PREVIEW: Veteran Monti is strong on 'D'

Published by admin on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:05am

The Monticello varsity baseball team, first row from left: Conley Schauf, Brady Gogel, Reed Brunscheen, Lincoln Schneiter, Gage Dutra, Blaine Brighton and Alex Jamison. Second row: assistant coach Chance Manternach, Cael Sampson, A.J. Phelps, Dylan Roher, Preston Ries, Dylan Monk, Peyton Schilling, Jonah Luensman and Kolby Harms. (Photo by Pete Temple)
BASEBALL
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

   An experienced, defensively-strong Monticello Panther team hits the field for this summer’s high school baseball season.

   It’s a team that has had success in recent years – in 2022 the team went 11-5 in conference play and 15-7 overall – but is looking for more.

   “We want to compete for the (River Valley) Conference title and get over the hump and get to State,” fifth-year coach Kolby Harms said. “We have made several deep postseason runs the last couple of years and have fallen just short.

   “Our defense and experience will be our strengths. We return a lot of guys with multiple years of experience.”

   The team has eight starters back. The lone senior is pitcher/outfielder Dylan Roher, who was the starting pitcher in eight games last season, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.03 earned-run average. He struck out 55 in 37 innings of work.

   Returning juniors are catcher Dylan Monk, pitcher/first baseman Blaine Brighton, pitcher/shortstop Cael Sampson, pitcher/infielder Jonah Luensman, centerfielder Peyton Schilling, and pitcher/first baseman Preston Ries. Leftfielder Gage Dutra is a freshman who saw varsity action last year as an eighth-grader.

   Ries, recovering from a hand injury, hopes to be in the lineup by mid-June. He batted .424, and had a 5-2 pitching record with a 2.68 earned run average and 41 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings pitched.

   Monk hit .343 with eight doubles and 20 runs batted in last season. Brighton put up a .328 average with 12 RBIs. Luensman hit .324, and Roher knocked in 14 runs.

   The coach said Monti will need to figure out its pitching rotation, and hit consistently.

   “We don’t return a lot of pitching depth, especially with the injuries,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who are capable of filling those spots, and I think we will have a lot of success on the mound this year.”

   Harms said he expects strong competition in the RVC from newcomer Dyersville Beckman, as well as Cascade.

   “We will lean on our older guys while some of our younger guys fill in from what we have lost to graduation and injuries,” the coach said. “If we throw strikes and stay consistent defensively, we will be very competitive all summer.”

   Chance Manternach is the assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach; Tim Lambert coaches the freshman-sophomore team.

 

 

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