The Walnut Ridge Bobcats lost a heartbreaker in the first round of the regional tournament to finish 17-5 last season . Coach Jason Belcher ’ s bunch will rely on pitching and defense from some talented young players to move to the next level . They will also compete in a new conference moving over to the 3A-2 Conference . What the Bobcats lack in experience , they make up for in talent and pitching depth . Leading that talented pitching staff is Arkansas State commit Rex Tedder who throws in the upper 80 ’ s to 90 . Tedder will play the infield when not pitching and is ranked top ten in the state . Kersey will play outfield and hit leadoff when he is not on the bump for the Bobcats . Bo Kersey is another one of the top pitchers in the conference , throwing in the mid-80s . All-State and nationally ranked catcher Nolan Belcher will be responsible for handling the staff behind the plate . The Arkansas State commit has a high IQ and good approach at the plate . Senior Maddox Jean ( 6-5 ) is pitcher and infielder with loads of experience to help lead the young group . Maddox will likely hit in the middle of the lineup and be looked upon to generate some runs . Fellow senior Logan Sain is another two-way guy playing outfield and pitching . Sain will likely also hit in the middle of the lineup . A few freshmen will also look to make an impact this season . Shortstop Jersey Cunningham will look to strengthen the defense and crack the lineup , while classmates T . J . Owens and Jaxton Brady will pitch and play the field where needed . Tradition is hard to beat , and Walnut Ridge has plenty of that , so look for the Bobcats to again be in the hunt for a conference title and return to the postseason to try to make another deep run .
607 Hwy . 67 N . Walnut Ridge , AR 72476 Email : bwalnutridge @ ecbarton . com 870-886-3587 Good Luck Bobcats & Mustangs !