Coming off a 15-6 season in 2022, in which they finished third in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference (KMAC) with an 8-4 conference mark, and with a solid group of returning players, the East Knox High School baseball team is brimming with confidence entering the 2023 season.
“I think we are going to be very dominant this year,” Bulldogs senior Landon Spearman said. “We have a really special group of kids that have grown as a team. We’re not going to show up and roll over against anybody; we’re going to play hard with the intention of winning.”
A bit of bravado might actually serve the Bulldogs well, considering their formidable strength of schedule.
“We have perhaps the toughest non-league schedule we have ever had,” said Bulldogs sixth-year head baseball coach Randy Baugher, who has a 94-35 record at East Knox. “We know that every KMAC game will be a battle as well.”
The non-conference portion of the schedule includes tough games against Heath, Newark Catholic, West Jefferson, Columbus Academy, Johnstown, Fairfield Christian and River View. Defending conference champ Fredericktown (19-7, 11-1 KMAC in 2022), runner-up Centerburg (20-5, 10-2) and the third-place Bulldogs (15-6, 8-4) should all contend for the KMAC title again this season.
A strong senior class led by P/1B Spearman (.318 batting average, 21 RBIs/Honorable Mention All-Central District), OF Carson Steinmetz (.342, 30 runs scored/Second Team Central District), C/P Ryan Morton (1.87 ERA), P/1B/OF Dustin Springer and speedy outfielders Mitch Williams and James Hurlow anchor a deep roster.
“We only lost two seniors – Peyton Lester and Shane Knepp – off last year’s team, so we have a lot of potential this season,” Steinmetz said. “I think we are in a very good spot to compete for the KMAC title. We have a lot of guys playing the same spots so we just need to know the game and play good situational baseball. That can put us over the top.”
RHP/IF Bryar Householder headlines a talented junior class as well. Householder tied with Fredericktown’s Brady Lester to claim the KMAC batting title last season with 32 hits in 63 at-bats apiece for a .508 batting average. He hit .528 overall, with a .667 slugging percentage, 21 RBIs and a pair of home runs. Householder, a first-team All-District/Second Team All-Ohio selection, also performed well on the mound with 51 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched.
Other notable juniors include: 3B/LF Cole Delaughder (.338), RHP/INF Gavin Layne (2-0, 1.36 ERA), RHP/C/INF Derrick Field (.286) and 3B/1B Ashton Tarrh. Dylan Reed, Caden Wengerd and Bracen Davis are vying for a starting spot in the middle of the infield.
Baugher also cited juniors RHP/OF Josh Keith and C Lane Lashley along with sophomores Shane Gardner, RHP/3B Ashton Priest and 2B/OF Luke Holsinger as promising players who could contribute this spring.
The assistant coaching staff of Chuck Melick, Ron Fannin, Dennis Skeen and two of Baugher’s former players, Gage Steinmetz and Ethan Beckett, provide plenty of baseball knowledge in the dugout.
“The best thing about our team is the quality of young men,” Baugher said. “As long as we stay healthy and do what we need to do as a team, we should be fine.”
The outlook for 2023 is that East Knox has a viable shot to win the KMAC this spring if the Bulldogs play good, fundamental baseball against a cadre of challenging opponents in and out of the league. An early season showdown against Fredericktown will be a good gauge for both league contenders.
East Knox opened the season with a 17-0 stomp of Crestline, and were 1-2 when we went to print.
