The Fayette Falcon baseball team is optimistic after its first taste of competition in a preseason jamboree at Slater on Saturday. Fayette returns all of its starters from last season and looks to improve. Though the 2024 season started with eight losses, the team finished with an 8-15 overall record.

Coach Andy Oeth is excited to begin his third season as head coach. He led Fayette to their first-ever winning season in 2023, when the Falcons finished 12-11 overall. “All of our starters are returning, which every coach would love to have. We have a great senior class led by Kaleb Friebe. He has a high on-base percentage; he just finds a way to get there. He’ll also play shortstop, pitch, and even catch.”

Another key returner is senior Thomas Elliott, a Central Methodist commit whom Oeth calls “our rock at first base.” 

“He’s versatile, too, and can play second, pitch, and outfield if we need him.”

Stout senior Jacob Wood returns his power to the lineup. He primarily served as the team’s designated hitter a year ago, but Coach Oeth has more plans for him this season.

“To be honest, I lied straight to him and told him he would only hit for us,” Coach Oeth admitted. “I knew I would need him to play first at times. He’s signed to play college football, and if he gets ahold of one, it will go a long way!”

Fayette’s final senior is Justyn Stark, a first-year baseball player. Coach Oeth said he’s working very hard and is athletic. “I look forward to seeing what he can do for us.”

Coach Oeth has other key contributors coming back as well. His son, Peyton, is one of the top catchers in the conference and is a versatile all-around player who can hit, pitch, and play just about any defensive position.

“Peyton is the cornerstone of our team, on and off the field,” said Coach Oeth. “He’s returning from a hip injury, which will limit some of his catching duties, at least early on. He’ll pitch and catch but also play infield as well.”

Fayette’s No. 2 pitcher this year is junior Ethan Bean. “He has worked on his game. His curveball is nasty, something everyone talks about,” Coach Oeth said.

When not on the mound, Bean will play third and is expected to deliver consistency at the plate.

A potent bat returning to the lineup is junior Caleb Craig. A good hitter who will mostly play in the outfield, Craig is also expected to see some time in the infield.

Now in his second year on varsity, sophomore Thad Quint will be another impact player for the Falcons. “He’s a very good bunter,” said Coach Oeth. “He usually hits in the number two spot and is a very capable hitter. He’s another guy that plays multiple positions and will pitch for us as needed.”

With 18 players on the roster, the Falcons boast the most depth they’ve had in years. 

“We have options at every position, and we’re going to have a tough job getting everyone in the right positions before our first game against Higbee,” said Coach Oeth. “Our players are competing and improving daily, so they’re doing a great job and making it hard for us coaches to decide the starting lineup and batting order.”

While Fayette’s pitching has improved, the Falcons should also deliver at the plate this season after posting a team batting average of .234 a year ago.

“I’m really excited about our ability to hit the ball this year. That’s important because our conference is stacked with good teams,” said Coach Oeth. “Our buddies on [Highway] 124, Harrisburg, will always be a battle. The Central State 8 is loaded with historically good teams like Russellville, New Bloomfield, and Eugene. Every game will be a dogfight, so we need to be ready. We’re definitely going to be battle-tested as we head into districts.”

This season marks Fayette’s first competing in the CS8. The new conference was formed a year ago, with competition beginning in the fall. It boasts three teams that not only finished with winning seasons last year, but teams that also dominated their competition. Harrisburg posted 18 wins a year ago. Eugene completed its ninth straight winning season at 21-9 overall. And Tipton finished fourth in the state in Class 2 with an overall mark of 23 wins against seven losses.

Several important contests are lined up early in the season. The Falcons open their second season in a row at Higbee on Friday. “Our guys are excited about that,” Oeth said.

The Falcons open their home schedule at Central Methodist University’s Estes Field on Monday against county rival New Franklin, which finished 16-7 a year ago for the Bulldogs’ fourth straight winning season.

Fayette also plays up two classes against Moberly before taking on Harrisburg and Linn in back-to-back conference games.

“The biggest thing that I hope carries over from last year is our grit,” Coach Oeth said. “We willed ourselves to victory in several games as we went 8-7 over our last 15 games. We found a way to win when other teams may have accepted a loss. We’ll do well if we can bring that into this season.”

Fayette fell to Slater in the opening game of Saturday’s jamboree, 1-0. Sophomore Sterling Hilgedick had the lone hit for the Falcons in the four-inning contest. A trio of Fayette pitchers, led by starter Kaleb Friebe for two innings, followed by Quint and sophomore Ledgyr Conrow with one inning each, only surrendered two hits.

The Fayette bats came alive in the second scrimmage as the Falcons blanked Sweet Spring, 6-0. Friebe, Quint, Oeth, Craig, sophomore Colten Cross, and junior Austin Kunze each had one hit for the Falcons. Oeth struck out three batters and gave up two hits in two shutout innings to start the game. John Fehling retired three batters on strikes in 1.2 innings of relief. Hilgedick allowed two hits in the final third of an inning on the mound.

Friday’s season opener at Higbee gets underway at 5 p.m. The Tigers went 12-7 a year ago and won their first-ever district title behind the outstanding arms of seniors Derek Rockett and Will Spilman. Coach Vogelgesang returns two seniors and six juniors from a year ago, including senior catcher Robert Smith, who committed to play for Hannibal LaGrange University next season.