Page 43 - RVO Diamond Roundup March 2017

RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REVIEW | SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017
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DANVILLE LITTLE JOHNS
Danville to take it one day at a time, coach says
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
Danville High School baseball coach
Austin McKnight said his team ap- proaches each game with a blue-collar mentality.
“We do what we can,” McKnight said. “We don’t make excuses. We just show up every day and go to work and get 1 percent better in practice every day.
“We don’t want to make excuses. We just show up and get after it.”
And while the Little Johns’ ultimate goal is to win a state championship, it is more important to just win the next game — “to take it one game at a time,” McKnight said.
“We want to win each pitch, to win each inning and to win the game,” he said. “After that, I will take a conference championship, a regional championship and, hopefully, a state championship.
“But we just go game by game. Every game for us is a state championship. That’s the way we approach it.”
The Little Johns have already played three games this season, having defeated Paris 11-0 and
Conference: 2A-4 West
Coach: Austin McKnight
Assistant coach: Stuart Creamer 2016 record: 7-10
Mascot: Little Johns
Returning starters: Trent Cathey,
Preston Donnell, Jake Madding and Chris Thurman.
Lavaca 3-0. They lost to Greenbrier, but McKnight said he treated that game more like a junior-varsity affair, having played his entire roster.
“We just want to compete with each pitch and come out on top in the end,” McKnight said.
Danville finished 7-10 overall last season, missing the regional tournament by one spot.
“We struggled a little bit last year because we were so young,” McKnight said. “This year, we dropped down to 2A, so I think we will be pretty competitive.”
Injuries from football have already taken a toll on Danville — losing senior Jake Madding, the team’s best pitcher, to an ACL tear.
“I’m hoping and praying that we will get him back by the middle of April,” McKnight said. “He played shortstop and pitched last year.”
DANVILLE BASEBALL
MARCH 28 ................................ @MAGAZINE* MARCH 31 ...... WESTSIDE JOHNSON COUNTY* APRIL 3 ...................................... @HACKETT* APRIL 4 .................... WESTERN YELL COUNTY APRIL 7 ........................................SCRANTON APRIL 11 ....................................... @HECTOR APRIL 14 .....................................MAGAZINE* APRIL 18 ......@WESTSIDE JOHNSON COUNTY* APRIL 20 .................................... JESSIEVILLE APRIL 21 ................@WESTERN YELL COUNTY
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
Sophomore shortstop Trent Cathey tore his MCL during football season but is expected to return later this season as well. McKnight said Danville had five players tear either their MCL or ACL in football this season.
Sophomore Dalton Reagan, who pitched
DANVILLE BASEBALL continued on 45VV
WILLIAM HARVEY/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION
Danville junior Luke Callahan works on fielding ground balls during practice.
MARCH 27 ........................................ HECTOR MARCH 28 ................................ @MAGAZINE* MARCH 30 ............................... WONDERVIEW MARCH 31 ...... WESTSIDE JOHNSON COUNTY* APRIL 3 ........................................ @HACKETT APRIL 4 .................... WESTERN YELL COUNTY APRIL 7 ........................................SCRANTON
APRIL 11 ....................................... @HECTOR APRIL 14 .....................................MAGAZINE* APRIL 17 ................................... BOONEVILLE APRIL 18 ..... @WESTSIDE JOHNSON COUNTY* APRIL 20 .................................... JESSIEVILLE APRIL 21 ................@WESTERN YELL COUNTY
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
DANVILLE SOFTBALL