.

"I picked up a lot from the older guys," Postlethwait said of his freshman season. "Last year was lot of fun for me, just being around the guys. The maturity level was pretty high."

The other opening is in center field, vacated with the graduation of Patrick Schrater. Front-runners are Garcia and senior Andrew Skaff, who bring some length to the outfield. Although neither has any varsity experience except as a pinch runner, Barnes reminds them Schrater's first year of high school baseball was as a senior.

"All I asked him to do was catch everything that was hit to him," Barnes said. "I think he fulfilled that role pretty well."

The head Hornet says he sets realistic goals.

"We've talked about it a little bit with the team and asked, ‘Guys, what's your first goal?' They would throw out some things like regionals and state," he said. "I'd break it down for them as ‘How about let's shoot for a .500 season? When's the last time Valley Center's been at or above .500?' If you do that, the rest takes care of itself."