Five years ago on March 15, Andy Oeth had surgery to remove a racquetball size tumor from the back of his brain. Just a few short weeks prior to that, he had gone to see his doctor, complaining of headaches. It was then, after an MRI, the tumor was discovered and Oeth’s entire world changed.

Following a 15 year law enforcement career, Oeth realized he was being directed to make changes in his life. One of those changes was to pursue a degree and chase a lifelong dream of being a coach. Following a complete recovery he now works in the special education field with Fayette Public Schools and coaches junior high girls basketball, an eye-opener unto itself, seeing as Oeth is the father of two boys and has two brothers. He perseveres however, and loves coaching his girls.

His first love is baseball and after three years as assistant coach, one of which was lost to COVID, Following last year’s 2-18 season, Oeth was asked to become the head coach of the Fayette Falcon baseball team. He could not have been more pleased.

The preseason has been very interesting to say the least. In preparation for the upcoming 2022 season, Oeth worked with Central Methodist head coach Nate Breland  to gain experience and wisdom on everything from how to conduct practices to how to order uniforms. It has been a very lucrative relationship. 

Last season, the Falcons, due to needs of both the Falcons and the CMU Eagles, were not able to use Estes Field except for two home games. Needless to say, it is very difficult to have home games without a home field. This spring, however, plans are that Fayette will not only be able to play home games at Estes, but also be able to practice there on a regular basis. This was only made possible through the Athletic directors of both schools and the coaches having open discussions about the needs of both teams.

With a new coach comes a renewed excitement about Fayette baseball. With around 20 players on the team, Oeth is excited about the prospects of even being able to have inter-squad scrimmages, something that is hard to do with only 14 players. 

He is also excited about the senior leadership on the team. Tyler Bartholomew pitches and plays infield, as does Dalton Collins and Chris Brown. Matthew Stornello plays outfield and has seen duty at catcher as well. Theo Owings and Logan Wiswall are newcomers to the team. “Every one of them are great athletes and have great attitudes,” said Oeth. “I’m really excited about having them help lead the team and help to influence our junior class which is just loaded with talent.”

Those juniors consist of returning starters, Haden Kelly, Gage Sulltrop, and Alex McBaine. Mason Sappington and Landon Schactele also saw playing time last season, gaining valuable experience. Two other juniors, Melo Hockaday and Caleb McComb are newcomers that have exhibited athleticism and  willingness to go out and play. “Our returning juniors are guys that are really fun to be around and have played quite a bit of baseball,” said Oeth. “They’re very talented, and are the kind of core that can really help build a program. Haden Kelly has an incredible bat, and has so much great baseball sense. He’s a pitcher and I can plug him in any place on the infield. Alex McBain is primarily a centerfielder. He’s covers so much ground and has a good ability to track the baseball.”

“Gage is a great receiving catcher and helps take charge of the field. He’s always encouraging everybody. We lost him last year due to an arm injury and I’m just really glad to have him back and healthy. Mason was primarily an outfielder last season, but we found out he can pitch as well. He worked on that during the summer and he has kind of honed some of those skills that he needs to come back and be a real power pitcher that throws really hard. We’re excited to see what he can do this year on the mound.”

The Falcons will only one sophomore, Jayden Shifflett, this season, but he did get valuable experience last year. “You wouldn't know Jayden is just a sophomore,” said Oeth. “He plays with a baseball IQ of someone much older than him. He’s smart, he’s fast, and his bat has really come around this spring.”

Thomas Elliott, Kaleb Friebe, Camden Kindle, Corbin Tucker, and Jacob Wood make up the freshman class. “Kaleb is a real strong kid that can play just about anywhere, and will probably catch a little for us, “said Oeth. “Jacob Wood is another strong kid that hits the ball really hard. We’ll be sharing him with the track team but he’ll be able to help us when he’s with us. Corbin is our lone lefty batter. He throws right but hits left-handed. Another strong kid that is athletic. He’s bi and strong and I’m excited to see what he does with us over the next four years. Thomas Elliot is just a great personality, probably knows more about baseball than I do. He’ll do anything I ask him to do. Camden is a tall lanky kid that I see probably turning into a pitcher, but this whole freshman class are all just great kids and athletes that will learn this year and return next year to help build the team.

The Falcons will open the season with a four game road trip, first to New Franklin on Monday at 5 p.m. followed by a road game at Stover on Tuesday, then Centralia on Thursday. They will travel to Cole Camp on March 28, before returning for their long awaited home opener on March 29 at Estes Field against Glasgow at 5:30 p.m.

“Our No. 1 goal, is to get better every single day,” said Oeth. “So far I feel like we’ve done that every day. I want our seniors to have an incredible year, I want them to really enjoy playing baseball and to be able to look back at their senior year with absolute fond memories.”