By Stephen Smoot
Last year, the Wildcat baseball squad ran into a plague of problems on their way to a 10 win campaign. Wild weather in March made many of the scheduled games impossible to play. When the winds of winter finally settled into warm spring breezes, the rump of the remaining schedule saw them play almost entirely schools above Class A. The one single A school, Tygarts Valley, had an impressive squad last year.
“Ten games were our win total. That was not what we were expecting,” shared veteran head coach Sam Yokum. He added, “Win totals didn’t reflect the competitiveness we had.” By season’s end, Pendleton County gave eventual state champion East Hardy its closest Class A contest.
Yokum will rely on four horsemen of seniors whose experience, ability, and tenacity have helped to elevate football and basketball thus far to great heights. Chase Owens returns as the staff ace with a 3.52 earned run average last season and 60 strikeouts. When he is not mowing down opponents with precise fastballs, Owens will hold down the shortstop position.
“Cashton Kisamore,” shared Yokum, “played a lot as a freshman and has started ever since.” Kisamore last year pitched and played first base mostly at the start, but his role has continued to expand with his experience and ability. This year, Yokum describes him as a utility player, meaning the coaching staff has the confidence to place him in a number of spots.
Yokum said that he told Kisamore that he was the most improved player in Class A basketball. He noted that Kisamore agreed and explained that when a player has earned the praise, he need not be too humble.
In two of his roles, Caydan Boone is expected to help put out fires. He serves with the South Fork Volunteer Fire Department and he will also be one of Yokum’s key middle relievers, perhaps even a closer. When starters tire and the team sees trouble on the horizon, Boone’s job lies in ending the threat. Boone relies on accurate placement of pitches to earn outs and has seen his speed improve every year.
Barrett Cook started last season playing more junior varsity, but saw more varsity action as the season progressed. He performed very well at Tucker County in one of the final games of the regular season last year, showing his potential as a senior.
Two juniors bring solid experience from last season. Cole Harper has served as a reliable starter since his freshman year and will also contribute at first base and outfield. Noah Lockard stepped up at catcher last season when current Concord University team member James Vincell had to step away to rehabilitate an injury. “He got a lot of experience as a sophomore,” shared Yokum. Lockard will also appear in the middle infield.
Yokum has high hopes for a young and talented bunch of sophomores. Cooper Smith pitched and took innings in the outfield. Ty Armentrout contributed increasingly as the season progressed last year. Like his brother Caleb who earned all conference honors as a senior last year, he will play a lot in the middle infield. Connor Hartman made key plays in the outfield last year and will be expected to contribute even more.
Travis Owens was one of the team’s starters last year as a freshman, with a 4.20 ERA and also contributed at shortstop and outfield. Opposing teams struggled to get him out last year with his .494 on base percentage. Once on, he also led the team in steals with 19.
“Mason Harper pitched a lot for us and played some designated hitter,” said Yokum, who then added that “he will play some third base, play the corners.” Harper also has the highest batting average of a returning player at .333.
Yokum will have a sizable group of freshmen as well, including Jaxon Simon, Mason Miller, Landon Davis, Cohen Hiett, and Bryan Propst.
While the size of the team has dipped from 20 to 16, Yokum sees value in that. While it will reduce junior varsity game opportunities, the coaches like that they can give each individual player more teaching and attention. “We’ll get the younger guys some playing time,” Yokum stated.
After two early contests against Harman on March 25 and at Paw Paw the next day, the Wildcats will travel to Berkeley County to face Musselman on both April 2 and 4. The team will also host Hampshire twice in mid April, Keyser on May 2, and Jefferson on May 8, giving the team another rugged schedule. That also includes two games a piece against rivals Petersburg and Moorefield, as well as one matchup versus East Hardy.
