Page 40 - RVO Diamond Roundup March 2017

40VV
SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017
| RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REVIEW
RUSSELLVILLE CYCLONES
Coach hopes Cyclones football-title win translates into team unity
BY DONNA LAMPKIN STEPHENS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
With seven starters back who should benefit from a year of experience in 2016, Russellville’s Cyclones hope for a better 2017 baseball season.
“We hope we will exceed last year’s numbers and be able to compete for a conference champi- onship,” second-year coach Will McCrotty said. “The players have been working extremely hard to improve and play the game of baseball the right way.”
McCrotty’s debut Cyclone squad finished 9-17 last year, coming short of qualifying for the Class 6A State Tournament. In 2015, Russellville had reached the state semifinals, falling to Benton.
“We improved greatly over the course of the season,” McCrotty, a son of longtime Russellville baseball coach Denny McCrotty and a 1997 RHS graduate, said of the 2016 campaign. “Anytime you’ve got a new coach come in, it’s going to take awhile to try to get things implemented. I knew that going in, but I thought the guys did a great job.
“By the end of the year, I thought we were playing some pretty good baseball.”
The returners are led by junior outfielder Bryson George, who earned all-state honors as a sophomore. Also back are senior catcher Carter Thessing, an all-conference performer; senior pitcher/infielder Michael Mullen, anoth- er all-conference selection; senior pitcher/first baseman Peyton Golden; senior pitcher/utility player Joel Barker; senior infielder Ryan Meador; and junior outfielder Ryan Talley.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors, and they are work- ing extremely hard,” McCrotty said. “Several of
WILLIAM HARVEY/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION
Russellville senior Michael Mullen makes a throw across the diamond.
Conference: 6A South
Coach: Will McCrotty
Assistant coach: Nick Brill
2016 record: 9-17
Mascot: Cyclones
Returning starters: Carter Thessing,
Peyton Golden, Joel Barker, Michael Mullen, Ryan Meador, Bryson George and Ryan Talley
them were part of the [Class 6A] state football championship team last fall, and you can tell by their leadership and demeanor they’ve experi- enced some success.
“I’m hoping that will translate into baseball season.”
MARCH 28 ........................ SILOAM SPRINGS* MARCH 30 .............................. @GREENBRIER MARCH 31 .................................FARMINGTON APRIL 3 ................... FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE APRIL 4 ................................@GREENWOOD* APRIL 6 ..............................@LAKE HAMILTON APRIL 7 ..................................@CLARKSVILLE APRIL 10 ..........................................BAUXITE APRIL 11 ............................................ALMA* APRIL 13 ...................................... HARRISON
APRIL 14 .................................. @VAN BUREN APRIL 14 ..........................................BAUXITE APRIL 17 ................................ @LR CATHOLIC APRIL 18 ........................................@VILONIA APRIL 19 ................................@GREENWOOD APRIL 21 ........................@SILOAM SPRINGS* APRIL 24 .................................GREENWOOD* APRIL 25 ..............................@FARMINGTON*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
RUSSELLVILLE BASEBALL continued on 42VV RUSSELLVILLE BASEBALL