Springdale Har-Ber
Wildcats Climbing
Springdale Har-Ber is playing its best baseball heading into today’s 7A/6A-West Conference doubleheader with Fayetteville at the Tyson Complex. The Bulldogs (16-3, 6-0) are leading the conference while Har-Ber (14-4, 3-3) is moving up after losing a doubleheader to Rogers Heritage to begin league play.
“Fayetteville is not going to lose many games, so to get a win or two would be a plus,” Har-Ber coach Randy Salsbury. “Our attitude is that there’s no pressure on us. We’re going to go out there and see how we match up.”
Har-Ber won two games over the weekend after beating Siloam Springs twice to even its conference record. Har-Ber beat Pryor, Okla., 6-5 and Nixa, Mo., 9-4 at a baseball festival in Claremore, Okla.
Har-Ber received good production from the bottom of its lineup against Nixa when Alex Schemel, Zach Stanley and Josh Stephens combined for seven of the Wildcats’ 13 hits. Stanley connected for a home run, while Schemel and Stephens added doubles.
“We gave some guys an opportunity, and they took full advantage of it,” Salsbury said.
— RICK FIRES • @NWARICK
Rogers Heritage
Kilgore Moves Into Dugout
Rogers Heritage baseball coach Keith Kilgore decided to make a change this season, moving from the third-base coaching box to the dugout, and thus far it’s been a big success.
The War Eagles (11-4, 4-2 7A/6A-West) are currently tied for second in the conference after missing the state tournament a year ago for the first time in school history.
Kilgore, who is in his 15th season as a head coach, said he’s thought of making the change in the past but never pulled the trigger. This year seemed to be a good year to try it since the War Eagles were lacking in experience, Kilgore said.
“It seems to me you’re more involved in the game in the dugout,” Kilgore said. “It seems the game kind of flies by, but this way I can talk to hitters as the come to the plate and come back to the dugout. Every team is a little different. This group has a lot of ability, but a lot of them are still learning as they play.
“It was just a case of thinking ‘Where do I best serve the team?’ I told them it’s going to be something new to me, but thus far I can see where it’s been beneficial to us this year already. I think it’s definitely paid off.”
Both Kilgore and the assistant coach are now in the dugout together when the War Eagles are at bat, while volunteer assistants Terry Ciganek and Kyle Rogers man the third- and first-base coaching boxes.
Kilgore said having confidence in a great coaching staff made the change possible as well.
Heritage will be looking to bounce back from its first league losses of the season as the War Eagles travel to Siloam Springs for a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader today.
—PAUL BOYD • @NWAPAULB
Bentonville
Tigers Caught In Standings Logjam
Bentonville finds itself in the middle of the 7A/6A-West logjam after six conference games.
The Tigers (13-4, 3-3) are tied with Springdale Har-Ber for fourth place and only one game out of a tie for second heading into today’s league doubleheader at home against Rogers High.
“We are right where we thought we would be,” Bentonville coach Todd Abbott said. “That’s good because it shows the parity in this conference, and in the next few games, we’ll probably see things starting to shake out.
“But that’s something we really can’t worry about right now. We need to have our attention on the next play and how we can go about improving our play in every situation.”
Bentonville returns to league action on a positive note thanks to a wild comeback last week in a 12-11 win over Fort Smith Southside. The Tigers erased a four-run deficit in the sixth inning, then added five more runs in the bottom of the seventh after the Rebels had four runs in the top half of the inning.
“We sent eight men to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, and each of them had a quality at-bat,” Abbott said. “We hit some balls hard and made some things happen.”
— HENRY APPLE • @NWAHenry
Fayetteville
Fayetteville Has Fresh Legs After Weekend Off
After two weekends spent on the road playing top competition, Fayetteville took a rest the past few days.
The Bulldogs (16-3, 6-0) swept another 7A/6A-West Conference doubleheader last week, winning two games at Rogers Heritage, 11-1 and 12-0, on Wednesday. But instead of packing up and heading out for another weekend tournament, Fayetteville rested up for a big week that lies ahead.
“After the last two weekends, we needed some time off,” Bulldogs coach Vance Arnold said. “We’ve got some fresh legs I hope.”
Andy Pagnozzi improved to 6-0 on the mound, giving up just one run on four hits in six innings in Fayetteville’s 11-1 win in the first game against Heritage on Wednesday. Cody Davenport had a home run and four RBIs, and Kyle Pate added three hits and three RBIs.
Pate (5-2) earned the win in the nightcap against the War Eagles, giving up just one hit in five innings in the 12-0 win.
Fayetteville hosts both Little Rock Central and Sand Springs (Okla.) Page on Saturday but must get past Springdale Har-Ber in another 7A/6A-West Conference doubleheader today first.
“We always like playing Page,” Arnold said. “They run the bases a lot. And we need to get Walker Powell, Cody Davenport, Ethan King and some other guys out there on the mound.
“So we’ll go with Andy and Kyle (on Tuesday) and then go with the other guys on Saturday.”
— VERNON TARVER • @NWAVernon
Springdale High
Bulldogs In Search Of No. 2 Pitcher
Springdale High senior and Harding signee Matt Sherry is locked into the role as the Bulldogs’ top pitcher.
He’s been the best and most consistent option on the mound for Springdale (6-12, 1-5 7A/6A-West) so far this season. But Bulldogs coach Billy Ray Rutledge is still looking for someone to take hold of the second starting spot for conference doubleheaders.
Carson Johnson, Fuller Chandler and Eric Brumfield are the top candidates.
“Most important for us is being able to find someone on the mound who can throw strikes consistently,” Rutledge said. “We’ve got a bunch of young kids outside of Matt Sherry, so we’re just trying to find consistency. Worked a lot of bullpens and throwing drills.”
Springdale will play at Van Buren tonight before hosting Farmington in a Friday nonconference matchup that will allow Rutledge to continue evaluating his pitching options.
“We’ll have one guy throw well, then the next outing he won’t do so well,” Rutledge said. “So we’re just trying to find somebody that can get up there, pitch to contact and let us play.”
— JIMMY CARTER • @NWAJimmy