The last time South Arkansas College was on the baseball diamond, the Stars were wrapping up their historic run to the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Okla.
On Sunday, the Stars begin their third season with the aim of continuing to build on their success of 2023 by taking on North Arkansas College in a doubleheader that will be played in Benton.
Game 1 is set to begin at noon.
Following the two games in Benton, the Stars, who enter the season ranked No. 11 in the Division II preseason poll, head to Southeast Arkansas College for a doubleheader Tuesday against a future Region 2 foe.
Tuesday’s opener begins at 1 p.m.
The games were originally scheduled for Saturday and Monday, but were pushed back a day due to the weather and wet field conditions.
In normal circumstances, the Stars would’ve had a few weeks of practices to get ready for the season, but the snow, ice and rain that has been a fixture in Union County has limited SouthArk’s work.
“Definitely not ideal, but we know at this time of the year, it comes with the territory,” SouthArk coach Cannon Lester said. “I didn’t think it would be this severe, but it is what it is, so we’ll adjust. Our hitters, we’d like to see more live, but pitching is always a little ahead at this time anyways. We’re just trying to make sure our pitchers can consistently throw and get into a routine. That’s been the hardest part. It’s been going fine. We’ve been using our resources well. I think they’re about ready to go now.”
Lester added that the Stars were able to scrimmage some before the inclement weather arrived nearly two weeks ago.
“We got to do it the very first week they came back,” Lester said. “We got in two on back-to-back days. We didn’t throw many pitches, maybe 20, 30 pitches a pitcher, so we got to see a little bit. We got to use the dome at Barton after everybody left and got to go live in there.”
SouthArk will turn to one of its veterans to pitch the season opener with Brett Foss (8-1, 3.16 ERA) set to get the starting nod.
“He’s our guy coming back,” Lester said. “He’ll be on a strict pitch count, maybe 40 pitches, maybe 50 max.”
John Demcher, a sophomore who threw 13 innings last year, is scheduled to pitch Game 2.
“He’s really made a jump here lately,” Lester said. “He’s looked really good, and I hope he’s ready to take that leap.”
Lester said the Stars will likely turn to a pair of newcomers to pitch the two games against Southeast Arkansas College with freshman Will Turner scheduled to throw the opener and Ryan Ursery, a former White Hall standout who transferred at the semester break, slated to pitch the nightcap.
If there is one area to keep an eye on, it will be how the Stars deploy their relievers.
Lester has raved about the Stars’ pitching depth, and that could be put to the test not only on Sunday and Tuesday, but also with five games coming up next weekend.
“I would say the situation and score will dictate that,” Lester said of how the bullpen will be used. “If we’re looking at it right now, Jack Moody has been really good. I would think if it’s a close game, he’s going to be out of the bullpen pretty early. Austin Hillebrandt would be the first or second out of the bullpen, but he has a little bit of a back problem, so we may not throw him this weekend. He would be up there as well.
“It’s going to be a lot of touch and feel trying to figure out who they are, hopefully get them in there slowly and get some confidence. It will be interesting. We’ve told the guys that we’re not exactly sure yet. We might put them in a great situation, we might put them in a bad situation, but be tough, go compete and lets see where they end up.”
Since returning from the holiday break, Lester said a few players have shined in workouts.
Bryce McGuire, a freshman from Choudrant (La.) High School, has thrown well.
“Bryce McGuire has hit a PR on the mound every time we’ve thrown so far,” Lester said. “He’s gained a little bit of weight. He’s still a skinny kid, but he’s gained a little bit. He’s looked really good so far.”
Colin Reed, a transfer from Southern Arkansas, has also pitched well.
“He’s looked really good on the mound,” Lester said. “That was good to see.”
Justin Szymanski, a freshman from Ruston (La.) High School, has turned in solid performances at the plate.
“He hit a home run and had a double in our scrimmage,” Lester said. “He’s really swung it well since we’ve been back.”
Redshirt freshman Connor Pierce, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, recently threw for the first time since the fall.
“Connor Pierce got to throw live for the first time the other day,” Lester said. “It was good to see him back. He looked good.”
As far as being ranked in the preseason poll is concerned, Lester said he is eager to see how his team handles the expectations.
“We haven’t hit on it yet, but I know they’ve seen it,” Lester said. “I really like our team. I think there’s quite a few spots that I think we’re quite a bit better than we were last year. There’s question marks too, but it’s exciting to have expectations. I think it’s a good thing. Whether the rankings are right or not, we all know, especially this early in the year, they probably don’t mean a whole lot, but I think it’s always good to start up there and think you’re good. That’s always a good thing.”
One issue the Stars were fortunate to avoid for the most part last year was injuries, but Lester said his team may be short-handed this weekend.
“Injuries are a big thing,” Lester said. “We’ve already got little stuff. Austin Hillebrandt is having a back thing, Collin McKenzie is having a back thing, Bryce Lopez, a big lefty out of the bullpen with really good stuff, those three are going to be iffy and probably aren’t going to throw this weekend.
“Kenner Lauterbach, who was probably our most consistent guy this fall at shortstop and I’ve got him slotted in the three hole right now, he’s got a back thing and may not play the first couple of weeks. Some guys might get in there earlier than maybe I thought.
“In the long run, maybe that will help us out. Just go and compete and control what we can control. I told them in the preseason leading up to conference, I don’t care if we’re 15-0 or 0-15. If we’re 0-15, that would be really tough, but we’ve just got to keep growing and keep doing what we’re trying to do. We’ve really got a plan of attack this year of how we’re trying to attack teams. I really hope we stick to that plan. If we can work that plan, I think we’re going to be pretty good.”