Rogersville infielder Seth Conner

When I called Rogersville infielder Seth Conner to see if any movement had been made on the professional baseball front, why he didn’t answer the phone told all you needed to know.

“I was registering for classes at Missouri State,” Conner said.

Conner’s registration doesn’t slam the door shut on hopes that the Toronto Blue Jays will entice Conner with a signing bonus much more impressive than his 41st round draft pick suggests. But the Missouri State recruit did say that while he has been talking to Blue Jays officials, no official offer has been made. MLB Teams have until August 16 to sign drafted players who haven’t exhausted eligibility.

The trip to MSU registration was simply covering his options. Conner has publicly said he wants to get his professional career starter, but he’s not going to give away his future for pennies on the dollar, either. Generally, 41st round picks either don’t sign or are college seniors that take whatever they are due and make the best of it. Conner hasn’t made public what his financial preference is.

After starting the summer on the infield, the Blue Jays contacted Conner and Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman to see what Conner looked like behind the plate. After a shaky start, Conner said a summer of working with former MLBer and current Nationals coach Charlie O’Brien helped, and hopefully increases his value.

“Everyone keeps telling me my bat will play, it’s just a matter of where it fits in,” Conner said.

While he played shortstop in high school and looks to be headed to the corner infield and outfield, Conner also said that MSU coach Keith Guttin has seen him catch and he could get some opportunity behind the plate, if he ends up at Missouri State.

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Nixa graduate Joe Drum signed with Iowa this past weekend.

After losing players to the MLB Draft, Iowa University was in need of an additional outfielder. Nixa High School left fielder Joe Drum was happy to fill the spot.

The recent Nixa graduate signed with the Big 10 school during a visit to Iowa City over the weekend, he said, taking his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame and improved hitting ability with him. Drum was Nixa’s No. 3 hitter for most of the season, enjoying a breakout year by hitting .367 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. He also stole 16 bases. He’s having a signing ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Nixa HS.

It’s a huge improvement from Drum’s offensive output as a junior, where he hit just .227 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs. Nixa head coach Howard Greenwood said Drum learned to use the entire field, transforming from a pure pull hitter to one who could use the right-center field gap, just as well.

“This time last year, I wasn’t sure if he could be a D-I hitter, but now I’ve changed my tune,” Greenwood said. “There’s no reason he can’t make it.”

Drum said playing last season for the Midwest Nationals opened his eyes.

“I learned a lot about hitting against good competition,” Drum said. “Now I’m more comfortable hitting the ball the other way.”

Drum had his sights set on playing for Missouri, but Drum said the coaching staff wouldn’t commit to him, telling him they were waiting for openings following their draft departures. When Iowa offered him last week, he said he was tired of waiting around, and, his family has deep Iowa roots. His grandfather pitched for Iowa State in the 1950s, while his father attended Iowa State and his mother attended Northern Iowa.

Iowa was 30-28 in 2010, including a third-best 13-11 Big Ten record.

Drum is the first Nixa Division I baseball player since Christian Overstreet played for Missouri State. Overstreet graduated this spring. Drum is the second player from the Ozarks to sign with a Big 10 school, seeing as how Republic’s Tyler King signed with Nebraska, which recently jumped from the Big 12 to the Big 10.

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Seth Conner might be going from shortstop to catcher.

When Toronto Blue Jays officials called Seth Conner and told him they were drafting him in the 41st round during last week’s draft, he was selected as an infielder. When word got back to Conner that they wanted to see if he could catch, it broadened his baseball vocabulary.

“I guess infield means catcher, too,” the recently-graduated Rogersville native said.

Conner said Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman told him that the Blue Jays want to see if Conner had any success behind the plate, using the athleticism that made him a top-notch infielder, a weapon at the plate and a local breakout star. While it’s less than likely Conner will be offered enough money as a 41st round pick to turn down his spot on Missouri State’s team next season, he’s obviously willing to do what it takes to get noticed.

“I’m not a financial guy. I’d rather take a few dollars and get started,” Conner said. “But, I’ve got the chance to go to Missouri State and improve my draft status. It’s a win-win for me, but I’m doing everything I can to impress them.”

Charlie O'Brien is helping Seth Conner learn how to play catcher.

To make things better, Conner has a 15-year MLB catching veteran in Charlie O’Brien to help. O’Brien is a coach for the Nationals and is trying to whip him into shape over the next three weeks to entice the Blue Jays. Conner caught during Tuesday’s game against the Ozark Generals at Meador Park. Merryman likes to use the Nationals’ midweek games as ways to fine-tune some skills and try some different combinations.

It didn’t start out so well.

“The first innings were rough. I wasn’t even catching the ball, at first,” he said. “Getting a glove on it, but was letting runners advance. I did better blocking and receiving as the game went on.”

He also said three baserunners tried to steal. The first was safe as he lost the ball on the transfer, but he gunned down the next two out.

“That felt good,” he said.

Conner knows he’s a candidate for the draft-and-follow strategy. The team will follow him up until the mid-August deadline and at the end, likely offer him a contract. How much depends on what type of money their top picks sign for and how much they think he’s worth.

And if he doesn’t sign, it will be just it was when he was at Johnny Mac’s the day he was drafted. See, Conner had given up on being drafted after the 35th round came and passed. He was actually at the southside Springfield sporting goods store looking for an aluminum bat to use at Missouri State.

And maybe as a sign that he’s not ready to give up on his immediate MLB future, he didn’t buy that aluminum bat.

“They didn’t have the one I wanted,” Conner joked.

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When you cracked open your laptop or picked up the newspaper this morning, it’s likely you read about Bryce Harper and how he was the No. 1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals and he and RHP Stephen Strasburg are both once-in-a-generation prospects.

That’s all and good, but the local portion of the MLB draft starts today, and it could get interesting. Rounds 2-30 pop off today and it could include a fair amount of local talent.

Here is Missouri’s top prospects according to Baseball America:

• NATIONAL TOP 200 PROSPECTS
• 1. Mike Kickham, lhp, Missouri State (National Rank: 110) (Glendale HS)
  
• 2. Nick Tepesch, rhp, Missouri (National Rank: 130)
• OTHER PROSPECTS OF NOTE
• 3. Matt Stites, rhp, Jefferson CC
• 4. Jordan Shipers, lhp, South Harrison HS, Bethany
• 5. Brett Nicholas, c/3b, Missouri
• 6. Aaron Senne, 1b, Missouri
• 7. Aaron Meade, lhp, Missouri State
• 8. Chuckie Jones, of, Boonville HS
• 9. Les Smith, of, Meramec CC
• 10. Ryan Hafner, rhp, Lee’s Summit West HS
• 11. James Hudelson, rhp, Jefferson CC
• 12. Tyler Clark, rhp, Missouri (Springfield Catholic HS)
  
• 13. Zach Beringer, rhp, Harrisburg HS
• 14. Brooks Martin, rhp, Central Missouri State
• 15. Steven Ross, of, Maple Woods CC
• 16. Jim Klocke, c, Southeast Missouri State
• 17. Seth Conner, 3b, Rogersville HS
• 18. Dan Kickham, rhp, Crowder CC (Glendale HS)
  
• 19. Danny Brock, 1b, Saint Louis
• 20. Zach Tolliver, rhp, St. Charles CC
• 21. Matt Linderer, rhp, Bishop DuBourg HS, St. Louis
• 22. Jon Myers, 3b, Saint Louis
• 23. Sam Bates, of, Crowder CC
• 24. Drew Levi, of, Jefferson CC
• 25. Sal Belfonte, of, Rockhurst HS, Kansas City

MSU and former Glendale pitcher MIke Kickham

There are a ton of things at play, here. First of all, is some good old fashioned SGF pride. In all, three Springfield natives could get drafted by the end of today. Of course, both Kickham twins could get drafted today, with Mike, the southpaw, being the state’s top prospect. He could be drafted by noon and handed a ton of cash. His brother Dan, who set the saves record at Crowder CC as a righthanded pitcher, could go, which would put his 2011 status as an MSU arm in jeopardy.

Former Catholic pitcher Tyler Clark, a Mizzou junior righthanded pitcher, wasn’t as good in 2010 (4.97 ERA, 43 KS in 38 IP, 26 appearances, 2 starts) as he was in 2009 with his 2.86 ERA, but he is still big and strong and throws hard. He could get drafted today, giving three Springfield natives draft status, something that doesn’t happen all that often. Clark was a 46th round pick in the 2007 draft by the Chicago Cubs, but didn’t sign and enrolled at Mizzou.

Missouri State’s Aaron Meade should get drafted within the first 10 rounds, and as the News-Leader’s Lyndal Scranton pointed out today, if both Kickham, a draft-eligible sophomore, and Meade, a junior, sign professionally, because of Pat Doyle’s graduation, MSU’s weekend starting rotation would be wiped out. In the link, Scranton points out a few of MSU’s signees could get drafted, as well.

The most notable of those MSU recruits is Rogersville infielder Seth Conner. We wrote about Conner’s improbably emergence over the past 10 months, seeing as how he went from a Jefferson College recruit, to signing with MSU to likely signing, no matter what round he’s drafted in.

We will have reaction and news on the picks, so check back after the draft picks back up at 11 a.m. To follow along, check out MLB.com’s Draft Tracker by clicking here.

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Rogersville's Seth Conner makes a defensive play.

It was the 40th ball Seth Conner hit that established his new baseball profile.

The sun was setting at Rogersville High School’s baseball field and Conner’s spring tryout for Toronto Blue Jays scout Brandon Mozley was finishing just as colorfully. With a batting practice ball headed his way, Conner unloaded that finetuned, compact righthanded swing and crushed it. But it wasn’t a normal crush and not even a swing that elicits thousand-year baseball cliches.

He disintegrated the baseball — with a wood bat.

Not only did it clear the fence, it ended up in the softball field that backs up to the baseball field, some 500 feet from where he launched it.

“I just smiled, he hit it so far,” Conner’s father, Terry said. “It was the culmination of so many things for him. It was a perfect night.”

The kicker about Conner’s current situation isn’t that he hit 20 of those 40 BP balls for home runs, or the fact he helped his Rogersville team advance to state for the first time in school history last weekend. It’s the fact that people like Mozley, Missouri State baseball coach Keith Guttin or the other dozen Major League Baseball scouts aren’t just talking to him, they all want a piece of him.

How fast have things changed for Conner, the recent Rogersville graduate? Let’s just say it’s the new 20-plus pounds of muscle, the fact “a recent slump” depressed his batting average below .500 and heading into the state tournament, he had as many home runs (11) as he did singles (11) and doubles (11). It’s that his above-average defense is smoother than it was when he was optimized as a late-inning replacement 10 months ago by the Midwest Nationals. It’s also his underdog mentality, the fact he wears T-shirts of nutritional supplement brands, how his mother, Corinne, had to buy him a whole new wardrobe because his clothes didn’t fit any more and how more than one person has referred to him as “Tim Tebow-like” when referencing his personality.

Like his father said, everything came together at the same time. It’s almost too good to be true. Almost.

Before the after

Conner makes a great catch.

Conner was always a good baseball player, but even he admits he was never the best.

When he was young, he was the kid they stuck out in right field.

“To pick daisies,” he says.

In elementary school, he was the kid who was good, but never the best on his team. Up until this year at Rogersville, you could say the same thing. Sure, he was the Central Ozark Conference Small School Division Player of the Year, but if you put him in the COC Big School Division, would he have stood out? Instead, he was steady. Steady with the glove. A pretty good hitter. A nice kid. A hard worker.

Still, steady doesn’t get you Division I scholarships or MLB Draft buzz. Steady gets you these types of offensive numbers:

• Freshman: .305 batting average, 1 home run
• Sophomore: .365, 1 HR
• Junior: .444, 2 HR

And they were good enough to land him on the Midwest Nationals teams throughout the years. He played as the everyday shortstop on the 16-year-old team at age 16, but at 17 — last summer — he found his way onto the 18-and-under team. He had a marketable skill, but it wasn’t one to get him in the everyday lineup. It was his defense.

The lack of playing time didn’t bother Conner. He’d never been the guy, so he didn’t feel slighted. But naturally, he wanted more. He played his role as the late-inning defensive replacement, who got occasional starting nods. It made sense for a player who had signed to play at Jefferson College, a well-respected junior college in Hillsboro. But during a tournament last summer at Mizzou, Conner was scuffling. MSU’s Guttin was there. Naturally Mizzou was there, and seeing as how his father Terry was a Tiger alum, that was always Conner’s dream school. Handfuls of other D-I schools were also on hand. He started to press while playing third base, feeling like he was never going to get another base hit.

He called his family and had second thoughts about his baseball future.

“I called my dad and said, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this any more,’” Seth Conner said. “I was struggling at the plate and it made me question if I wanted to play baseball, for the first time in my life. (I told him) ‘I’m a decent player, a good high school player’ but I doubted myself. … Do I want to put the time in when I might not even be playing, or get a chance?”

But at the end of that Nationals season, he caught a break. Because of some players had other summer commitments, Conner found himself as the starting third baseman for the final Nationals series. After starting 0-for-8 at the plate, he finished the series 8-for-17. It gave him some hope and a new inspiration.

The next big-picture conversation with his family sounded totally different.

“We had always told Seth that baseball is a grind,” said Corinne Conner, Seth’s mother. “If every few days are a grind, that’s OK, but if every day is not enjoyable, then you need to re-evaluate what you want to do. Then he told us that not everyone gets to do this and how he gets to play on these great teams and these great fields. It was a privilege to do this. That’s when everything changed.”

Seth Conner had made up his mind: “I wanted to be a Division-I baseball player and I was going to do whatever it took to get there.”

The transformation

Conner was a solid three-sport athlete at Rogersville. Already steeped in basketball tradition, Conner was a part of Rogersville’s football resurgence, too. But he decided if he was going to be that D-I baseball player, something was going to have to change.

After Nationals season, he weighed 183 pounds, and while he was slick defensively, he wasn’t projected to play shortstop at the next level, like he does at Rogersville. He was headed for third base and corner infielders need to hit for more power than four career high school home runs. After consulting Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman, Conner was going to have to improve everything: Swing, strength, flexibility, nutrition and more. He was Bruce Banner. He needed to channel the Incredible Hulk.

While he enjoyed playing football and basketball, baseball was the ultimate goal. He became a one-sport athlete to give himself more time. There are fewer high school athletes that spent their time better.

For the swing, it was four to five days a week in the cage with Merryman, working on the swing path that would generate more power. For strength it was working out four times a week at St. John’s HealthTracks, where Strength and Conditioning Specialist Brandon Ezzell helped him discover there is more than just the ordinary bench press, military press, etc. To enhance his speed and cardiovascular capacity, he worked with Missouri State women’s track and field coach Ron Boyce on his running style twice a week. He sought the nutrition advice of a family friend who was a personal trainer. He cut out the soda and the sugary stuff, inserting water, chicken and raw vegetables, instead. Even Gatorade was too toxic for mass consumption, he discovered. He stopped short of doing yoga to improve his mind, body and soul, although he thought about it. He was that committed.

Once Nationals season ended in August, all of the work instantly took to his body like he was touched with some type of hard-work magic wand. By October, he had put on more than 20 pounds. At his heaviest, he bulked up to 206 pounds, 23 pounds heavier than at the end of Nationals season.

The transformation was under way. Conner no longer felt like he was a good player or a defensive replacement. He was feeling like a Division I specimen. Now he had to make it work with baseball.

“I learned how to produce and recycle energy,” Conner said. “I couldn’t stop there. I had to get better.”

Baseball

Seth Conner

Merryman saw how much Conner was changing. That’s why he pushed his new protege.

“You put in the work, no go do it.” Merryman told Conner.

After about the 200th hitting lesson between the two, Merryman said he saw it all coming together.

“He was becoming a man,” Merryman said. “He was getting man strength and maintaining speed. After 200 lessons with me, the swing finally clicked.”

Using some of his contacts, Merryman got Conner into the World Wood Bat Championship Tournament, an MLB-caliber amateur event in Jupiter, Fla., the Spring Training campus of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins. Armed with this new baseball arsenal, Conner was still nervous. It was the first set of live at-bats since Nationals season. He went 3-for-10, showing off his new bat speed to the droves of MLB scouts on golf carts.

Conner was modest. Merryman was forceful.

“He dominated,” Merryman said.

However it was perceived, it was the official launch of all Seth Conner buzz. Then came the showcases. Owasso, Okla. Balls and Strikes in Springfield. Mizzou. People were starting to figure out that all of a sudden, Seth Conner was a four, maybe even five-tool player, who already had the slick glove and good arm, but now had power that allowed the domino effect of batting to take place — Outs became base hits, singles became doubles and warning-track shots left the yard, etc.

During the Mizzou showcase, Terry Conner said he heard someone talking about his son that remembered him from the Nationals tournament, months earlier.

Didn’t we see this kid earlier?

Yes, but you haven’t seen this kid.

When high school season rolled around, Conner had gone from a somewhat normal guy to local baseball superhero. He turned Bruce Banner into the Incredible Hulk. He put fear in opposing high school coaches. While he and his teammates finished fourth at state, it was still the farthest a Rogersville baseball team had advanced. And after a handful of kids had helped Rogersville’s resurgence — including former Missouri State and current Kansas City Royals farmhand Buddy Baumann — Conner would be the one forever identified as state qualifier.

Now when put with his career high school stats, you can see what all the senior season fuss is about.

• Freshman: .305 batting average, 1 home run
• Sophomore: .365, 1 HR
• Junior: .444, 2 HR
• Senior: .473, 11 HR, 40 RBIs

Patience and aggression

Conner will go pro if taken in the right spot.

Conner came on so late in the college recruiting game, and since position players rarely get lucrative college scholarships, few schools had money to entice him with scholarship offers right before his senior season. That’s part of the reason he signed with Missouri State. But by the time he signed with Guttin, the buzz was hot that MLB draft talk was surpassing college.

That’s another way that Conner is different than most local MLB draft picks. Not since the Chicago White Sox drafted Lucas Harrell in the fourth round of the 2004 draft has a hyper-local high schooler forsaken college to head to the pro game. Conner could be the next.

Yes, he has a spot on MSU’s team, but Conner wants to take his shot professionally. Some families give the political answer, talking about how they’ll mull the decision of the draft and weigh the opportunities between starting a pro career and heading to college. Not the Conners. Terry, Corinne and Seth confirmed if he’s drafted between rounds 10 and 20 and the money is close to the number recommended by Major League Baseball, he’ll go pro. For a high school kid that has some upside and would be willing to take the money, that number could be between $150,000-200,000, according to Baseball America.

Why take the chance? Conner doesn’t see it as a chance at all. He said he felt if he gets into a system in the right situation, he’ll have a chance to progress normally, instead as a college player who might not get an extended look.

“It’s all about development (in the minor leagues),” Conner said. “It’s all about becoming a better baseball player and that’s what I want to do.”

It’s also not that Conner isn’t a smart kid and is trying to avoid a college education. He says he wants one, even if it comes after he “retires.” That could mean he never made it, or it could be when he’s 40 after a lucrative pro career. He said he aims to negotiate the price of college education into his deal, if the cards fall right.

With his retooled physique and skill set, it brings up a comparison. Current Kansas City Royals farmhand and Double-A Northwest Arkansas Natural Mike Moustakas was a 5-foot-11, 195-pound high school senior shorstop. Now, he’s a 6-foot, 230-pound uber-prospect hitting near .400 over two months at Double-A at age 21. Of course, he was the No. 2 pick overall and Conner is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect in Missouri, but as much muscle and bulk as Conner has put on his frame, there is room for more.

Merryman thinks he’s a can’t miss prospect.

“I don’t think he’ll end up on campus,” Merryman said. “He’ll probably get drafted in the mid teens and they’ll pay him over slot. … He’s a no risk. He’s the Tim Tebow with the unbelievable work ethic. He’s easy as a draft pick. You’re never going to have to work about him. He shakes hands firm and all of that goes a long way with scouts.”

Not bad for a defensive replacement, right?

Words from a scouts

From Toronto Blue Jays scout Brandon Mozley:

He has power in the bat and showed power to the opposite field. He has above average arm strength. Defensively I see him as a third baseman, but he has arm strength to move around the diamond a little.

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After four beautiful days, state baseball has finally concluded.

Here is an entire scoreboard for this past weekend’s high school state baseball tournament at Meador Park.

Wednesday
Class 1 semifinals
Brashear 3, Cooter 2
Concordia 9, St. Elizabeth 3
Class 2 semifinals
Crystal City 6, Stockton, 5
Carrollton 5, Conway 3

Thursday
Class 1 third-place game, Cooter 4, St. Elizabeth 1
Class 1 championship, Concordia 6, Brashear 1
Class 2 championship, Crystal City 10, Carrollton 1
Class 2 third-place game, Stockton vs. Conway, 7 p.m.

Friday
Class 3 semifinals
Rogersville 12, Bishop DuBourg, 11
Winfield 3, Pembroke Hill 0
Class 4 semifinals
Webb City 7, Oakville 2
CBC 9, Rockhurst 2

Saturday
Class 3 third-place game, Pembroke Hill 13, Rogersville 7
Class 3 championship, Bishop DuBourg 8, Winfield 5
Class 4 championship, CBC 14, Webb City 4
Class 4 third-place game, Rockhurst 4, Oakville 3

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Rogersville shortstop Seth Conner smoked a two-run double off the left field wall in the fourth inning.

12:41: Thanks for following along. Check the site later today for our feature on Seth Conner and his incredible transformation from good to a future professional.

12:39: What a game! DuBourg advances to the Class 3 championship game to play the winner of Winfield and Pembroke Hill. First pitch is 1 p.m Saturday.

Rogersville will play the loser in the 10 a.m. third-place game.

12:34: Stat geekage:

Rogersville offense

• Travis Schlesener, 2-for-4
• Seth Conner, 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs, BB
• Austin Jessen, 1-for-4, triple, 3 RBIs
• Zach Herman, 3-for-3, 2B, BB
• Steve Nagrich, 2-for-3, RBIs

Rogersville pitching

• Randy Preslar, 3 1/3 IP, 8 R (7 ER), 9 H, 1 K, 1 B
• Tome Kirkland, 0 IP, 2 BB, 2 R (0 ER)
• Austin Jessen, 3 2/3 IP, 2 R (2 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K

DuBourg offense

• Nicholas Montero, 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2 SB
• James Schwent, 4-for-5, 2 RBIs, 3 R, 2 2Bs
• Tyler Zychinski, 2-for-4
• Jeremy Tyler, 3-for-4, RBI

DuBourg pitching

• Matt Linderer, 5 IP, 9 R (6 ER), 13 hits, 1 BB, 4 K
• Josh Wagemann, 2 IP, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K

12:28: Holiday grounds out back to the pitcher to end the game. DuBourg wins 12-11 in a crazy game. Conner was standing in the on-deck circle. What instantly comes to mind is T. Schlesener getting thrown out at home in the fourth inning.

Rog will play the loser of this game in tomorrow’s 10 a.m. third-place game. Back with stat geekage momentarily.

12:27: Schlesener strikes looking out on a breaking ball. Holiday is up. Conner is on deck.

12:24: Nagrich is in an incredible at-bat. Seventh pitch upcoming, full count. He takes ball four and there is a runner on with one out. Top of the order for L-R.

12:22: Gault grounds out to Linderer, the new third baseman. One down. Nagrich has reached all three times and has two RBIs.

12:20: Ward lines out to the second baseman. After six and a half innings, DuBourg leads 12-11.

Due up for Rog: Gault, Nagrich, T. Schlesener. (Conner would be fifth)

12:17: Jessen has settled in. He gets Cebulski and Linderer to ground out harmlessly. Two strikes on Ward. The crowd is starting to get fired up.

12:13: Herman walks, but ball four skips away from the catcher. The score remains 12-11 after E. Schlesener grounds out to second base to end the inning.

Heading to the seventh ining, BD leads 12-11.

Due up for BD, Cebulski, Linderer, Ward.

12:12: Young strikes out on a curveball in the dirt. Will Jessen get stranded at third? There are two outs and Herman, who is 3-for-3, is at the plate.

12:09: Jessen smokes a 3-1 fastball up the middle that skips over the center fielder’s head. All three runners score and Jessen ends up on third. I’ve never seen a ball shoot up like that in the outfield. It’s 12-10 BD.

12:07: Conner walks on five pitches, which was probably going to happen anyway if first base would have been open. Either way, the bases are loaded for Jessen, who is 0-for-3 and the lone Wildcat to not reach base.

12:05: Holiday tries to bunt and reaches on a FC 2-5 as the bunt looked to hit the plate, but the ump called it a fair ball. Nagrich is out at third with Conner coming up.

12:02: Rog won’t quit. Nagrich singles to reach for the third time and Schlesener gets hit second hit. That will be all for Linderer, who allows 13 hits in an inauspicious outing. He’s replaced by third baseman Joshua Wagemann.

11:57: A bad hop eludes Conner and Montero has another hit. It scores Tyler and Montero takes second. Schwent is retired for the first time to end the inning.

BD leads 12-7 after five and a half innings.

Due up for Rog: Nagrich, T. Schlesener, Holiday.

11:55: Mazzuca singles through the hole on the right side and Tyler moves to second. BD is looking to blow this one wide open like the Lakers did to the Celtics last night.

11:53: Tyler singles over Conner’s head and Zychinski scores to make it 11-7. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t see a high-scoring game coming today.

11:51: Zychinski takes second on a wild pitch and Althage flies out to the left fielder. Can Jessen walk the tight rope again?

11:46: Ward grounds out to the second baseman. Zychinski singles up the middle.

11:42: Schlesener flies out to right field and Herman wisely stays at second. Montero threw a laser to third. Gault grounds out to second and the inning is over.

After five innings, BD leads 10-7.

Due up for BD: Linderer, Ward, Zychinski.

11:41: Young strikes out swinging, but Herman strokes his third hit of the game up the middle. He stole a base in the second inning.

11:38: Cebulski offers at a pitch in the dirt and he’s called out on strikes. Rog flirts with danger, but escapes with the 10-7 lead in tact after five and a half innings.

Due up for Rog: Young, Herman, E. Schelesner.

11:36: Ball four to Schwent is in the dirt and Montero takes third. Jessen is flirting with more disaster.

11:34: It’s also not over for BD. Montero singles for the third time and steals his third base. Schwent, who is at the plate, has three hits, too.

11:32: Tyler is retired 4-3, but Mazzuca is hit by a pitch. Ethan Schelesener hoses Mazzuca at second, trying to steal. Rog has new life, especially if Jessen can throw scoreless innings. This one is not over.

11:27: Jessen grounds out to shortstop to end the inning. The Wildcats score five to cut the lead down to 10-7. Can Rog capitalize on the momentum?

Du up: Tyler, Mazzuca, Montero?

11:25: Conner obliterates one off the left-center field wall. Gault scores. Nagrich scores. Travis Schlesener scores is thrown out at home on a strong throw from center field. Conner ends up at third and it’s 10-7 with two outs. As someone in the press box said, Rog is playing angry.

11:21: Holiday lasers one up the middle to score Gault. It’s 10-5 with one out and Conner is at the plate. Did we mention he has 11 home runs? Should be drafted on Wednesday? This is fun.

11:19: Travis Schlesener smokes the eighth hit off Linderer up the middle, but it’s hit so hard that Gault can’t score. Bases loaded and one out for Holiday. Conner looms on deck.

11:17: Negrich gets his second RBI, this time hitting a double play ball that turns into an E6. Herman scores and Gault ends up on second. There is still only one out and it’s 10-4 Rog. Still a long way to go.

11:16: E. Schelesener  strikes out on a high fastball, but Gault singles to right field. Herman takes third.

11:15: For more on Rogersville’s Seth Conner, check back to the site this afternoon for an in-depth feature. He has an insprirational story you have to read.

11:12: Young bloops one over the shortstop’s head and it looks like a single, but the two outfielders hit each other and Young ends up on third. He’s plated by a Herman RBI double down the 3B line. It’s his second hit of the day and Rog gets one back to cut it to 10-3. Linderer is lucky to have the run support. He hasn’t looked dominating today.

11:08: Another wild pitch scores a run, this time it’s Linderer and he’s the seventh run of the inning. 10-2 BD. Jessen walks  and Jessen snares a line drive up the middle and flips it to Conner for the final out.

BD scores seven runs and brings 11 batters to the plate against three pitchers. After three and a half, it’s 10-2.

Due up for Rog: young, Herman and E. Schlesener.

11:05: Jessen freezes Zychinski on a breaking ball for the second out, but the next pitch is in the dirt and goes to the backstop. Cebulski scores and it’s 9-2.

11:04: Kirkland walks both batters he faces and he is out of the game in favor of Austin Jessen. In the meantime, Schwent scored to make it 8-2. There is still only one out in the inning and this feels like a mercy rule waiting to happen.

11:01: Cebulski steals second. Linderer walks. It feels like the dam is going to break at any second. Bases loaded and only one out.

10:58: Schwent takes third on a wild pitch. Kirkland makes a great play on a ground ball up the middle, but babies the throw to first and it skips in the dirt. E1. First and third, one out for Linderer.

10:54: Schwent gets his third hit of the day, blasting a line drive over the left fielder’s head. He reaches second and Montero scores to make it 7-2 DuBourg. Lotz has made a pitching change and Tome Kirkland will take over.

10:53: Montero singles to plate Tyler. DuBourg leads 6-2, and Montero promptly steals second.

10:51: A ground ball finds Conner, but it takes a funny hop and there’s no play at home. Zychinski scores and Mazzuca is out at first. On the next pitch, Althage scores on a wild pitch and Tyler takes third. There is still only one out and it’s 5-2 DuBourg.

10:49: Rogersville coach Brad Lotz goes to the mound for a meeting. He’s walking slow. He can’t be happy.

He’s even more unhappy now. Tyler lobs a ball over a drawn-in infield to load the bases. The Rog infield is in and this could be the game.

10:47: Zychinski lobs a ball to left field for a single. Not many of the five hits Preslar has allowed have been hit hard. On a sacrifice attempt, the ball gets past Preslar and Althage reaches. First and second, no one out for DuBourg.

10:45: Quick inning for Linderer. He gets Holiday to fly out to right field, strikes Conner out looking on a curveball and snares a grounder from Jessen and throws to first.

After three, BD leads 3-2.

Due up, Zychinski, Althage and Tyler.

10:44: We don’t have time to do much of this, but here is a video of Bryce Harper’s ejection from the other day. Harper is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next week’s MLB draft. Here are his stats, by the way.

10:39: Ward strikes out to end the inning. BD takes the lead 3-2 after two and a half.

Due up: Holiday, Conner, Jessen

10:38: Linderer plates Schwent on a sacrifice fly to center field. BD leads 3-2.

10:37: Cebulski grounds a ball out of the strike zone to first baes and moves Schwent to third with one out. Smart baseball.

10:36: Schwent rips a single up the middle that buzzes Preslar’s head. Schwent steals second on the next pitch.

10:33: Many of Linderer’s pitches look to be on the outside part of the plate, but in the strike zone. Travis Schlesener grounds out to second to end the inning – the third 4-3 putout of the inning.

After two, the game is tied at 2.

Due up: Schwent, Cebulski, Linderer.

10:32: Nagrich is a machine. The junior third baseman amends for his error and steals second base.

10:30: No. 9 hitter Steve Nagrish plates Mantle on a single to right field, immediately after Mantle took third on a ground out to second. The game is tied at 2.

10:28: Ethan Schlesener pops a single to center and the Wildcats are in business. Herman steals third and the throw gets past the BD third baseman. Herman comes to score and the courtesy runner Beau Mantle takes second. Rog has life.

10:27: Young grounds out weakly to second base, but Herman slaps a single to center field.

10:24: Preslar escapes danger and gets Montero to fly out to left field and strand two runners. After one and a half, DuBourg leads 2-0.

Due up: Young, Herman, E. Schelesener.

10:23: Despite a friendly hop, the Rog third baseman can’t convert a routine 5-3 and it goes for an error. Tyler can’t advance past second base. A wild pitch moves both runners up with two outs. Big moment for L-R.

10:21: Tyler reaches on an infield single that Conner gobbles up, but can’t do anything with. A few pitches later, Ethan Schlesener gobbles up a pitch in the dirt and throws out Althage at third base.

10:19: Zychinski flies out to center field and Althage walks. On a more interesting note, Latsch, the encyclopedia of STL HS sports knowledge, tells me the last time DuBourg won a district title was 1961 — the same year as the last time the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. Chew on that.

10:17: We are always looking to help good people out, so please patronize the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Live Blog by clicking here.

10:16: Jessen strikes out looking on an outside fastball to retire the side.

After one inning, DuBourg leads 2-0.

Due up: Ward, Zychinski, Althage.

10:14: Conner singles up the middle on a ball up. I’d look for Conner to steal.

10:12: Although the strike zone looked about the size of a coffee can, Travis Schlesener draws a four-pitch leadoff walk. It goes for not as Holiday grounds into a 6-4-3 double play.

10:09: Preslar elicits another fly out to center field to retire the side. After a half-inning, DuBourg leads 2-0.

Due up: T. Schlesener, Holiday, Conner

10:07: Cebulski plates Schwent on groundout to second base. One out, but DuBourg leads 2-0. A flyout to center field retires Linderer for the second out.

10:05: After a missed bunt attempt, Schwent gets jammed, but it falls in just inside the left field line. The speedster Montero scores. On the next pitch, a passed ball gets past Rogersville’s catcher and moves Schwent to third.

The only start that could be worse for the Wildcats would be home run-home run.

10:03: And Prelar’s first pitch is singled up the middle. Latsch leans over and says Montero — one of five lefties amongst the first six batters — will be stealing second in three seconds.

Before I can hit publish, Montero steals second.

9:57: If you need a primer on DuBourg pitcher Matt Linderer, The STL Post Dispatch’s prize jewel Nate Latsch wrote this story on him this morning, focusing on his respect for the late Darryl Kile.

9:53: Starting lineups:

DuBourg (23-4)

Nicholas Montero, rf (.368)
James Schwent, 2b (.375)
Michael Cebulski, cf (.391)
Matt Linderer, rhp (.371, 7-1 as pitcher)
Justin Ward, lf (.359)
Tyler Zychinski, 1b (328)
Timothy Althage, dh (.294)
Jeremy Tyler, ss (.297)
Anthony Mazzuca, c (.246)
(Joshua Wagemann is playing 3b)

Rogersville (21-5)

Travis Schlesener, lf (. 274)
Korey Holiday, 1b (.408)
Seth Conner, ss (.493, 11 HR)
Austin Jessen, dh (.393)
Joe Young, cf (.451)
Zach Herman, 2b (.306)
Ethan Schlesener, c (.266)
Trenton Gault, rf (.246)
Steven Nagrich, 3b (.328)
(Randy Preslar is pitching, 8-1, 2.81 ERA, 50 Ks, 47 1/3 IP)

9:45: Welcome to Meador Park for a slice of Ozarks history. The first Class 3 semifinal between Rogersville and Bishop DuBourg features a ton of intrigue, starting with Rog SS Seth Conner and DuBourg righthanded pitcher Matt Linderer.

While formulating a list of of Missouri’s top MLB draft prospects, both Conner, a Missouri State recruit, and Linderer, who has signed with Mizzou, are both in the list. Linderer totes his 1.37 ERA and his 76 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings to the mound. For Conner, he has as many home runs (11) as he does singles (11) and doubles (11).

Stay tuned for the lineups.

—————————————

Rogersville High School’s baseball team is in unchartered territory, and the TAGsgf.com Live Blog will be on hand to document the occasion.

Behind the strength of senior shortstop Seth Conner and a resilient pitching staff/defense, Rogersville has advanced to the state baseball semifinals for the first time and will be facing St. Louis-area private school Bishop DuBourg, which is also making its state baseball debut. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Meador Park.

Can’t make the game? Can’t get near a radio? Don’t sweat, Allen Vaughan will be on hand to give running commentary and analysis.

Tell your friends and we will get it off the ground at 9:45 a.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. Final HS state baseball scoreboard

   The state high school baseball schedule is set and we have the matchups laid out, including a Live Blog set for Rogersville's Class 3 semifinal....

2. Your Missouri State v. Mizzou baseball live blog

   Share this on Bebo Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Share this on Facebook Email...

3. State high school baseball rankings

   The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association released its final regular-season rankings as we head toward this week's start of district play....

Republic's Tyler King

As Tyler King sat in the Republic High School athletic director’s office, just hours before a trigonometry test, he shook his head a good half-dozen times in a span of five seconds. Wearing a Navy blue American Eagle polo shirt with his hair groomed perfectly, King has always had the uncanny ability to ooze confidence without coming across as the cocky jock. In street clothes, he doesn’t look like someone who could embarrass you with a baseball.

But he is.

See, for the last few years — especially this entire school year — something has been hovering above him, seemingly attached to his shoulders. Once he stopped shaking his head, he opened his mouth and with one answer, calmly beamed a sun ray through the odd, hazy cloud hanging above him.

• No, he’s not going to be the next Scott Elbert.
• No, he doesn’t know if he’s going to grow taller.
• No, he he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t get drafted.
• No, he won’t be disappointed if he has to go to college.
• No, he’s not disappointed in any of his young baseball career.

The fact he has to even answer the last is absurd, but that’s the perception that King has endured. The left-handed pitcher who might have been the best in the Ozarks — not just this season, but for the past few — set the bar so unrealistically high, he has had to fight against a reputation he had no chance of attaining.

“I knew that wasn’t going to happen,” King said in response to the comparisons to Scott Elbert, a Seneca grad who was a first-round MLB draft pick in 2004. “I don’t really worry about it. I just go out and play my game. Getting drafted would be great, but I have [a scholarship to go to the University of] Nebraska. I try not to put too much thought into it, really. It’s something I can’t control.”

But just because he doesn’t put much thought into it doesn’t mean the perception that he’s been a disappointment of sorts doesn’t exist. At the end of last week, TAGsgf.com received a tweet from a Twitter follower saying they’d heard King was overrated, yet had never seen him play. And just like he would react when he would come into a game as a youth player out of the bullpen, or setting the saves record for the Midwest Nationals, the top-flight youth-development team in the Ozarks, he has treated the perception like just another tough spot to get out of. It’s just another cloud he has to navigate with sunshine.

A whole different Area Code

Tyler King set the Midwest Nationals saves record in 2008 with 7.

On the way to the Midwest Nationals tryout following his sophomore year, King’s father, Marty, reassured his then 5-foot-10, 175-pound son. The duo had always set their sights high, but he wasn’t sure which team he make. In the father’s mind, it was worth the shot, even though there was a likely chance he wouldn’t be good enough and would play with the kids his age.

“He’s always been playing up (in age), so that was what he needed to do,” Marty King said. “I wasn’t sure he would make it, but he needed to try. I wanted him to have something to shoot for in the future.”

Not only did King make the Ozarks’ top elite summer team, he was assigned to the Nationals’ Senior Level squad as an April-birthday 16-year-old. Many of his new peers were 18. He wasn’t grizzled enough to make the starting rotation, but he carved out a niche as the team’s closer with a baseball-pleasing formula:

Guts + lefthanded = Potential.

By the end of the season, King owned the Nationals saves record with 7 and developed a reputation for a young kid who had the guile to navigate the big moment and the tools to execute the pitches. It validated the hunch his father had for him and looked like the same kid who used to do those same things to grade-school batters. Impressed with his combination of mound presence, natural tools and young age, Nationals founder and coach Randy Merryman decided King was ready for an tryout for the Area Codes Games, an MLB-sponsored national all-star event that propels kids onto nationwide radars.

Just like that Nationals tryout, King made the Chicago White Sox team, which represents an assortment of Midwestern states. Just getting his name on the roster ignited his national reputation like a lighter fluid-doused charcoal pit and when he didn’t embarrass himself out there, he instantly latched on the forefront of scouts’ brains, pens and fingertips.

A 2008 scouting report read:

Tyler King is a 2010 LHP with a 5’10”, 175 lb. frame from Republic, MO. … (Fastball is 86 mph) … Athletic frame, lean, room for continued development. 3/4 release on mound, well balanced delivery, high leg kick, very good changing speeds, good extension out front, pitchability, dirty (changeup) with good arm action, also 2-8 (o’clock) big breaking (curveball), lots of defensive swings against, shows good feel for (curveball) and (changeup), athletic fielding position.

Seneca alum Scott Elbert

But more importantly, scouts and the media instantly had a regional comparison for King — Scott Elbert. Why? A Seneca grad, Elbert was the only previous local high school baseball player that made the Area Codes as a sophomore and junior. Many thought his 6-1, 215-pound frame was attainable, and, of course, both were lefthanded pitchers. Elbert ended up being the 17th selection in the 2004 MLB draft’s first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Once King came along, the comparisons stuck to him, no matter how unfair, and the context was set in stone.

At the time, King’s fastball was clocked in the low 80s and he possessed a makings of a dangerous curveball and changeup. But he didn’t have the 90s heater that Elbert developed, nor did he have Elbert’s slightly larger frame. But what King did have was potential. There was time to get bigger, get better and throw harder. It’s that potential that both helped and hurt him.

“He had a lot to live up to, that’s for sure,” Midwest Nationals coach Randy Merryman said.

Spitting image, sort of

If you’ve met Marty King, you’ll remember him for the rest of your life.

He’s big. He’s loud. He’s charismatic. He speaks his mind. During games, he never sits down and he’s rarely close to the stands. He seemingly has conversations with everyone, and has a joke for all of them. Likeable doesn’t seem like a generous enough term for TK’s dad.

Like many sports-loving fathers, Marty wanted a lefthanded-pitching son. While most of those fathers are halfway joking, and willing to take a chance with nature, Marty was 100 percent serious. By 16 months old, Tyler King was taking grounders with a glove on his right hand. To this day, Tyler does everything with his right hand — eat, write, bat — except pitch.

“It’s just natural. I do everything else right, but I pitch lefthanded,” Tyler King said. “I fool around every once in a while, but there’s no way I could pitch righthanded.”

King pitched at the Mariner's Cup, a prestigious national showcase, in Seattle this past summer.

It turned out Tyler had an aptitude for pitching. He was the star on every team he was on, and normally he was so good he played up in age. When he was 10, teams with 12-year-olds wanted him. When the King family moved from Pleasant Hill to Republic at the beginning of sixth grade he plugged right in, and Marty was right there with them. A coach of his son’s teams, Marty was instrumental in pushing Tyler, not giving him empty pats on the back, but providing him praise when it was deserved and criticism that showed him the value of serious competition.

“The biggest problem with a lot of kids is they get a false sense of security,” Marty King said. “They need to play against the best competition possible. I’ve always told him, if he works at it 100 percent, I will do everything in my power to help him achieve what he wants. And he’s always done that.”

While Tyler acquired most of Marty’s charismatic personality and adapted it to high school life, the one thing that Marty hasn’t given his son is his size. Marty looks like a 6-foot-6 linebacker. Tyler looks like a stocky defensive back. If you saw him on the street, you wouldn’t know he was a lefthanded pitcher with a wicked assortment of breaking pitches.

Tyler swears his lack of size, and most of all, lack of respect from MLB scouts hasn’t discouraged him. After all, Johan Santana is 6-foot, 210-pounds. Billy Wagner is 5-10, 200 pounds. Both are multiple-time all-star lefthanded pitchers, but for every one of them there are a dozen guys who just weren’t big enough.

“The thing about being small, a lot of pro scouts aren’t thrilled about you. They like tall and lanky. I’m neither of those,” Tyler King joked. “I think the reasoning is, being bigger, they suppose you’re more durable. Will he wear down? It’s all about projectability. They see a guy and feel like they can add velocity to him. For me, they assume I can’t do those things.”

Big Red

Tyler King poses for a picture with New York Yankee and former Nebraska pitcher Joba Chamberlain.

Fresh off his new found infamy and helium-inflated expectations, King dominated as a high school junior. In high school ball, he improved on his sophomore numbers of 92 strikeouts in 67 innings by pitching 64 2/3 innings with 109 Ks. He still maintained his sub 1.30 ERA, but his fastball crept to the mid 80s and his breaking pitches became slightly more refined. To local hitters, he was still Sandy Koufax. His real progress would be shown again with the Midwest Nationals.

King graduated to the Nationals starting rotation and looked the part. He won 8 games and allowed only 4.1 hits per game. But his fastball was still only in the mid 80s, and he was still just shy of six feet tall. The results were there, but the flashy stuff — the radar gun readings, his frame — was underwhelming. The scope of recruiting was still impressive for anyone from the Ozarks, but it wasn’t the nationwide, superstar celebrity status that many expected.

Instead of improving leaps and bounds, the scouting report looked very similar to the previous year’s:

Tyler King is a 2010 LHP with a 6’0”, 185 lb. frame from Republic HS. … Medium athletic build, some strength. Nice repeatable delivery, uses lower half well, high 3/4′s release. FB was 82-84 mph with arm side run in the Metrodome. Curveball and change up are both good pitches, hard spin on (curveball) with downer break, change fades well with good arm speed at release. Shows pitchability, mixes up pitches, locations, needs to fine tune fastball command. We have seen him at higher velocity. Excellent student.

In the end, Tyler received scholarship offers from Missouri, Missouri State and Nebraska. Born and raised a Mizzou fan, and being a first-hand witness to what Missouri State and pitching coach Paul Evans has been able to do with hurlers, many figured he would stay within the Show-Me State borders. But, he said he felt compelled to attend Nebraska.

“I just felt like they would do the best to prepare me for professional baseball,” Tyler King said. “When Joba Chamberlain showed up, he was throwing mid 80s. When he was done, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. That’s where I want to be.”

He claims that leaving the state wasn’t a reflection of any pressure he faced here locally, instead a result of how impressed he was with Nebraska football games, Chamberlain and facilities.

Staying away

Even though he is suited up in Chicago White Sox gear, it's likely King won't get drafted next month.

While his results on the mound couldn’t be questioned, many scouts felt they had Tyler King pegged. They knew exactly what he was and it wasn’t what they’d hoped. He didn’t grow up to be as tall as his father. He hadn’t yet regularly increased the velocity into the 90s. In other words, not only did Major League Baseball teams  — especially the 15 that have maintained contact with him since the Area Codes experience — think he wasn’t worth a top-round draft pick, they weren’t for sure that he was worth the money to try to talk him out of his Nebraska scholarship.

That’s a recipe for MLB draft disaster. The money for an MLB draft pick is detemined by a sliding scale called slot money. Each year, MLB releases an expected dollar amount that a team should recommend as a signing bonus. Generally, for players who are taken later than the 15th round, the money isn’t worth turning down whatever their college scholarships pay. In King’s case, Nebraska is worth significantly more than what something below rounds 15 and beyond could pay him. Local fans have seen it happen with local pitchers like Tyler Clark (Catholic, Mizzou) and J.C. Casey (Missouri State). Both had, at least, Round 20 or 30 talent, but each were taken in the late 40s. They both attended school.

When this past season came around, soreness in his arm forced him to miss a few starts. When he did make his debut on April 9 in a Red and Blue Classic game at Glendale, a Toronto Blue Jays scout clocked him at 91 mph. It was the hardest he’d thrown in his life. He struck out 13 batters over 6 innings while beating Blue Springs. But just a few starts later he was back to pitching in the low 80s. He got hit around a few times. Scouts stopped coming to his games. The word was out.

That Area Codes lefty from a few seasons ago hasn’t grown and isn’t throwing any harder.

During a loss at home to Nixa on May 4, he lasted only four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits. The only scout in attendance was Merryman, his Nationals coach who also does scouting for the Texas Rangers. It was the final sign that King’s status as an elite pitching prospect was over. As shrewd a kid as they come, King already saw the writing on the wall. Merryman summed up the situation.

“He’s just kind of plateaued,” said Merryman, who also coached Elbert with the Nationals. “He has to come to the realization that he didn’t become that 90s-plus (mph) guy. Now he’s got to really learn how to pitch. On the bright side, there are a lot of lefthanded pitchers that throw 86-88 just like he does that are in the big leagues.

“He’ll be a very good college player and will probably be a pro baseball player,” Merryman said. “But, for right now, he’s going to go to college. It’s not what everyone thought was going to happen a few years ago.”

Most scouts agree King won’t get drafted. Baseball America writer Jim Callis, who reports on draft prospects for most of the Midwest is hearing the same information.

“He might not even get drafted,” Callis said.

Faith

King at a Perfect Game showcase tryout.

Alan Mahaffey believes in Tyler King.

A former Kickapoo southpaw who had Division I aspirations, Mahaffey left the Chiefs as a self-described 6-2 dumpy kid who threw 78-79 mph. But, when he left Three Rivers Community College, he was an in-shape 6-2 and was throwing 88-89 mph. Mahaffey ended up at Arkansas, becoming one of the team’s best pitchers. He was a 16th round draft pick in the 1995 draft and spent six years in the Minnesota Twins system, advancing to Triple-A. He was even a Rule V pick by the Chicago Cubs in 1998, meaning he wasn’t protected by the Twins’ 40-man roster and the Cubs thought he could make the big league club. Just like the Twins camps he attended, he never made it to the big leagues.

And while he never had King’s marketability, as a local pitching instructor, Mahaffey’s been a handy resource for the kid who has battled against lofty expectations. He has helped him understand mechanics, mound presence and strategy. He also understands that lefthanders sometimes develop later in baseball years than righties. He’s been realistic yet supportive of Tyler at times when others were frustrated, or just didn’t understand. He’s been a voice of reason.

“He’s definitely got a chance to be a good college pitcher and he can be a pro prospect,” Mahaffey said. “He’s a lefty that throws three pitches for strikes. Once he’s around baseball 24/7, his stuff will continue to get better. He can still put on muscle and he can continue to fine tune his mechanics and his repeatability.”

When Tyler has a pitching problem he consults Mahaffey. He helps refine his leg kick and helps keep his windup closed. He correctly positions his shoulders. All of it makes the fastball zip, the curveball bite and the changeup deceive. He knows how badly King wants to win, and to not only prove people wrong, but prove him right.

“He’s a down-to-earth kid,” Mahaffey said. “He’s a bulldog. I don’t think it’s fazed him. I think he just wants to be as good as he can be.”

Finale

TK's trademark three-quarter delivery.

Through his senior season, King admitted the combined weight of the upcoming MLB draft, the public’s perception of him and his high school baseball team and his own expectations were like a cape of paperweights. After the Nixa start, he went back to Mahaffey to once again fine-tune his mechanics.

He came back for a regular-season tuneup game against Mount Vernon and dominated for four shutout innings, striking out seven. It set up a showdown with rival Willard in a first round district game in Carthage. What happened was the epitome of King’s career and Republic’s senior season.

He carved up Willard’s lineup, going the distance while striking out 11 batters. But the Tiger offense was quiet and the lone ball that left the Republic infield ended up being an error, costing Tyler and the Tigers a 1-0 loss. That sick feeling of defeat hurt, there’s no doubt. He knew what people would say. They’d talk about how that Area Codes kid couldn’t make it out of the first round of districts.

If he’s so good, how could that happen?

He’s been down that road before. But he swears he has never felt better than when he took the mound that day. Remember that velocity during his first start? It was back. While there was no radar gun to validate it, he felt like it was the hardest he has ever thrown, maybe even breaking 91 mph. His breaking stuff broke harder. For the first time all season he felt dominant. With the loss in the rearview mirror, he could see the big picture, something many others have had a hard time making out.

“I was extremely happy for myself. With my mechanics as off as they were, I began to worry about how the summer was going to go. How Nebraska was going to go. But once I got it straightened out (with Mahaffey), I’d never felt that good before,” Tyler said. “Now I know I can deal with all of it and go out there and be effective.”

Tyler begins Midwest Nationals season this weekend at the College of the Ozarks. While some will see it as a last hurrah for MLB scouts to get the clearest picture of him, King’s not concerned. He’s got Nebraska. He’s got that last high school start. Does he have millions of dollars, which were hastily forecasted a few years ago? No, but he’s got his confidence back and he knows what he is — a kid that has a chance to be a big league pitcher, just like he would write about when he was an elementary student. He’ll just have to go to college to do it. He could still be an all-star like Johan Santana or Billy Wagner. He could be Scott Elbert and be stuck in Triple-A six years after he was a first-round pick. He could be Alan Mahaffey and be the late bloomer who never quite makes the big leagues.

But most importantly, he will be Tyler King. He still has the guts, and he’s not a disappointment. Instead, he’s been able to grasp perspective that few 18-year-old baseball players can. It’s rare for a kid who was a multiple-time all-state player with a career record of 22-8 with a 1.64 ERA over 186 innings, striking out 278 batters (1.5 Ks per inning) to have anything but an inflated ego. But with his success and the unrealistic expectations it brought, he’s still a kid who was wooed by MLB scouts and Division I players and will one day have a chance to improve on his MLB draft status. He understands expectations and came out the other side with his pride and his dignity.

He’s exactly where he needs to be.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

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2. The Tyler King Watch: Senior night

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The Road to Meador Park gets clearer as we progress through the high school baseball playoff schedule, and each class is now down to the Elite 8.

Both Webb City and Rogersville advanced convincingly to Thursday’s big school quarterfinals and many of the Class 1 and 2 schools will pare down their playoff schedules to the final four, which will compete for the state titles here in SGF.

Stay tuned for more scores and here is the current playoff schedule.

Sectional scores

Tuesday

Class 1
Cooter (20-6) at Chafee (14-8), 4 p.m.

Class 4
Pacific 2, Jackson 1
Oakville 9, Parkway South 3
Columbia Rock Bridge 3, Ft. Zumwalt North 2
Webb City 1, Branson 0
SLUH 12, Hazelwood Central 0
CBC 5, Ft. Zumwalt South 0
Rockhurst 13, Sedalia Smith-Cotton 3
Park Hill 5, Truman 3

Class 3
Cape Girardeau Notre Dame 7, Potosi, 0
Bishop DuBourg 13, Trinity Catholic 3
Rogersville 4, Pleasant Hill 3
Carl Junction 7, Monett 3
Westminster Christian Academy 5, Union 3
Winfield 6, Fulton 3
Boonville 1, KC St. Pius X 0
Pembroke Hill 4, Bishop LeBlond 0

Monday
Class 2
Twin Rivers (15-4) at Clearwater (26-0), (n)
Crystal City 2, Scott City 0 (9 innings)
Strafford 12, Fordland 0 (5 innings)
Stockton 12, Southwest (Washburn) 2
New Bloomfield 3, Mark Twain 0
Conway 10, West County 0
Lexington 10, Lafayette County 8
Carollton 6, West Platte 1

Class 1
Oak Ridge (12-12) at Winona (13-7), (n)
Sturgeon 8, Clopton 3
Brashear 4, Northeast (Cairo) 1
Billings 9, Norwood 6 (8 innings)
St. Elizabeth 3, Dadeville 1
Liberal 11, Sacred Heart 1
Concordia 4, Wellington-Napoleon 2

Quarterfinal schedule
Today
Class 2
Crystal City vs. Clearwater at Festus, 4 p.m.
Strafford at Stockton, 5 p.m.
New Bloomfield at Conway, 5 p.m.
Lexington at Carrolton, 6 p.m.

Class 1
Cooter at Oak Ridge, 4 p.m.
Sturgeon vs. Brashear at Kirksville, 6 p.m.
Billings at St. Elizabeth, 6 p.m.

Thursday
Class 4
Pacific at Oakville, 4:30 p.m.
Columbia Rock Bridge at Webb City, 5 p.m.
SLUH vs. CBC at Missouri Baptist University, 4 p.m.
Rockhurst at Park Hill, 3:30 p.m.

Class 3
Cape Girardeau Notre Dame at Bishop DuBourg, 3:30 p.m.
Rogersville at Carl Junction, 6 p.m.
Westminster Christian at Winfield, 6 p.m.
Pembroke Hill vs. Bishop LeBlond, 6 p.m.

Class 1
Liberal at Concordia, 4 p.m.

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The Road to Meador Park continues as one half of the high school baseball sectional schedule is complete.

Both Strafford and Stockton advanced convincingly, while Billings won in extra innings to move on to Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Class 3-4 teams play their sectional games today, and we will have scores as soon as we get them.

Sectional scores

Monday
Class 2
Twin Rivers (15-4) at Clearwater (26-0), (n)
Crystal City 2, Scott City 0 (9 innings)
Strafford 12, Fordland 0 (5 innings)
Stockton 12, Southwest (Washburn) 2
New Bloomfield 3, Mark Twain 0
Conway 10, West County 0
Lexington 10, Lafayette County 8
Carollton 6, West Platte 1

Class 1
Oak Ridge (12-12) at Winona (13-7), (n)
Sturgeon 8, Clopton 3
Brashear 4, Northeast (Cairo) 1
Billings 9, Norwood 6 (8 innings)
St. Elizabeth 3, Dadeville 1
Liberal 11, Sacred Heart 1
Concordia 4, Wellington-Napoleon 2

Today’s sectionals

Class 1
Cooter (20-6) at Chafee (14-8), 4 p.m.

Class 4
Jackson (17-7) at Pacific, (18-0), 4 p.m.
Oakville (20-7) at Parkway South (11-3)
Ft. Zumwalt North (24-3) at Columbia Rock Bridge (23-2), 5 p.m.
Branson (23-4) at Webb City (19-6) , 5:30 p.m.
SLUH (14-4) at Hazelwood Central (20-5)
CBC (22-7) at Ft. Zumwalt South (23-6)
Sedalia Smith-Cotton (16-9) at District 14 champ
Truman (15-6) at Park Hills (16-5)

Class 3
Cape Girardeau Notre Dame (23-1) at Potosi, 4 p.m.
Bishop DuBourg (19-4) at Trinity Catholic (15-9)
Pleasant Hill (15-6) at Rogersville (19-5), 4 p.m.
Monett (16-6) at Carl Junction (18-6), 6 p.m.
Westminster Christian Academy (20-9) at District 6 champ
Winfield (20-8) at Fulton (12-6), 6 p.m.
Boonville (19-4) at KC St. Pius X (12-11), 4 p.m.
Pembroke Hill (12-9) at Bishop LeBlond (16-4), 6 p.m.

Wednesday’s quarterfinal schedule
Class 2
Crystal City vs. Twin Rivers-Clearwater winner
Strafford at Stockton, 5 p.m.
New Bloomfield at Conway, 5 p.m.
Lexington at Carrolton

Class 1
Cooter-Chaffee winner vs. Oak Ridge-Winona winner
Sturgeon at Brashear
Billings at St. Elizabeth, 6 p.m.
Liberal at Concordia

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2. High school district baseball results: The Road to Meador Park

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While many of the timeshaven’t been released, we have info on today and Tuesday’s high school baseball sectional games, thanks to the News-Leader.

Check back tonight and tomorrow morning for a complete rundown of scores.

Sectional schedule

Today
Class 2
(Some times not yet announced)
Twin Rivers (15-4) at Clearwater (26-0)
Scott City (17-4) at Crystal City (15-3)
Fordland (12-6) at Strafford (22-4), 5 p.m.
Stockton (19-3) at Southwest (Washburn) (14-8), 5 p.m.
Mark Twain (15-6) at New Bloomfield (15-4)
West County (14-9) at Conway (23-3), 4 p.m.
Lafayette County (15-9) at Lexington (12-7)
Carollton (12-7) at West Platte (15-6)

Class 1
(Times and some locations not yet announced)
Cooter (20-6) at Chafee (14-8)
Oak Ridge (12-12) at Winona (13-7)
Clopton (11-4) at Sturgeon (14-2)
Brashear (10-4) at Northeast (Cairo) (10-7)
Norwood (15-8) at Billings (18-3), 5 p.m.
Dadeville (20-4) at St. Elizabeth (6-11), 7 p.m.
Liberal (16-2) at Sacred Heart (11-4)
Concordia (15-3) at Wellington-Napoleon (10-8)

Tuesday
Class 4
(Some times and locations not yet announced)
Jackson (17-7) vs. Pacific, (18-0)
Oakville (20-7) vs. Parkway South (11-3)
Ft. Zumwalt North (24-3) vs. Columbia Rock Bridge (23-2)
Branson (23-4) at Webb City (19-6) , 5:30 p.m.
SLUH (14-4) vs. Hazelwood Central (20-5)
CBC (22-7) vs. Ft. Zumwalt South (23-6)
Sedalia Smith-Cotton (16-9) vs. District 14 champ
Truman (15-6) vs. Park Hills (16-5)

Class 3
(Times and some locations not yet announced)
Cape Girardeau Notre Dame (23-1) at Potosi
Bishop DuBourg (19-4) at Trinity Catholic (15-9)
Pleasant Hill (15-6) at Rogersville (19-5), 4 p.m.
Monett (16-6) at Carl Junction (18-6), 6 p.m.
Westminster Christian Academy (20-9) at District 6 champ
Winfield (20-8) at Fulton (12-6)
Boonville (19-4) at KC St. Pius X (12-11)
Pembroke Hill (12-9) at Bishop LeBlond (16-4)

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Tyler King

Well, it wasn’t the end to his high school career Republic High School senior Tyler King was looking for.

The University of Nebraska-bound King and his Republic teammates lost 1-0 to Willard in a first-round district game last week. King and Co. allowed an unearned run, despite an 11-strikeout performance from the lefthanded pitcher. He allowed only one run and walked none, hitting 89 and 90 mph on the radar gun, his highest velocity readings since his first start of the year.

The best high school pitcher in the area, King finished his senior season 4-3 with a 2.13 ERA over 28 innings, striking out 60 batters and walking seven.

Check back Wednesday for a profile piece on King and how he handled unwieldy senior-season expectations.

This is how his 2010 high school season turned out:

• April 9 against Blue Springs: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 13 Ks (Win)
• April 13 against Ozark: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 19 against Bolivar: IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K (Save)
• April 20 against Carthage: 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 27 against Neosho: 6 IP, 9H 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Loss)
• May 4 against Nixa: 4 IP, 6R, 8H, BB, HBP, 4 Ks (Loss)
• May 11 against Mt. Vernon: 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, BB, 7 Ks (Win)
• May 17 against Willard: 6 IP, 1 R (unearned), 1 H, 11 Ks (Loss)
• Season: 4-3, 2.13 ERA, 38 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 60 Ks, 0.92 WHIP

Here are King’s career numbers:

• Freshman: 2-1, 3.20 ERA, 17 IP, 17 Ks
• Sophomore: 9-2, 1.28 ERA, 67 IP, 92 Ks
• Junior: 7-2, 1.20 ERA, 64 2/3 IP, 1.2 era, 109 Ks
• Senior: 4-3, 2.13 ERA, 38 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 60 Ks, 0.92 WHIP
• Career: 22-8, 1.64 ERA, 186 IP, 278 Ks (1.5 Ks per inning)

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After a week of rain and soggy baseball fields, we finally have the entire high school district baseball schedule completed and now we can truly focus on The Road to Meador Park.

As we close in on state baseball, which will be at SGF’s Meador Park from June 2-5, Class 1-2 schools have sectional games on Monday and Class 3-4 schools will play sectional games on Tuesday. Class 1-2 quarterfinals are Wednesday and Class 3-4 quarterfinals are Thursday.

We have Saturday’s district results and game story links, as well as the sectional schedule below.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge 3, (4) Hickman 2
(2) Helias 11, (3) Jefferson City,1
Friday
Championship
(1) Rock Bridge 6, (2) Helias 3

District 11 at Branson
Tuesday
First round
(1) Branson 9, (8) Central 0
(3) Kickapoo 6, (6) Parkview 2
(5) Nixa 12, (4) Glendale 5
(2) Ozark 3, (7) West Plains 1
Friday
(1) Branson 6, (5) Nixa 1
(3) Kickapoo 9, (2) Ozark 4
Saturday
Championship
(1) Branson 3, (3) Kickapoo 2

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Webb City 7, (4) Willard 3
(6) Carthage 8, (2) Neosho 4
Friday
Championship
(1) Webb City 6, (6) Carthage 3

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville 12, (4) MV-BT Liberty 2
(2) Houston 10, (3) Ava 3
Saturday
Championship
(1) Rogersville 5, (2) Houston 3

District 11 at Aurora
Monday
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville 15, (8) Hollister 0
(4) Bolivar 6, (5) Reeds Spring 1
At Cassville
(2) Monett 11, (7) Aurora 3
(6) Forsyth 15, (3) Catholic vs.
Thursday
Semifinals
(4) Bolivar 5, (1) Cassville vs.
(2 Monett 7, (6) Forsyth 5
Friday
Championship
(2) Monett 13, (4) Bolivar 7

District 12 at Seneca
Tuesday
Semifinals
(2) Nevada 9, (3) Mt. Vernon 3
(1) Carl Junction 12, (5) El Dorado Springs, 2
Friday
Championship
(1) Carl Junction 12, (2) Nevada 1

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Tuesday
First round
(4) Iberia 10, (5) Plato 5
(1) Eugene 18, (8) Richland 0 (5 innings)
(2) Conway 4, (7) Newburg 2
(3) Dixon 3, (6) Laquey 2
Wednesday
Semifinal
(2) Conway 7, (3) Dixon 5
Friday
Semifinal
(1) Eugene 12, (4) Iberia 0
Saturday
Championship
(2) Conway 8, (1) Eugene 2

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6, (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking 4, (4) Cabool 3
(2) Fordland 2, (6) Mansfield 0
Friday
Championship
(2) Fordland 5, (1) Licking 4 (16 innings)

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 13 (5) Spokane 3
(2) Blue Eye 14, (3) Crane 6
Friday
Championship
(1) Strafford 6, (2) Blue Eye 4

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton 18, (4) Ash Grove 0
(3) Morrisville 10, (2) Fair Grove 8
Wednesday
Championship
(1) Stockton 7, (3) Morrisville 2

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 3, (4) College Heights 2
(2) Southwest 12, (3) Pierce City 2
Thursday
Championship
(2) Southwest 7, (1) Purdy 4

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena 10, (4) Bakersfield 0
(3) Norwood 16, (2) Dora 4
Wednesday
Championship
(3) Norwood 6, (1) Galena 3

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 6, (4) Wheaton 3
(6) Golden City 15, (2) Greenfield 9
Friday
Championship
(1) Billings 8, (6) Golden City 4

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Tuesday
First round
(2) Weaubleau 17, (7) Walnut Grove 9
(3) Wheatland 11, (6) Halfway 1
Friday
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville 4, (4) Fair Play 2
(3) Wheatland 11, (2) Weaubleau 0
Today
Championship
(1) Dadeville 3, (3) Wheatland 2 (8 innings)

———————–

Sectional schedule

Monday
Class 2
(Times and some locations not yet announced)
Twin Rivers (15-4) vs. Clearwater (26-0)
Scott City (17-4) vs. Crystal City (15-3)
Fordland (12-6) vs. Strafford (22-4)
Stockton (19-3) vs. Southwest (Washburn) (14-8)
Mark Twain (15-6) vs. New Bloomfield (15-4)
West County (14-9) vs. Conway (23-3)
Lafayette County (15-9) vs. Lexington (12-7)
Carollton (12-7) vs. West Platte (15-6)

Class 1
(Times and some locations not yet announced)
Cooter (20-6) vs. Chafee (14-8)
Oak Ridge (12-12) vs. Winona (13-7)
Clopton (11-4) vs. Sturgeon (14-2)
Brashear (10-4) vs. Northeast (Cairo) (10-7)
Norwood (15-8) vs. Billings (18-3)
Dadeville (20-4) vs. St. Elizabeth (6-11)
Liberal (16-2) vs. Sacred Heart (11-4)
Concordia (15-3) vs. Wellington-Napoleon (10-8)

Tuesday
Class 4
(Some times and locations not yet announced)
Jackson (17-7) vs. Pacific, (18-0)
Oakville (20-7) vs. Parkway South (11-3)
Ft. Zumwalt North (24-3) vs. Columbia Rock Bridge (23-2)
Webb City (19-6) at Branson (23-4), 5:30 p.m.
SLUH (14-4) vs. Hazelwood Central (20-5)
CBC (22-7) vs. Ft. Zumwalt South (23-6)
Sedalia Smith-Cotton (16-9) vs. District 14 champ
Truman (15-6) vs. Park Hills (16-5)

Class 3
(Times and some locations not yet announced)
Cape Girardeau Notre Dame (23-1) vs. Potosi
Bishop DuBourg (19-4) vs. Trinity Catholic (15-9)
Pleasant Hill (15-6) at Rogersville (19-5)
Monett (16-6) vs. Carl Junction (18-6)
Westminster Christian Academy (20-9) vs. District 6 champ
Winfield (20-8) vs. Fulton (12-6)
Boonville (19-4) vs. KC St. Pius X (12-11)
Pembroke Hill (12-9) vs. Bishop LeBlond (16-4)

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2. High school district baseball results 5/18: The Road to Meador Park

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3. High school district baseball results 5/21: The Road to Meador Park

   Share this on Bebo Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Share this on Facebook Email...

Now that’s more like it.

A beautiful Friday allowed many of the high school district baseball championships to be played and here are the most recent champions:

• Webb City
• Monett
• Carl Junction
• Fordland
• Strafford
• Billings

The sectional picture isn’t yet complete, but with another beautiful day on tap, we should finally get past the district finals.

Here is the entire HS district baseball schedule as of 8 a.m. Saturday.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge 3, (4) Hickman 2
(2) Helias 11, (3) Jefferson City,1
Friday
Championship
(1) Rock Bridge 6, (2) Helias 3

District 11 at Branson
Tuesday
First round
(1) Branson 9, (8) Central 0
(3) Kickapoo 6, (6) Parkview 2
(5) Nixa 12, (4) Glendale 5
(2) Ozark 3, (7) West Plains 1
Friday
(1) Branson 6, (5) Nixa 1
(3) Kickapoo 9, (2) Ozark 4
Today
Championship
(1) Branson vs. (3) Kickapoo, 2 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Webb City 7, (4) Willard 3
(6) Carthage 8, (2) Neosho 4
Friday
Championship
(1) Webb City 6, (6) Carthage 3

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville 12, (4) MV-BT Liberty 2
(2) Houston 10, (3) Ava 3
Today
Championship
(1) Rogersville vs. (2) Houston, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Monday
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville 15, (8) Hollister 0
(4) Bolivar 6, (5) Reeds Spring 1
At Cassville
(2) Monett 11, (7) Aurora 3
(6) Forsyth 15, (3) Catholic vs.
Thursday
Semifinals
(4) Bolivar 5, (1) Cassville vs.
(2 Monett 7, (6) Forsyth 5
Friday
Championship
(2) Monett 13, (4) Bolivar 7

District 12 at Seneca
Tuesday
Semifinals
(2) Nevada 9, (3) Mt. Vernon 3
(1) Carl Junction 12, (5) El Dorado Springs, 2
Friday
Championship
(1) Carl Junction 12, (2) Nevada 1

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Tuesday
First round
(4) Iberia 10, (5) Plato 5
(1) Eugene 18, (8) Richland 0 (5 innings)
(2) Conway 4, (7) Newburg 2
(3) Dixon 3, (6) Laquey 2
Wednesday
Semifinal
(2) Conway 7, (3) Dixon 5
Today
Semifinal
(1) Eugene vs. (4) Iberia, 5 p.m.
Championship
(2) Conway vs. Eugene-Iberia winner, 7 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6, (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking 4, (4) Cabool 3
(2) Fordland 2, (6) Mansfield 0
Friday
Championship
(2) Fordland 5, (1) Licking 4 (16 innings)

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 13 (5) Spokane 3
(2) Blue Eye 14, (3) Crane 6
Friday
Championship
(1) Strafford 6, (2) Blue Eye 4

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton 18, (4) Ash Grove 0
(3) Morrisville 10, (2) Fair Grove 8
Wednesday
Championship
(1) Stockton 7, (3) Morrisville 2

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 3, (4) College Heights 2
(2) Southwest 12, (3) Pierce City 2
Thursday
Championship
(2) Southwest 7, (1) Purdy 4

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena 10, (4) Bakersfield 0
(3) Norwood 16, (2) Dora 4
Wednesday
Championship
(3) Norwood 6, (1) Galena 3

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 6, (4) Wheaton 3
(6) Golden City 15, (2) Greenfield 9
Friday
Championship
(1) Billings 8, (6) Golden City 4

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Tuesday
First round
(2) Weaubleau 17, (7) Walnut Grove 9
(3) Wheatland 11, (6) Halfway 1
Friday
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville 4, (4) Fair Play 2
(3) Wheatland 11, (2) Weaubleau 0
Today
Championship
(1) Dadeville vs. (3) Wheatland, 1 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

2. High school district baseball results 5/18: The Road to Meador Park

   Many of the HS district baseball championship game matchups are decided and a handful of those games are today. We have scores and schedules....

3. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

Slowly, but surely, the pieces of the high school district championship puzzle are falling into place.

With the wet weather again postponing many semifinal and championship games, we’d like to welcome Southwest (Washburn) as the newest members to the postseason party. The Trojans beat top-seeded Purdy 7-4 to win Class 2 District 12 at Purdy. Also, in Class 3 District 11 at Aurora, fourth-seeded Bolivar upended top-seeded and state-ranked Cassville. The Liberators will face second-seeded Monett in today’s championship game — weather permitting.

Here is the entire HS district baseball schedule as of 9 a.m. Friday.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge 3, (4) Hickman 2
(2) Helias 11, (3) Jefferson City,1
Today
Championship
(1) Rock Bridge vs. (2) Helias, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Tuesday
First round
(1) Branson 9, (8) Central 0
(3) Kickapoo 6, (6) Parkview 2
(5) Nixa 12, (4) Glendale 5
(2) Ozark 3, (7) West Plains 1
Today
(1) Branson vs. (5) Nixa, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Ozark vs. (3) Kickapoo, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Webb City 7, (4) Willard 3
(6) Carthage 8, (2) Neosho 4
Today
Championship
(1) Webb City vs. (6) Carthage, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville 12, (4) MV-BT Liberty 2
(2) Houston 10, (3) Ava 3
Today
Championship
(1) Rogersville vs. (2) Houston, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Monday
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville 15, (8) Hollister 0
(4) Bolivar 6, (5) Reeds Spring 1
At Cassville
(2) Monett 11, (7) Aurora 3
(6) Forsyth 15, (3) Catholic vs.
Thursday
Semifinals
(4) Bolivar 5, (1) Cassville vs.
(2 Monett 7, (6) Forsyth 5
Today
Championship
(2) Monett vs. (4) Bolivar, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Tuesday
Semifinals
(2) Nevada 9, (3) Mt. Vernon 3
(1) Carl Junction 12, (5) El Dorado Springs, 2
Today
Championship
(1) Carl Junction vs. (2) Nevada, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Tuesday
First round
(4) Iberia 10, (5) Plato 5
(1) Eugene 18, (8) Richland 0 (5 innings)
(2) Conway 4, (7) Newburg 2
(3) Dixon 3, (6) Laquey 2
Wednesday
Semifinal
(2) Conway 7, (3) Dixon 5
Today
Semifinal
(1) Eugene vs. (4) Iberia, 5 p.m.
Championship
(2) Conway vs. Eugene-Iberia winner, 7 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6, (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking 4, (4) Cabool 3
(2) Fordland 2, (6) Mansfield 0
Today
Championship
(1) Licking vs. (2) Fordland, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 13 (5) Spokane 3
(2) Blue Eye 14, (3) Crane 6
Today
Championship
(1) Strafford vs. (2) Blue Eye, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton 18, (4) Ash Grove 0
(3) Morrisville 10, (2) Fair Grove 8
Wednesday
Championship
(1) Stockton 7, (3) Morrisville 2

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 3, (4) College Heights 2
(2) Southwest 12, (3) Pierce City 2
Thursday
Championship
(2) Southwest 7, (1) Purdy 4

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena 10, (4) Bakersfield 0
(3) Norwood 16, (2) Dora 4
Wednesday
Championship
(3) Norwood 6, (1) Galena 3

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 6, (4) Wheaton 3
(6) Golden City 15, (2) Greenfield 9
Today
Championship
(1) Billings vs. (6) Golden City, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Tuesday
First round
(2) Weaubleau 17, (7) Walnut Grove 9
(3) Wheatland 11, (6) Halfway 1
Today
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville vs. (4) Fair Play, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Weaubleau vs. (3) Wheatland, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/18: The Road to Meador Park

   Many of the HS district baseball championship game matchups are decided and a handful of those games are today. We have scores and schedules....

2. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

3. High school district baseball results 5/21: The Road to Meador Park

   Share this on Bebo Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Share this on Facebook Email...

While we missed much of the rain this high school baseball season, the wet weather is more than making up for it now. You can throw out your original district baseball schedules as the rain postponed many of yesterday’s district semifinals and championship games.

The schedules below are as of now, but remember, could change with the wet weather. On the bright side, we do have the first two teams to win district championships, with Stockton taking Class 2 District 11 and Norwood conquering Class 1 District 5.

Here is the schedule as of 9 a.m. Thursday.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge 3, (4) Hickman 2
(2) Helias 11, (3) Jefferson City,1
Today
Championship
(1) Rock Bridge vs. (2) Helias, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Today
First round
(1) Branson 9, (8) Central 0
(3) Kickapoo 6, (6) Parkview 2
(5) Nixa 12, (4) Glendale 5
(2) Ozark 3, (7) West Plains 1
Today
(1) Branson vs. (5) Nixa, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Ozark vs. (3) Kickapoo, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Webb City 7, (4) Willard 3
(6) Carthage 8, (2) Neosho 4
Today
Championship
(1) Webb City vs. (6) Carthage, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville 12, (4) MV-BT Liberty 2
(2) Houston 10, (3) Ava 3
Today
Championship
(1) Rogersville vs. (2) Houston, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Monday
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville 15, (8) Hollister 0
(4) Bolivar 6, (5) Reeds Spring 1
At Cassville
(2) Monett 11, (7) Aurora 3
(6) Forsyth 15, (3) Catholic vs.
Today
Semifinals
(1) Cassville vs. (4) Bolivar, 4:30 p.m.
(2 Monett vs. (6) Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Tuesday
Semifinals
(2) Nevada 9, (3) Mt. Vernon 3
(1) Carl Junction 12, (5) El Dorado Springs, 2
Today
Championship
(1) Carl Junction vs. (2) Nevada, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Tuesday
First round
(4) Iberia 10, (5) Plato 5
(1) Eugene 18, (8) Richland 0 (5 innings)
(2) Conway 4, (7) Newburg 2
(3) Dixon 3, (6) Laquey 2
Wednesday
Semifinal
(2) Conway 7, (3) Dixon 5
Today
Semifinal
(1) Eugene vs. (4) Iberia, 5 p.m.
Championship
(2) Conway vs. Eugene-Iberia winner, 7 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6, (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking 4, (4) Cabool 3
(2) Fordland 2, (6) Mansfield 0
Today
Championship
(1) Licking vs. (2) Fordland, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 13 (5) Spokane 3
(2) Blue Eye 14, (3) Crane 6
Friday
Championship
(1) Strafford vs. (2) Blue Eye, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton 18, (4) Ash Grove 0
(3) Morrisville 10, (2) Fair Grove 8
Wednesday
Championship
(1) Stockton 7, (3) Morrisville 2

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 3, (4) College Heights 2
(2) Southwest 12, (3) Pierce City 2
Today
Championship
(1) Purdy vs. (2) Southwest, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena 10, (4) Bakersfield 0
(3) Norwood 16, (2) Dora 4
Wednesday
Championship
(3) Norwood 6, (1) Galena 3

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 6, (4) Wheaton 3
(6) Golden City 15, (2) Greenfield 9
Today
Championship
(1) Billings vs. (6) Golden City, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Tuesday
First round
(2) Weaubleau 17, (7) Walnut Grove 9
(3) Wheatland 11, (6) Halfway 1
Friday
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville vs. (4) Fair Play, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Weaubleau vs. (3) Wheatland, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/18: The Road to Meador Park

   Many of the HS district baseball championship game matchups are decided and a handful of those games are today. We have scores and schedules....

2. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

3. High school district baseball results 5/21: The Road to Meador Park

   Share this on Bebo Blog this on Blogger Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Share this on Facebook Email...

We are on track now with the high school district baseball schedule after a beautiful day. Many of the championship game matchups are decided and a handful of those games are today, setting the stage for the playoffs.

And of course, it all culiminates in Springfield at Meador Park June 2-5.

Here are the scores and schedules.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge 3, (4) Hickman 2
(2) Helias 11, (3) Jefferson City,1
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Rock Bridge vs. (2) Helias, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Today
First round
(1) Branson 9, (8) Central 0
(3) Kickapoo 6, (6) Parkview 2
(5) Nixa 12, (4) Glendale 5
(2) Ozark 3, (7) West Plains 1
Today
(1) Branson vs. (5) Nixa, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Ozark vs. (3) Kickapoo, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Webb City 7, (4) Willard 3
(6) Carthage 8, (2) Neosho 4
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Webb City vs. (6) Carthage, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville 12, (4) MV-BT Liberty 2
(2) Houston 10, (3) Ava 3
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Rogersville vs. (2) Houston, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Today
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville 15, (8) Hollister 0
(4) Bolivar 6, (5) Reeds Spring 1
At Cassville
(2) Monett 11, (7) Aurora 3
(6) Forsyth 15, (3) Catholic vs.
Today
Semifinals
(1) Cassville vs. (4) Bolivar, 4:30 p.m.
(2 Monett vs. (6) Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Tuesday
Semifinals
(2) Nevada 9, (3) Mt. Vernon 3
(1) Carl Junction 12, (5) El Dorado Springs, 2
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Carl Junction vs. (2) Nevada, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Tuesday
First round
(4) Iberia 10, (5) Plato 5
(1) Eugene 18, (8) Richland 0 (5 innings)
(2) Conway 4, (7) Newburg 2
(3) Dixon 3, (6) Laquey 2
Today
Semifinals
(1) Eugene vs. (4) Iberia, 5 p.m.
(2) Conway vs. (3) Dixon, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6, (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking 4, (4) Cabool 3
(2) Fordland 2, (6) Mansfield 0
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Licking vs. (2) Fordlan, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford 13 (5) Spokane 3
(2) Blue Eye 14, (3) Crane 6
Today
Championship game — (1) Strafford vs. (2) Blue Eye, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton 18, (4) Ash Grove 0
(3) Morrisville 10, (2) Fair Grove 8
Today
Championship game — (1) Stockton vs. (3) Morrisville, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy 3,  (4) College Heights 2
(2) Southwest 12, (3) Pierce City 2
Thursday
Championship game — (1) Purdy vs. (2) Southwest, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena 10, (4) Bakersfield 0
(3) Norwood 16, (2) Dora 4
Today
Championship game — (1) Galena vs. (3) Norwood, 4:30 p.m.

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Billings 6, (4) Wheaton 3
(6) Golden City 15, (2) Greenfield 9
Thursday
Championship game, — (1) Billings vs. (6) Golden City, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Tuesday
First round
(2) Weaubleau 17, (7) Walnut Grove 9
(3) Wheatland 11, (6) Halfway 1
Today
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville vs. (4) Fair Play, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Weaubleau vs. (3) Wheatland, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

2. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

3. High school district baseball results 5/21: The Road to Meador Park

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Despite some wet conditions, most high school district tournaments (finally) began Monday, whittling down the field to the semifinals.

For the hyperlocal readers, Class 4 District 11 at Branson was pushed back again to today. Here are Monday’s scores and the rest of the week’s schedule.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Monday
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman 13, (5) Lebanon 2
(2) Jefferson City Helias 4, (7) Marshfield 0
(3) Jefferson City 8, (6) Camdenton 7
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge 20, (8) Waynesville 4
Today
Semifinals
(1) Rock Bridge  vs. (4) Hickman, 4 p.m.
(2) Helias vs. (3) Jefferson City, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Today
First round
(1) Branson vs. (8) Central, 9 a.m.
(3) Kickapoo vs. (6) Parkview, 11 a.m.
(4) Glendale vs. (5) Nixa, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Ozark vs. (7) West Plains, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Branson-Central winner vs. Glendale-Nixa winner, 4:30 p.m.
Ozark-West Plains winner vs. Kickapoo-Parkview winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Monday
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City 1, (8) Joplin 0 (9 innings)
(4) Willard 1, (5) Republic 0
At Carthage
(6) Carthage 7, (3) McDonald County 2
(2) Neosho 5, (7) Hillcrest 4 (8 innings)
Today
Semifinals
(1) Webb City vs. (4) Willard, 4:30 p.m.
(7) Carthage vs. (2) Neosho, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Monday
First round
(3) Ava 4, (6) Willow Springs 1
(4) MV-BT Liberty 4, (5) Mtn. Grove 1
(2) Houston 8, (7) Buffalo 1
Today
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville vs. (4) MV-BT Liberty, 2 p.m.
(2) Houston vs. (3) Ava, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Today
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville vs. (8) Hollister, 4:30 p.m.
(4) Bolivar vs. (5) Reeds Spring, 7 p.m.
At Cassville
(2) Monett vs. (7) Aurora, 4:30 p.m.
(3) Catholic vs. (6) Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Semifinals
Cassville-Hollister winner vs. Bolivar-RS winner, 4:30 p.m.
Monett-Aurora winner vs. Catholic-Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Today
First round
(2) Nevada vs. (7) East Newton, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Mt. Vernon vs. (6) Seneca, 4 p.m.
(4) Lamar vs. (5) El Dorado Springs, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Semifinals
Nevada-EN winner vs. MV-Seneca winner, 4 p.m.
(1) Carl Junction vs. Lamar-EDS winner, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Today
First round
(4) Iberia vs. (5) Plato, 10 a.m.
(1) Eugene vs. (8) Richland, 12:30 p.m.
(2) Conway vs. (7) Newburg, 3 p.m.
(3) Dixon vs. (6) Laquey, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Semifinals
Eugene-Richland winner vs. Iberia-Plato winner, 5 p.m.
Conway-Newburg winner vs. Dixon-Laquey winner, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool 6,  (5) Gainesville 1
(6) Mansfield 4, (3) Seymour 3
(2) Fordland 17, (7) Hartville 0
Today
Semifinals
(1) Licking vs. (4) Cabool, 3 p.m.
(6) Mansfield vs. (2) Fordland, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Monday
First round
(2) Blue Eye 19, (7) Clever 9
(5) Spokane 8, (4) Sparta 2
(3) Crane 5, (6) Marionville 3
Today
Semifinals
(1) Strafford vs. (5) Spokane, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Blue Eye vs. (3) Crane, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Monday
First round
(4) Ash Grove 11, (5) Pleasant Hope 1
(2) Fair Grove 8, (7) Miller 4
(3) Morrisville 5, (6) Skyline 0
Today
Semifinals
(1) Stockton vs. (4) Ash Grove, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Fair Grove vs. (3) Morrisville, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Purdy
Monday
First round
(4) College Heights 6, (5) Diamond 5
(2) Southwest 9, (7) Sarcoxie 4
(3) Pierce City3, (6) Joplin McAuley 0
Today
Semifinals
(1) Purdy vs. (4) College Heights, 4 p.m.
(2) Southwest vs. (3) Pierce City, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Monday
First round
(4) Bakersfield 12, (5) Chadwick 2
(2) Dora 17, (7) Lutie 0
(3) Norwood 15, (6) Niangua 1
Today
Semifinals
(1) Galena vs. Bakersfield-Chadwick winner, 4 p.m.
Dora-Lutie winner vs. Norwood-Niangua winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(1) Billings 10, (8) Exeter 0
(4) Wheaton 7, (5) Lockwood 4
(2) Greenfield 10, (7) Hurley 0
(6) Golden City 6, (3) Jasper 2
Today
Semifinals
(1) Billings vs. (4) Wheaton, 3 p.m.
(2) Greenfield vs. (6) Golden City, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Monday
First round
(4) Fair Play 8, (5) Humansville 3
(1) Dadeville 12, (8) Osceola 2
Today
First round
(2) Weaubleau vs. (7) Walnut Grove, 4:30 p.m.
(3) Wheatland vs. (6) Halfway, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Semifinals
(1) Dadeville vs. (4) Fair Play, 4:30 p.m.
Weaubleau-WG winner vs. Wheatland-Halfway winner, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

2. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

3. High school district baseball results 5/18: The Road to Meador Park

   Many of the HS district baseball championship game matchups are decided and a handful of those games are today. We have scores and schedules....

The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association released its state rankings as of May 14, and here they are.

Class 4

1. Columbia Rock Bridge (20-2)
2. Fort Zumwalt North (21-3)
3. Rockhurst (18-3)
4. Francis Howell (21-7)
5. Fort Zumwalt South (20-6)
6. Liberty (16-6)
7. Jefferson City Helias (17-4)
8. CBC (19-7)
9. Lee’s Summit North (15-5)
10. Pacific (17-1)

Others receiving votes: SLUH (18-6), Ladue (18-3), Kearney (18-5), Staley (17-5), Eureka (17-6)

Class 3

1. Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
2. Bishop DuBourg
3. Boonville
4. Potosi
5. Kennett
6. Bishop O’Hara
7. Grain Valley
8. Cassville
9. Westminster Christian
10. St. Joseph Lafayette

Others receiving votes: Houston, Lutheran South, MICDS, St. Joseph LeBlond

CLASS 2

1. Clearwater (22-0)
2. Valle Catholic (19-4)
3. Eugene (19-1)
4. Salisbury (16-0)
5. Crystal City (13-3)
6. Conway (20-3)
7. Strafford (14-4)
9. Stockton (17-3)
10. Russelville (17-3)

Others receiving votes: Malden (19-5), Cole Camp (16-4), Twin Rivers (12-2), Blue Eye (11-4), Dixon (15-3), New Bloomfield (11-4)

CLASS 1

1. LaPlata
2. Santa Fe
3. Dora
4. Wheatland
5. (tie) Billings
5. (tie) Dadeville
6. Cooter
7. Sturgeon
8. Bernie
9. Liberal
10. Chaffee

Others receiving votes: Galena, Jasper Higbee, Oran

You can view the MHSBCA’s website here.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High School baseball rankings

   No local teams crack the Class 4 rankings, Cassville debuts in Class 3 and there's a shuffle in Class 2 as Conway leapfrogs Strafford....

2. High School baseball rankings

   While no local teams broke through in Class 3 or 4 rankings, Strafford is holding strong in Class 2 and a throng of Class 1 teams are relevant. ...

3. Missouri HS baseball preseason rankings

   Here are the preseason high school baseball rankings courtesy of the Missouri HS Baseball Coaches Association....

After a rainy weekend, what was supposed to be a busy time for high school baseball has now been rescheduled to the beginning of the work week.

Not one local district baseball game was played, so Saturday’s entire schedule has been moved to today. Here is our updated schedule for HS baseball, and be sure to check back for daily results, as well as an up-to-date schedule.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Today
First round
(4) Columbia Hickman vs. (5) Lebanon, 11 a.m.
(2) Jefferson City Helias vs. (7) Marshfield, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Jefferson City vs. (6) Camdenton, 4 p.m.
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge vs. (8) Waynesville, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
CRB-Waynesville winner vs. CH-Leb winner, 4 p.m.
JCH-Marshfield winner vs. JC-Camdenton, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Tuesday
First round
(1) Branson vs. (8) Central, 9 a.m.
(3) Kickapoo vs. (6) Parkview, 11 a.m.
(4) Glendale vs. (5) Nixa, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Ozark vs. (7) West Plains, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Branson-Central winner vs. Glendale-Nixa winner, 4:30 p.m.
Ozark-West Plains winner vs. Kickapoo-Parkview winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Carthage
Today
First round (split between Webb City and Carthage)
At Webb City
(1) Webb City vs. (8) Joplin, 4:30 p.m.
(4) Willard vs. (5) Republic, 7 p.m.
At Carthage
(3) McDonald County vs. (6) Carthage, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Neosho vs. (7) Hillcrest, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
WC-Joplin winner vs. Willard-Republic winner, 4:30 p.m.
MC-Carthage winner vs. Neosho-Hillcrest winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Today
First round
(3) Ava vs. (6) Willow Springs, 10 a.m.
(4) MV-BT Liberty vs. (5) Mtn. Grove, noon
(2) Houston vs. (7) Buffalo, 2 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville vs. MV-BT/MG winner, 2 p.m.
Houston-Buffalo winner vs. Ava-WS winner, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Today
First round (split between Aurora and Cassville)
At Aurora
(1) Cassville vs. (8) Hollister, 4:30 p.m.
(4) Bolivar vs. (5) Reeds Spring, 7 p.m.
At Cassville
(2) Monett vs. (7) Aurora, 4:30 p.m.
(3) Catholic vs. (6) Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
Cassville-Hollister winner vs. Bolivar-RS winner, 4:30 p.m.
Monett-Aurora winner vs. Catholic-Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Today
First round
(2) Nevada vs. (7) East Newton, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Mt. Vernon vs. (6) Seneca, 4 p.m.
(4) Lamar vs. (5) El Dorado Springs, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
Nevada-EN winner vs. MV-Seneca winner, 4 p.m.
(1) Carl Junction vs. Lamar-EDS winner, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Today
First round
(4) Iberia vs. (5) Plato, 10 a.m.
(1) Eugene vs. (8) Richland, 12:30 p.m.
(2) Conway vs. (7) Newburg, 3 p.m.
(3) Dixon vs. (6) Laquey, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
Eugene-Richland winner vs. Iberia-Plato winner, 5 p.m.
Conway-Newburg winner vs. Dixon-Laquey winner, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Today
First round
(4) Cabool vs. (5) Gainesville, 3 p.m.
(3) Seymour vs. (6) Mansfield, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Fordland vs. (7) Hartville, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Licking vs. Cabool-Gainesville, 3 p.m.
Seymour-Mansfield winner vs. Fordland-Hartville winner, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Today
First round
(2) Blue Eye vs. (7) Clever, 4 p.m.
(4) Sparta vs. (5) Spokane, 6 p.m.
(3) Crane vs. (6) Marionville, 8 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford vs. Sparta-Spokane winner, 4:30 p.m.
Blue Eye-Clever winner vs. Crane-Marionville winner, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Today
First round
(4) Ash Grove vs. (5) Pleasant Hope, 11 a.m.
(2) Fair Grove vs. (7) Miller, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Morrisville vs. (6) Skyline, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton vs. AG-PH winner, 4:30 p.m.
FG-Miller winner vs. Morrisville-Skyline winner, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
May 17th
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Purdy
Today
First round
(4) College Heights vs. (5) Diamond, 2 p.m.
(2) Southwest vs. (7) Sarcoxie, 4 p.m.
(3) Pierce City vs (6) Joplin McAuley, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy vs. CH-Diamond winner, 4 p.m.
Southwest-Sarcoxie winner vs. PC-JM winner, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Today
First round
(4) Bakersfield vs. (5) Chadwick, 2 p.m.
(2) Dora vs. (7) Lutie, 4 p.m.
(3) Norwood vs. (6) Niangua, 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
(1) Galena vs. Bakersfield-Chadwick winner, 4 p.m.
Dora-Lutie winner vs. Norwood-Niangua winner, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 6 at Jasper
Today
First round
(8) Exeter at (1) Billings, 4:30 p.m.
(5) Lockwood at (4) Wheaton, 4:30 p.m.
(7) Hurley at (2) Greenfield, 4:30 p.m.
(6) Golden City at (3) Jasper, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
Billings-Exeter winner vs. Wheaton-Lockwood winner, 3 p.m.
Greenfield-Hurley winner vs. Jasper-Golden City winner, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Today
First round
(2) Weaubleau vs. (7) Walnut Grove, 4:30 p.m.
(4) Fair Play vs. (5) Humansville, 6:30 p.m.
(1) Dadeville vs. (8) Osceola, 4:30 p.m.
(3) Wheatland vs. (6) Halfway, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Semifinals
Dadeville-Osceola winner vs. FP-Humansville winner, 4:30 p.m.
Weaubleau-WG winner vs. Wheatland-Halfway winner, 7 p.m.
Friday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results: The Road to Meador Park

   Despite wet conditions, most HS district baseball tournaments (finally) began Monday, whittling down the field to the semifinals. We have scores and schedules....

2. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

3. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

As a child, I was always fascinated with the way CBS referred to its NCAA Tournament as the Road to the Final Four. It made me think of the tournament in a different way. I was always caught up in each individual game, rather than looking big picture.

Now we can do both.

The majority of the high school baseball district tournaments start this weekend, and for the fourth-consecutive year, the state baseball tournament will be held in Springfield at Meador Park. Thus, we unveil our HS baseball district coverage as the Road to Meador Park. Original, eh?

Regardless, here are the MSHSAA brackets, with dates and times. We will be updating the scores daily, so be sure to check back.

CLASS 4
District 10 at Lebanon
Saturday
(4) Columbia Hickman vs. (5) Lebanon, 11 a.m.
(2) Jefferson City Helias vs. (7) Marshfield, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Jefferson City vs. (6) Camdenton, 4 p.m.
(1) Columbia Rock Bridge vs. (8) Waynesville, 6:30 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
CRB-Waynesville winner vs. CH-Leb winner, 4 p.m.
JCH-Marshfield winner vs. JC-Camdenton, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 19
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Branson
Seeding meeting is Wednesday

District 12 at Carthage
Saturday
(3) McDonald County vs. (6) Carthage, 11 a.m.
(1) Webb City vs. (8) Joplin, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Neosho vs. (7) Hillcrest, 4 p.m.
(4) Willard vs. (5) Republic, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Semifinals
WC-Joplin winner vs. Willard-Republic winner, 4:30 p.m.
MC-Carthage winner vs. Neosho-Hillcrest winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 20
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 3
District 10 at Houston
Saturday
First round
(3) Ava vs. (6) Willow Springs, 10 a.m.
(4) MV-BT Liberty vs. (5) Mtn. Grove, noon
(2) Houston vs. (7) Buffalo, 2 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
(1) Rogersville vs. MV-BT/MG winner, 2 p.m.
Houston-Buffalo winner vs. Ava-WS winner, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 11 at Aurora
Saturday
First round
(1) Cassville vs. (8) Hollister, 11 a.m.
(4) Bolivar vs. (5) Reeds Spring, 1:30 p.m.
(2) Monett vs. (7) Aurora, 4 p.m.
(3) Catholic vs. (6) Forsyth, 6:30 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
Cassville-Hollister winner vs. Bolivar-RS winner, 4:30 p.m.
Monett-Aurora winner vs. Catholic-Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship game, 6 p.m.

District 12 at Seneca
Saturday
First round
(4) Lamar vs. (5) El Dorado Springs, 10 a.m.
(2) Nevada vs. (7) East Newton, 12:30 p.m.
(3) Mt. Vernon vs. (6) Seneca, 3 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
Nevada-EN winner vs. MV-Seneca winner, 4 p.m.
(1) Carl Junction vs. Lamar-EDS winner, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship, 5 p.m.

CLASS 2
District 8
At Iberia HS
Saturday
First round
(4) Iberia vs. (5) Plato, 10 a.m.
(1) Eugene vs. (8) Richland, 12:30 p.m.
(2) Conway vs. (7) Newburg, 3 p.m.
(3) Dixon vs. (6) Laquey, 5:30 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
Eugene-Richland winner vs. Iberia-Plato winner, 5 p.m.
Conway-Newburg winner vs. Dixon-Laquey winner, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 9 at Hartville
Monday
First round
(4) Cabool vs. (5) Gainesville, 3 p.m.
(3) Seymour vs. (6) Mansfield, 4:30 p.m.
(2) Fordland vs. (7) Hartville, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Semifinals
(1) Licking vs. Cabool-Gainesville, 3 p.m.
Seymour-Mansfield winner vs. Fordland-Hartville winner, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 20
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 10 at Crane HS
Saturday
First round
(4) Sparta vs. (5) Spokane, 11 a.m.
(2) Blue Eye vs. (7) Clever, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Crane vs. (6) Marionville, 4 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
(1) Strafford vs. Sparta-Spokane winner, 4:30 p.m.
Blue Eye-Clever winner vs. Crane-Marionville winner, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 11 at Fair Grove
Saturday
First round
(4) Ash Grove vs. (5) Pleasant Hope, 11 a.m.
(2) Fair Grove vs. (7) Miller, 1:30 p.m.
(3) Morrisville vs. (6) Skyline, 4 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
(1) Stockton vs. AG-PH winner, 4:30 p.m.
FG-Miller winner vs. Morrisville-Skyline winner, 7 p.m.
Tuesday
May 17th
Championship game, 5 p.m.

District 12 at Purdy
Saturday
First round
(4) College Heights vs. (5) Diamond, 10 a.m.
(2) Southwest vs. (7) Sarcoxie, noon
(3) Pierce City vs (6) Joplin McAuley, 2 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
(1) Purdy vs. CH-Diamond winner, 4 p.m.
Southwest-Sarcoxie winner vs. PC-JM winner, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship game, 5:30 p.m.

CLASS 1
District 5
At Norwood
Saturday
First round
(4) Bakersfield vs. (5) Chadwick, 2 p.m.
(2) Dora vs. (7) Lutie, 4 p.m.
(3) Norwood vs. (6) Niangua, 6 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
(1) Galena vs. Bakersfield-Chadwick winner, 4 p.m.
Dora-Lutie winner vs. Norwood-Niangua winner, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 6 at Jasper
Monday
First round
(8) Exeter at (1) Billings, 4:30 p.m.
(5) Lockwood at (4) Wheaton, 4:30 p.m.
(7) Hurley at (2) Greenfield, 4:30 p.m.
(6) Golden City at (3) Jasper, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 18
Semifinals
Billings-Exeter winner vs. Wheaton-Lockwood winner, 3 p.m.
Greenfield-Hurley winner vs. Jasper-Golden City winner, 5 p.m.
Thursday, May 20
Championship game, 4:30 p.m.

District 7 at Halfway
Saturday
First round
(2) Weaubleau vs. (7) Walnut Grove, 11 a.m.
(4) Fair Play vs. (5) Humansville, 1:30 p.m.
(1) Dadeville vs. (8) Osceola, 4 p.m.
(3) Wheatland vs. (6) Halfway, 6:30 p.m.
Monday
Semifinals
Dadeville-Osceola winner vs. FP-Humansville winner, 4:30 p.m.
Weaubleau-WG winner vs. Wheatland-Halfway winner, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 19
Championship game, 6 p.m.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. High school district baseball results 5/20: The Road to Meador Park

   While the weather again alters the HS district baseball schedule, Southwest wins a district title and Bolivar pulls a huge upset. We have the schedules....

2. The readjusted high school district baseball schedule: The (Rainy) Road to Meador Park

   What was supposed to be a busy Saturday has turned into a full slate of high school district baseball games to begin the work week. Check out the new schedule....

3. High school district baseball results 5/19: The Road to Meador Park

   While the rain continues to alter most of the HS district baseball schedule, we did crown two champions Wednesday — Stockton in Class 2 and Norwood in Class 1....

Tyler King has one home start left in his illustrious high school baseball career. He’s hoping it goes better than the last one.

The Republic High School senior and lefthanded pitcher, who has signed with the University of Nebraska, got roughed up by a very good Nixa team last week, surrendering six runs and eight hits in just four innings.

Tyler King

While he has scuffled in his last two starts, King is still the best HS pitcher in the Ozarks.

Hovering close to 6-feet tall, King is a lefthanded pitcher with a four-pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. His velocity is generally in the mid-80s.

He’ll pitch on Tuesday, busy day for King and his fellow Republic seniors. Not only is it senior night for Republic, but the seniors graduate at Hammons Student Center later that night. Aside from the good competition, it should be an emotionally charged night all around.

We’ve been following King all season and here is a snapshot of his season thus far. We will check in on him weekly, all the way up until districts, which start Saturday in Carthage. Fifth-seeded Republic will face fourth-seeded Willard at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

• April 9 against Blue Springs: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 13 Ks (Win)
• April 13 against Ozark: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 19 against Bolivar: IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K (Save)
• April 20 against Carthage: 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 Ks (Win)
• April 27 against Neosho: 6 IP, 9H 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Loss)
• May 4 against Nixa: 4 IP, 6R, 8H, BB, HBP, 4Ks (Loss)
• Season: 3-2, 3.53 ERA, 28 IP, 23 H, 6 BB, 42 Ks, 1.07 WHIP

King’s next start: Tuesday at home against Class 3-ranked Cassville.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. The Tyler King Watch

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2. The Tyler King Watch: The final numbers

   Republic senior and future Nebraska pitcher Tyler King saw his high school career come to a close, despite allowing just one unearned run while striking out 11....

3. Tyler King — Exactly where he should be

   Ever since his national baseball breakthrough, Republic's Tyler King has battled unattainable expectations. Is he a disappointment? Is he overrated? Only he knows the answer....

The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association released its state rankings as of April 30, and here they are.

Class 4

1. Columbia Rock Bridge (16-1)
2. Fort Zumwalt North (14-2)
3. Rockhurst (11-3)
4. Fort Zumwalt South (17-5)
5. SLUH (14-4)
6. Liberty (10-2)
7. Lee’s Summit North (11-4)
8. DeSmet (11-5)
9. Staley (11-3)
10. Eureka (12-5)

Others receiving votes: Francis Howell (15-6), CBC (15-6), Vianney (12-6), Ladue (14-3), Jefferson City Helias (11-3), Festus (12-3), Pacific (13-0), Kearney

Class 3

1. Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
2. Bishop DuBourg
3. Boonville
4. Potosi
5. Bishop O’Hara
6. Cassville
7. Westminster Christian
8. Houston
9. TIE: Grain Valley
9. TIE: Lutheran South

Other receiving votes: Southern Boone, Harrisonville, MICDS

CLASS 2

1.  Clearwater (17-0)
2. Valle Catholic (14-4)
3. Carrollton (11-1)
4. Crystal City (13-2)
5. Eugene (14-1)
6. Conway (18-2)
7. New Bloomfield (10-3)
8. Strafford (14-4)
9. Stockton (12-3)
10. Malden (15-3)

Others receiving votes: Russelville (13-3), Dixon (12-2), Senath-Hornersville

CLASS 1

1. Santa Fe
2. Dora
3. LaPlata
4. Sturgeon
5. Liberal
6. Galena
7. Bernie
8. Wheatland
9. Cooter
10. (tie) Higbee
10. (tie) Deadville

Others receiving votes: Jasper, Norwood, Lakeland

You can view the MHSBCA’s website here.

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2. High School baseball rankings

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3. Missouri HS baseball preseason rankings

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In case you have never heard of Republic High School senior Tyler King, get ready to be impressed.

The lefthanded pitcher has established himself as the best pitcher in the Ozarks, with a pedigree that has earned him a scholarship to the University of Nebraska — if Major League Baseball teams don’t grab him first.

Tyler King

When he was a sophomore, King was selected to represent the Chicago White Sox in the Area Codes Games, a national all-star game that has produced dozens of MLB players. He has parlayed that into the Big 12 scholarship and probably a phone call during the MLB draft. Now, it’s just a matter of whether or not he will take the money, or become a Husker. King said he has already had contact with more than a dozen scouts, and it seems there are always a few that pop up during his pitching performances.

Hovering close to 6-feet tall, King is a lefthanded pitcher with a four-pitch arsenal, featuring a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball. His velocity is in the mid-80s, and as King told me the other day, his arm feels healthy after experiencing some soreness in early April.

We’ve been following King all season and here is a snapshot of his season thus far. We will check in on him weekly, all the way up until districts.

• April 9 against Blue Springs: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 13 Ks (Win)
• April 13 against Ozark: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks  (Win)
• April 19 against Bolivar: IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K (Save)
• April 20 against Carthage: 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 Ks  (Win)
• April 27 against Neosho: 6 IP, 9H 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (Loss)
• Season: 3-1, 1.88 ERA, 24 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 38 Ks, 0.83 WHIP

King’s next start: Tuesday against Nixa.

But there's more! Check out these related posts on TAGsgf.com:

1. The Tyler King Watch: Senior night

   After getting roughed up in his last start, Republic sr. and future Nebraska pitcher Tyler King's ready for senior night. Here's a snapshot of his 2010 season....

2. The Tyler King Watch: The final numbers

   Republic senior and future Nebraska pitcher Tyler King saw his high school career come to a close, despite allowing just one unearned run while striking out 11....

3. Tyler King — Exactly where he should be

   Ever since his national baseball breakthrough, Republic's Tyler King has battled unattainable expectations. Is he a disappointment? Is he overrated? Only he knows the answer....

The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association released its state rankings as of April 16, and here they are.

Class 4

1. Rockhurst
2. Columbia Rock Bridge
3. Fort Zumwalt South
4. Lee’s Summit North
5. Kearney
6. Fort Zumwalt North
7. SLUH
8. DeSmet
9. Liberty
10. Vianney

Class 3

1. Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
2. Harrisonville
3. Boonville
4. Potosi
5. Bishop DuBourg
6. Fulton
7. Bishop O’Hara
8. Southern Boone
9. TIE: Blair Oaks
9. TIE: Lutheran South

Other receiving votes: Kennett, Kirksville, Richmond, Carl Junction, Rogersville, Cassville, St. Joe Benton, Westminster Christian

CLASS 2

1. Valle Catholic
2. Clearwater
3. Carrollton
4. Eugene
5. Strafford
6. Crystal City
7. New Bloomfield
8. Dixon
9. Conway
10. Senath-Hornersville

Others receiving votes: Blue Eye, Russellville, Southwest (Washburn)

CLASS 1

1. Santa Fe
2. Dora
3. Bernie
4. Sturgeon
5. Cooter
6. Galena
7. Liberal
8. LaPlata
9. Norwood
10. Higbee

Others receiving votes: Glasgow, Oak Ridge, Oran

You can view the MHSBCA’s website here.