By BUTCH HARMON
It has been said that pitching is 75 percent of winning baseball. If that is true, the St. Johns baseball team should be in good position to have a successful season this spring.
The Redwings return the three top pitchers from last year’s squad that turned in a 19-13 overall record and took second in the CAAC Red with a 7-3 record. They do have some holes to fill, as three-year starters Bryce LaBar and Austin Cleaver graduated, along with two-year starter Scott Sperry.
Senior Matt Pearsall (P/SS) is one of the top returning players. He went 5-2 with a 3.59 ERA last year and 57 strikeouts. An all-league and all-region player, Pearsall hit .444 last year. Senior Austin Smith (P/1B) also returns. Smith, who has signed to play at Lansing Community College next year, went 4-2 with a 2.85 ERA last year and hit .319. Junior Jimmy McKane (P/INF) also returns to the mound. Last year, he went 2-1 with a 2.85 ERA and hit .305. Both McKane and Smith earned all-league honors last year.
“We return our top three pitchers from a year ago, and I expect them to give us a chance to be very good this season,” said coach Jake Parker.
The Redwings also return sophomore Avery Maurer, who will catch and play third base. The team also has some talented newcomers, including sophomore pitcher Brett Smith, junior infielder Austin Pohl, freshman catcher/third baseman Adam Proctor, and junior Jake Crum, Jr.
“Obviously, our pitching will be key, but we also need some young players to step up offensively and fill the void left by the seniors,” Parker said. “Scott Sperry was a two-year starter in centerfield and lead-off hitter, and we will need to find someone to replace him at the top of the order. Cleaver and LaBar were three-year starters in the middle of the line-up. Pearsall, Smith, and Maurer will need to fill the void in the middle of the lineup.”
The Redwings look to contend for the league title this year with two-time defending league champ DeWitt, which returns several good players, and with Haslett, which also returns plenty of talent.