The Rivercrest Colts were one game away from playing for a state title last spring, however they fell to a familiar foe in eventual 3A State Champions, Gosnell. Coach Stephan Elrod’ s squad finished the season 21-8 and are relying on a core group of seniors to take that next step to the state finals.“ Our pitching staff has to be a strength for us all year,” Coach Elrod said.“ We will rely on the seniors early on to lead the underclassmen. With no juniors on the roster, we will rely on freshmen to contribute this season. We have a strong freshman class and several of them will be competing for playing time this spring. I believe that we will be a much better team in late April than we will be in early March.” Three of the top four arms return to South Mississippi County this season. Senior Jaxon Kilburn is a four year starter that has great control and increased velocity this season. His fastball is in the low 80s and also has a great curveball. Kilburn will bat at the top of the lineup and play either third base or shortstop when needed. Fellow senior Joe Louis Ralph will also play shortstop and pitch for the Colts. Ralph has very good velocity with a fastball in the upper 80s and very good changeup. The four year starter has a good glove and will bat in the top part of the order. His brother, sophomore Jayden Ralph, will play second base and pitch for Rivercrest. Ralph started last season as a freshman and has matured with that experience. He has increased his velocity from last year to the mid and upper 70s with a curveball to keep opposing batters off balance. Senior Keiran Morris will play centerfield and help pitch when needed. Morris has great speed on the basepaths and can cover gap to gap in the outfield. Another four year starter, he has a lot of pop in his bat near the top of the lineup. Classmate Jacob Atchley will play at first base and has really improved at the plate. The three year starter will look to generate runs in the middle of the order. Senior Brenan Dawson has looked good in the preseason and should have a bigger role this season, while sophomore Nolan Williams battled through injuries last season and should be a utility player for the Colts and add depth to the bullpen. With an experienced senior class providing leadership to a talented younger group, the Rivercrest Colts seemed poised to have another successful run this season. They should be one of the favorites in the 3A-3 conference and are looking to return to Conway for a chance to bring some hardware back to Mississippi County.
The Rivercrest Lady Colts finished last season 13-8, were 3A-3 district runner-up, and fell in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament. Coach Jacob Rose and his team look to get back to the top of the conference in 2025 and be a factor in the postseason once again. A long list of returners should provide the experience needed to do just that. Junior Katleyn Ostendorf will throw a large portion of the innings for the Lady Colts. Ostendorf stays around the strike zone and generates a lot of ground balls. At the plate, she is a big bat in the lineup for Rivercrest. Her battery mate will be sophomore Ella Gonzalez. Gonzalez is gritty behind the plate and puts the ball in play a lot at the plate. Junior Molli Austin is hoping to get back to an All-State form at the plate and at first base. Shortstop Karlee Cullom is a quiet leader with impressive glove skills and a high IQ. Seniors Carleigh Williams and Taylor Routledge will be looked to for their leadership this season. Williams will be at third base and showcase her speed on the base paths, while Routledge is moving to center field this season and will hustle to track down a ball anywhere. Dakota Rinderer will serve as a closer in the circle. She spins it well and has good movement and control. Halyn Bedford, Zoey Fox, Emme Weldon, and Hannah Higgins could step in and be difference makers for Coach Rose this year. Coach Rose described what it will take for his squad to be successful this season.“ We have to be selfless,” he said.“ Everybody has to be confident and encouraging to everybody else. We cannot fall apart because of an error or strikeout or because the other team scores. All of those will happen this year. How are we going to respond to the failures of the game? We have some quiet leaders who lead by example, now we are hoping they become more vocal and help keep this team ' s heads up. We also have to be accountable for our own actions meaning getting all of your reps in when the coaches are not around. We have to get better every single day.” NEA Sports predicts the Rivercrest Lady Colts will battle at the top of the 3A-3 and round into form to be a major threat in May.
The Pocahontas Redskins are looking to play their way back to the regional tournament after missing out last season. Coach Anthony Noftsger’ s squad finished 8-14 and are hoping that some new faces will mesh well with some talented returners. DJ Coffey leads the way on the mound and at the plate. Coffey is a returning starter who throws in the low to mid 80s with great control of all his pitches. He is the ultimate competitor so when he’ s on the mound he does everything he can to win every pitch. Coffey will likely continue to bat at the top of the lineup where he batted right around. 350, with eight stolen bases, 15 RBIs, and in 73 ABs only struck out five times. Ty Menard is also a returning starter who will find himself batting in the heart of the order. Last year Menard batted. 330 with 17 RBIs, and four stolen bases. He had one of the highest on base percentages on the team last year. Menard will also be in the Redskin rotation throwing in the lower 80s with the best command of his fastball on the team. He really limits the walks and competes on the mound. Parker Radcliff is a returning starter who pitched and played outfield for Pocahontas. Radcliff hit. 280 with seven RBIs as a freshman and has put on some muscle and matured physically which will help him both hitting and on the mound. He threw a lot of big innings last year as a freshman and will throw even more as a sophomore. Radcliff is a guy who throws in the upper 70s with a great mix in his pitches, great command, and is able to hide the ball well on delivery. Austin George is a junior returning starter who played outfield and pitched last year. He figures into the middle of the order and has done a great job over the offseason improving his plate discipline and power at the plate. George will throw out of the bullpen and throws in the low 80s with great movement on all his pitches. Bryce Thompson is another returning pitcher. He’ s another guy who has put in the work over the offseason by putting on muscle. His fastball jumped to the upper 70s and his sweeping curve and slider have been talked about on the team about how much it moves. Some newcomers look to make an impression early this season. Brendyn Arnold is a move-in from Tennessee and will be the primary catcher. He’ s a commanding force behind the plate with tons of knowledge of the game and arguably the fastest hands on the team when it comes to his swing. Cameron Daffron is a senior who has found himself in a utility role for the Redskins. The majority of his time will be at first base, but he’ s also a great outfielder. Karson Pankey is a freshman this year who also will fit in at the corner infield spot. Pankey is a good hitter who’ s looking to drive a ball deep in the gap every chance he gets. He’ ll also get plenty of innings on the mound this year and earn his spot in the rotation. The 4A-3 will have a different look this season, and the Pocahontas Redskins should be a factor with a chance to advance further into the postseason.