The Marion Patriots have enjoyed a run of success including a 20-9 season last year. The Patriots earned a trip to the state tournament, but fell to eventual state runner-up Maumelle. This year, Coach Pete Prater will field a young and inexperienced group, but the expectations do not change.“ We have several new faces that will have a chance to be everyday starters in the field,” Coach Prater said.“ Our key to success is us having the right mentality whether it is at the plate, on the mound, or in the field. We don ' t want our kids to ever play timid or scared. We want to be fearless in everything we do, and if we mess up, we want to mess up being aggressive.” Senior Cohen Bumbaugh returns the most experience as the club’ s ace. The Central Arkansas commit had a miniscule 0.870 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 10 starts last season. Bumbaugh has a fastball in the upper 80s and really good breaking pitches that helped him toss three no hitters. Classmate Carson Catt is back on the mound as well. Catt had six starts last season and posted a 4.10 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 2 saves in 40.1 innings. The senior hurler has a fastball in the mid 80s that he locates well. Sophomore Max Molloy will hit in the middle of the lineup for Marion. In 26 games Molloy hit. 375 with a homerun, 20 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. He could catch, play first base, or roam the outfield. Fellow sophomore Myles Holt is a grinder at the plate hitting. 333 with a. 463 OBP in 20 games last season. Juniors Brody Byrd and Coleman Barnett saw limited Varsity playing time last year due to a heavy senior class. They both hit over. 300 and are expected to be key contributors to us at the plate this season. Barnett is a utility guy that will be up the middle on the infield, while Byrd could be at first base or in the outfield. Senior Hudson McKewen and Junior Robert Hall could see expanded roles this season. McKewen has very good bat to ball skills and will look to be a good situational hitter. Robert Hall has come onto the scene after having a fantastic summer and fall. He has gotten a lot stronger and has the frame to be a middle of the order kind of bat.“ We have high expectations for those four players,” Coach Prater shared.“ We feel good about where we are, and our goal is to win the conference and win a state championship as it is every year.” The Marion Patriots will be younger than they are accustomed to, but the standards remain for the top notch program. Look for the Patriots to battle for the 5A East crown and make a deep run in the postseason.
The Marion Lady Patriots finished last season 11-15 and missed out on the 5A State Tournament. Coach Drake Rowton and his squad is hoping to utilize some returning talent to get back to the postseason where they are accustomed to being. All- Conference selection Kolbie Triplett, along with Chloe Miller and Kaitlyn Austin all return to the outfield for the Lady Patriots. All-State catcher Kayson McClain also returns, but Coach Rowton plans to use her athleticism to move around the field where she is needed. Kendall Eppes will return at first base, and Maddie Cupples will be at second. Cupples will handle a lot of the pitching duties, along with McClain. Both ladies threw limited innings a season ago, but are expecting to expand their time in the circle this season. Some new faces including senior Maggie Miller are expected to make a big impact on the Marion lineup. Transfer Presley Kuhn fits in very well up the middle on defense and at the lower end of the lineup. Freshmen Kynlee Shaull, Madelyn Hamrick, and Sophie Moore are all talented and hope to make contributions all over the diamond. Coach Rowton knows what it will take to compete in the 5A East which had two state semifinalists last season.“ Being clean defensively is our key to being competitive,” Coach said.“ Offensively, we have speed, we will utilize it as much as possible, but the big thing is getting mentally prepared before we get in the box or really into the ballpark. Pitching, we have to fill it up and let teams beat us. We want to stay away from beating ourselves which all coaches want.” NEA Sports believes the Marion Lady Patriots are talented enough to compete in one of the toughest conferences in the area. Look for them to battle for a chance to claim one of the final state tournament spots in the league.
Coach Mark Dobson relied on a very young core group of players last season as the Jonesboro Hurricane finished 15-15 and fell in the first round of the state tournament to eventual champion Springdale Har Ber. With the bulk of the roster still being young, the Hurricane will continue to grow and improve through the season.“ We are still a young team in the tough 6A Central conference,” Coach Dobson said.“ Two-thirds of the team roster are freshmen or sophomores, however, we had four freshmen last year get lots of innings. We need to compete, build consistency, and throw strikes on the mound.” Seniors Matt Bartels and Rylan Jones will provide the leadership the Canes will need to improve on last season’ s record. Bartels hit. 300 and played shortstop for JHS, while Jones missed last year due to injury. As a sophomore, the ASU Mountain Home commit hit. 490 and could play outfield and pitch for the Hurricane. Jones will also return to the mound equipped with a mid-80s fastball and a good slider. Junior Asa Meyers returns to the left side on the infield where he hit. 290 with nine doubles last season. Meyers will pitch as well, showcasing a mid-80s fastball and four pitches he can throw for strikes. Sophomore Kam Davis has plus speed that he will utilize in the outfield where he hit. 270 last year. Classmate Luke Weatherly will bring a live arm to the rotation with a fastball in the upper 80s that can hit 90 mph. Fellow sophomore Clay Olson will add depth to the bullpen with a low to mid 80s fastball. With so many talented youngsters gaining experience last season, the Jonesboro Hurricane should be poised to improve on last season and compete in the middle of the 6A Central. NEA Sports predicts the Hurricane will battle their way back to the 6A state tournament with a chance to advance further.
The Jonesboro Lady Hurricane are looking to improve on last season’ s record and return to the state tournament where they fell in the first round last year. Coach Noah Johns is looking to three returners to help lead a big group of newcomers. Justice Taylor will return to first base and a designated hitter spot some games. She is joined in the infield by second baseman Daniela Mejia and Ella Green, who will play shortstop and some outfield. Without a returning pitcher, the Lady Canes will have to rely on a couple of younger players. Katlyn Lynch could end up pitching a lot for JHS, while catcher Braylynn Calloway could appear in the circle as well. Arihya Quattlebaum will play infield and help Lynch behind the plate at times. Taylor Sloan and Harper Harris are hoping to make contributions in the Jonesboro lineup while plugging into the infield or outfield where needed. Coach Johns knows what it will take to turn it around.“ Throwing strikes from the mound is going to be huge,” Coach Johns said.“ We hit the ball well and have a solid foundation. We have to be good on the infield and on the basepaths.” The Jonesboro Lady Hurricane should return to the state tournament out of the 6A Central and add a few more wins to this season’ s record.