Young Bucks set to make debut with new coach

When the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2020 spring sports season, teams across the state were left wondering what might’ve been.

But for Smackover, it runs much deeper.

The Bucks were off to a 6-1 start, having posted nine-inning wins over Parkers Chapel and Horatio while also knocking off Junction City.

Smackover had also opened conference play with a 4-2 win at Fouke, a school that had beaten the Bucks in each of their last three encounters by a combined score of 38-2.

But then everything came to a halt and the season was eventually ended, leaving questions that will never be answered.

A year later, the Bucks are set to return with a new coach.

Josh Wesson, who interned during Smackover’s run to the state finals in 2012 and was an assistant coach in 2013, was hired last summer after Jeff Burson departed to be an assistant coach at Arkansas Rich Mountain.

Wesson was the head coach at Fountain Lake for seven years, guiding the Cobras to their first-ever conference crown in 2019.

Now he is ready to get going with the Bucks.

“I’m really proud of the guys and the way they have worked,” Wesson said. “Since the beginning of the school year, they’ve worked really hard in the weight room getting stronger. They’ve worked hard in the cages and on the field.”

Wesson said Smackover will have a wealth of underclassmen playing all over the field.

“We’re going to be young,” Wesson said. “There’s going to be a lot of youth. You’ll look out there and you’ll see freshmen and sophomores all over the place, but the upperclassmen that we do have, they provide great leadership for us.

“They’re really great young men and they’ve showed the younger guys the right way to do things. We’re just looking forward to the season. I’m glad it’s here. Going back to that phone call from my athletic director last spring saying that everything was shut down to now, we’re just really excited to get things going.”

The Bucks will have veterans anchoring the left side of the infield with junior Chase Brumley at third base and senior Jacob Eubanks at shortstop.

However, the right side of the infield will be filled with newcomers.

At first base, freshman Trace Davis and junior Austin Miller are competing for playing time.

“Both have pretty good size and can pick it at first,” Wesson said.

The Bucks have several candidates at second base with juniors Maddox Gottberg and Jax Todd working there along with freshman Tanner Mitchell, who Wesson said has showed a lot of potential, as well as fellow freshman Wyatt Parker.

Sophomore Sawyer Cropper saw playing time last year during the brief 2020 season, and he is in the mix at catcher along with freshman Cole McNeely.

“I trust both of them. They both work hard,” Wesson said. “They both know the game. Sometimes the underclassman comes out in them and they’re not as vocal as I want them to be, but they’re great catchers.”

The outfield also has several newcomers.

After not playing last year, senior Landon Wallingsford is slated to play in left field with junior Calvin Collins also turning in good performances as well.

Senior Bailey Rivers is expected to start in center field.

“He’s had an amazing preseason in the weight room,” Wesson said. “He’s incredibly strong. He works hard and he’s done a great job.”

Three players are vying for the job in right field with seniors Hadden Jonio and Dylan Novack working with freshman Britton Warren.

Jonio in particular has caught Wesson’s eye despite not focusing on the sport for several years.

“He’s a great athlete,” Wesson said. “He’s raw. You can tell he hasn’t played in a while, but he’s got a lot of speed out there. It may not always look the prettiest, but he gets to a lot of balls in the gap in a hurry.”

Sophomore Devan Lofton has also worked himself into the mix in the outfield.

“Devan Lofton has been showing speed and good glove work in the outfield,” Wesson said.

For Wesson, he simply wants his defense to make sure the routine plays get made.

“We have to dominate the routine play,” Wesson said. “I’m not asking you to go make a (Derek) Jeter play every play, you just need to dominate the routine play.”

At the plate, Wesson said at-bats cannot be given away.

“Offensively, we need to be tough in the box,” Wesson said. “We need to win the free-base war across the board. We’ve got to get walks whenever we can get walks. If we have to move a guy over, we’re going to have to be able to move a guy over. We’re going to have to know our jobs. We’re going to have to execute.”

On the mound, Wesson has the luxury of having a pair of experienced pitchers who are no strangers to delivering in big games in Eubanks and Brumley.

“It’s basically 1A and 1B,” Wesson said. “Eubanks and Brumley both have had great falls. They’re competitors on the mound. They’re a great a stable to your staff.”

After Eubanks and Brumley, there are several spots that are up for grabs.

“You’re going to see a lot of arms that you haven’t seen in the past show up in the stat book,” Wesson said. “The first week we really got going, I made everybody on the team throw flat-grounds because with all of the pitching limitations and all of the games you have to get in, we’re going to need a lot of arms.”

Among the candidates that could get plenty of innings are Todd, Cropper and McNeely.

“Just a lot of guys that maybe haven’t had a lot of experience on the mound, but as long as they’re in attack mode and they pound the strike zone. They have a little bit of velocity to them,” Wesson said. “Just looking forward to seeing those guys grow as pitchers. It’s going to be wide open. You’re going to see a lot of arms, but I’m really looking forward to seeing those guys in game-like competition against somebody other than their own teammates.

“We have to pound the strike zone and trust our defense behind us. That’s the one thing that’s been consistent all fall is our defense has practiced really well. Whenever the lights come on and you’re in games, sometimes you can get nervous, but I’ve been really impressed with the way we’ve practiced defensively. It’s something I look forward to seeing in a game.”

As far as the conference is concerned, Wesson said he is unfamiliar with several teams, but is very familiar with Harmony Grove thanks to the many clashes the schools have had over the years.

“Harmony Grove is going to be solid. They always have been,” Wesson said. “I don’t really know much about Dumas or McGehee. This is Smackover’s first time for baseball with Dumas coming over. They’ve been in a conference with McGehee, Harmony Grove and those guys in the past. I look forward to the competition.”

If the Bucks are to have a successful debut season under Wesson, the upperclassmen must lead the way.

“We’re going to have to have our upperclassmen be leaders and show the young guys the way to do the right things,” Wesson said. “Our youth is going to have to grow up in a hurry. You can look out there and see three freshmen on the field with two or three sophomores with them, so our underclassmen are going to have to grow up really fast and our upperclassmen are going to have to be great leaders and mentors for those guys.

“It’s one of those deals that for the future, it’s great, but it’s kind of nerve-wracking to have a lot of youth in the first year in a new program. We just have to grow up in a hurry and the upperclassmen have to lead by example.”

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