How Battle baseball is keeping its head up during the 2024 season

Roster turnover is inevitable, and Battle baseball is feeling the impact this spring amid a 7-19 start. After graduating 12 seniors, the team features just four: Dawson Peters, Patrick Nkongoro, Samuel Groeclose and Wyatt Shade.

Behind those four seniors is a roster predominantly composed of sophomores. A word that Battle head coach Bobby Baker uses to describe his team is “streaky.”

“When things are going well, they’re good, and when things are not, they don’t,” Baker said. We’ve beaten some really good teams and laid some eggs against some average teams, but we’re kind of an all-or-nothing team. If we get the energy up early and excitement, we’re good. If we get punched in the face early, sometimes it’s harder for us to fight back.”

Those quality wins have come against teams such as Ft. Zumwalt East (16-9), Grain Valley (16-13), and Webb City (19-7). The Spartans won three of four between April 19-27, which included their victory over the Cardinals and Capital City (18-9). But most recently this week, the inability to fight back showed up against Rolla (10-9). The Spartans surrendered an eight-run third inning, aiding a 12-4 to the Bulldogs. Two days later, Blair Oaks handed the team its 19th loss by a score of 4-3.

Nevertheless, Coach Baker has observed that a crucial aspect of a team's development is their unwavering spirit despite the challenges and outcomes they’ve faced.

“Resiliency is big,” Baker said. “We have played several sophomores, we played some freshmen. Those guys are just still figuring out how to play with each other. We got used to each other. We got used to communicating, but they've been resilient.”

Among the underclassmen is Tyler Putnam, a key contributor to the Spartans lineup and defense as a pitcher.

“He’s just a sophomore, but he plays like he’s older than that,” Baker said. “He pitched for us in Webb City and beat those guys.”

Putnam also came in clutch against Jefferson City (9-18) on April 9 with a walk-off RBI single in extra innings.

“I just try to stay as positive as possible with the struggles that we’ve had winning games,” Putnam said. “It’s just been a learning experience for me personally to remain myself and just be the best player and teammate possible that I can be each and every single day.”

Also, among the sophomore class, Brady Crites has been the Spartans starting center fielder since day one of this season, while Jace Cooper and Dawson Peters have gotten many opportunities as well in their young careers.

Facing the heat of the game early in his varsity career has been tough yet transformative for Putnam and his teammates, who see these trials as pivotal learning opportunities. It prepared them to pass on the wisdom of these experiences to younger and future players.

“I feel like those ups and downs and that adversity has really taught us something,” Putnam said. “Especially as a team that knows going into games that we can’t win every game and that we aren’t going to win every game, but we just continue to keep fighting and continue to just better ourselves in every moment and every practice and just every game and just continue to grow off our mistakes and be the best we can possible.”

It's also something that they've learned from the senior class.

“They’ve been huge all season long, even preseason,” said Baker on the team's seniors. “They ran an open gym for us. They’re always the people that the younger guys are looking up to. All of them have worked hard to get to where they’re at.”

Battle is now just five games away from district play opening.

“Obviously you want to be at your best going towards districts,” Baker said. So we’re on a kind of a final stretch here. Working towards districts. We’re hosting them this year. So hopefully, there'll be a little home-field advantage.”

A district win would mean a lot to the program trying to find its footing.

“I want to win a district game. I know that hasn’t happened in a long time” Putnam said.

The last time the Spartans won a district game was in 2021 when they defeated Liberty (Wentzville) 3-1.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Battle baseball is keeping its head up during the 2024 season