The Booneville Bearcats baseball team will open the 2025 season by welcoming Clarksville to the Billy Kiersey Baseball/Softball Complex Monday afternoon.
The Bearcats are coming off a season in which the put together a 20-game winning streak that included one over eventual 4A champion Prairie Grove, a regular season conference title, a district tournament title, a regional tournament title, and a win in the state tournament.
While Dax Goff, Rylen Ray and Matt O'Bar, who produced a combined 102 base hits and 116 RBI, all graduated, coaches Arron Kimes and Jake Fennell do return five players who had at least 67 plate appearances during last season’s 20-6 campaign.
There are three others back who had 20 or more plate appearances.
Senior Dylan Todd (shown), who typically hit in the second sport in the order, played in all 26 games a year ago and hit .472 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, a home run (.596 slugging), 25 RBI, and 39 runs scored.
Junior Rhett Nietert matched Todd in the power numbers, minus the home run, and hit .365 while driving in 19 out of the leadoff spot. Nietert, who also hit .358 during his freshman season, scored 36 runs in 2024.
Senior Jace Washburn played in 18 games after being released from a foot injury sustained during basketball season and hit .304 with 4 doubles. Washburn drove in 16.
Casey Carter and Parker Smith, who are both juniors, both recorded .231 averages. Smith did so with three doubles, a home run, and 12 RBI and Carter drove in 6.
Noah Harrel, Tayden Washburn, and Jeremiah Shaw all made at least 20 plate appearances with Harrel hitting .312 with a double and 8 RBI.
The Bearcats also return three pitchers who threw at least 28 innings in Jace Washburn, Nietert, and Todd.
Washburn was 6-1 with a 1.36 ERA, allowing only 11 runs, 7 earned, over 36 innings. He struck out 32. Washburn made four starts in his seven appearances.
For his career Washburn is 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA and 85 strikeouts.
Nietert had a team high 13 appearance including three starts. He was 3-2 with a save and a 4.62 ERA. Nietert struck out 17.
Todd fanned 43 and went 3-1 in his 11 appearances, five of which were starts, finishing with a 5.50 ERA.
The Bearcats had a .921 fielding percentage a year ago, committing about 2.1 errors per game, but they did turn 8 double plays and catchers threw out 14 would-be base stealers, slightly better than one in three, and picked off another runner.
In addition to the opener, the opening week slate also calls for a home game with Hackett on Tuesday, though the weather forecast is not favorable for that, and a game at Greenwood on Friday.
BEARCATS TO OPEN SEASON AGAINST CLARKSVILLE MONDAY
