Advertisement

Webb City baseball readies for state quarterfinal clash with Platte County

derek shore, the joplin globe, mo.
·4 min read

May 27—When it comes time for Webb City baseball's state tournament road to open up on Saturday, it will mark 10 days since the Cardinals last played.

Webb City topped Carl Junction 12-1 to claim the Class 5 District 7 championship all the way back on May 18, giving the program its fifth district title in the last eight years and first since 2019.

The Cardinals (19-15) travel to play at Platte County (24-8) in the Class 5 quarterfinals. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m from Pirate Park.

"We are eager to get back out there," Webb City coach Flave Darnell said. "But Platte County is in the same boat. They played last Thursday. So it has been nine days for them. I'm sure they will be eager, too. You play all these games during the spring and we haven't had 10 days off since we started practicing. We are eager to get rolling again."

With the time away from games, Darnell said his Cardinals got a little creative with practice.

"We scrimmaged one day and we tried to do some competitive things a few other days," Darnell said. "It rained another day, so it broke things up having an inside practice. You try to keep them competitive. But the kids know what's ahead. They are really focused. They are ready to go. The game and the time of the year keeps them focused, for sure."

Webb City rolled through districts, outscoring the opposition by a 30-1 margin. The Cardinals enter Saturday's action having won seven of their last eight.

Webb City boasts a deep pitching staff, led by Crowder College signee Cooper Crouch. The power righty has a 6-2 record in nine starts with a 2.44 ERA, striking out 58 batters in 43 innings of work.

A Highland Community College signee, Gavin Stowell has compiled a 4-3 record with a 3.04 ERA in nine starts. The lefty has 54 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings, while Walker Sweet has proved to be a potent weapon out of the bullpen.

The hard-throwing righty has a 2.76 ERA in 16 games while registering 42 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.

Darnell said that kind of pitching bodes well for Webb City in the state playoffs.

"There's only eight teams left and you're going to run into good arms," Darnell said. "We are going to start Cooper (Crouch) and we've got some guys in relief that are good pitchers, too. You expect that in playoff baseball when there are only eight teams left in Class 5."

On offense, the Cardinals generated a combined 31 hits in districts. Webb City is averaging almost 10 runs per game in May.

The Cardinals have eight batters hitting .300 or better in Cy Darnell (.402), William Hayes (.344), Fitch (.343), Jeremiah Leaming (.324), Kenley Hood (.314), Cade Wilson (.312), Aidan Brock (.304) and Kaylor Darnell (.304).

A junior shortstop, Cy Darnell leads the team with 47 hits (12 of the extra base variety) and a .976 OPS. Leaming is tops with 31 runs driven in, while Hayes is close behind with 28 RBI.

Brock paces the team with two home runs.

"We had a team coming into the season that hadn't played a ton of varsity baseball," Darnell said. "We graduated a lot from last year, so we knew as the season went on, we'd get better, especially offensively. It's showing, for sure."

Ranked No. 4 in the state, the Pirates are coming off a 10-8 victory over Smithville in the District 8 championship.

Platte County is averaging almost eight runs per game, while limiting the opposition to just three.

Ten individuals are hitting over .300 for the Pirates, headlined by Cam Lewis and Jake Knudsen who have averages of .407 and .404, respectively. Lewis leads the team with 35 hits.

Nick Baker, hitting .325, is Platte County's top run producer with 21 RBI. Devin Wassmann (Wichita State commit) and Dayne Wimberly are tied for the team lead with three long balls apiece.

Both, along with Dayton Doll, have 18 RBI each.

A senior lefty, Sawyer Allen has a 4-1 record in 10 starts with a 2.04 ERA, striking out 54 batters through 37 2/3 innings. He's a Rockhurst commit.

Tyler Erickson is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen. The junior leads the team with five saves.

"Platte County is really solid," Darnell said. "They have a good middle infield. They put the ball in play. They are going to be throwing a good left-handed pitcher (Allen) at us. He throws a ton of strikes. He has a good fastball and a good curveball. They are a really solid team. They have played good people. We will have to play well to win."

The keys to success for the Cardinals are simple.

"We can't let the moment get to us," Darnell said. "Obviously, it's a big game. It's a big game for them. It's a big game for us. But I think the team that limits the mistakes and makes the routine play and throws strikes is going to be the team who will win."