Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
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Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
High School Baseball Breakdown with Kevin Bohannon | Varsity Vibe
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There are only a handful of weeks left of the regular season before Regional Tournaments and State Tournaments begin for high school baseball. Teams are starting to separate themselves, and some surprises are starting to set themselves up for success.
Longtime Arkansas baseball reporter Kevin Bohannon joins Alyssa Orange to give his take on the action around the state and how teams have set themselves up for the post season.
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SPEAKER_01I am your host, Alyssa Orange, and a special guest, as you can see, joining us, Kevin Bohanan. And that means we are talking baseball, uh, which you know I love, and I can talk about this all day. And so we'll jump into it. We got to talk to you before the season really got going about some teams to keep an eye on, some players to keep an eye on. Uh, and I gotta say, I think obviously you know what you're talking about. That is not a uh that is not a question. Um, but these teams have really been able to be steady. Uh and so I want to jump in and kind of talk about that. And the first one is Conway, right? We knew Conway baseball was going to be good. And and I got to talk to their head coach, and he was just like, I think early on, the pressure of could this be Conway's best team ever, yeah, kind of got to him a little bit, but they've kind of finally, it feels like settled down and and really been able to play some good baseball recently.
SPEAKER_00They really have. And you know, congratulations to Coach Leighton Harden. He got his 200th career win. And, you know, when you talk about some of the all-time great Conway school, of course, no Noel Boucher, there's only been two coaches in the history of Conway baseball. It's like the University of Arkansas. You think of Norman DeBryan, Dave Van Horn, and you know, Coach Boucher uh had Barry Looters as his assistant for so long, and that they uh did a ceremony for Coach Looters the other day. But yeah, they've they've just been playing good baseball, and of course they have the talent. Sean Cover's going to Southern Miss, London Stewart's going to Southern Miss, Davenport, Owen Davenport's going to central Arkansas. Then you got Max Holland behind the plates going to Arkansas. Uh, and you know, they're and that's not even the guys like Nate Wanamaker, Cicero, the guys that have been their main arms going into league play. So uh I think they're playing against themselves right now. You know, it's just a matter of I think they are head above everybody else, maybe not head and shoulders, because it is high school baseball in Arkansas. You don't play series, you you play one one and done in the state tournament. So I do like what they've done with the conference schedule this year. They play the same team in that week, they'll do a home and home instead of doing a double round robin. So they adopted the what the 6A West was doing, and it's I think it's really helped, you know, really kind of separate the haves and the have nots.
SPEAKER_01You mentioned the 6A West. So hopping over there, Rogers and and Springdale Harbor having two really good seasons. Um, and it just seems like you know, Rogers is a steady all the time. But I want to pick your brain about about Bentonville and what you think Bentonville, if there's a team that maybe could make some noise late in the season, could it be the Tigers?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. You know, they're 10 and 3 right now in conference play, and it wouldn't surprise me that they've been there, and you know, having a coach taking over uh in kind of first year and everything, he's gotten a lot of senior leadership. That's been the biggest thing. Uh CJ Campbell has been lights out on the mound. And I'll go back, it's a great story about CJ, and I know we talked about him before, but when he was 14-15, he always showed really good athleticism. He's got he's got track speed. I mean, he can run a legit 4-3-4-4, but it's about what he's done on the mountain this year. So he's an automatic six innings, one or two runs. It's a quality start every time out. And when you can get that in a six A West, you're gonna go do a lot of big things and win a lot of games. So wouldn't surprise me, of course, it's always about the draw. I do think the West and the and the Central are really kind of even for really the first time in a long time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh when when I mentioned Harbor, uh, what do you think they've been able to do that has kind of set them up to be where they're at right now?
SPEAKER_00Dustin Helmkamp's just he's just the culture that he's built there, you know, the you know, they won a couple state championships and they had always gotten close with with guys, and then they go back to you know, 2017 with Blake Adams, 2018, and they win one. Uh, and then they get back with with Ross Felder, who's pitching at Missouri State right now. Now it's the next generation of guys. Uh Reed Felder is on the team now. So Dustin Helm, they just keep re-energizing that roster every year, but those younger guys know the work ethic and everything and what Coach Helmkamp expects. And you know, a lot of these, you've had a lot of changeover, at least in the assistant coaching ranks and the head coaching ranks in the West. So you get guys that have moved around a little bit and they're getting to show what they can do. So I know Coach Helmkamp had to hire uh a new assistant coach late in the year, uh, but the players can coach themselves on that team. Yeah, that they're getting to where they can go out there every time and know what to expect, not just on the practices, but go through game routines and everything. So that helps a lot uh when you have that winning culture right there at Harbor.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I don't want to ignore Rogers. Uh so can the Mounties right can the Mounties do you think this might be a load of question? Uh, the possibility of the Mounties trying to defend that state title from a season ago.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, when you have a one-two punch like Ty Burnham, and he's hitting well too. He's hit a home run the other day in conference play, and then Jake Taylor's going to Little Rock next year. I think Taylor is you know as savvy of a veteran as he is now, you know, two state championship game starts uh the last two years. You know, they came up short when he was a sophomore against Springdale Harbor, and then of course last year they come back and beat Fayetteville in extra innings. So I think especially because they're more than likely going to get a bye. They're on a I think a 10-11 game win streak right now. Uh, they haven't lost in you know, I think eight weeks.
SPEAKER_01So let's find some wood to knock on, right? Yeah, yeah, find some wood to knock on.
SPEAKER_00I love Matt Melson and you know the way he's built programs because you a lot of state championship teams, when they get to the end of the year, they've got these eye-popping stats. Yeah, Rogers does it boring. A lot of people would say it's boring baseball, but they do the fundamental things better than just about anybody else. They throw the ball, they catch the ball, and they get people out. That's what you need. They'll scratch across one or two runs, but they've got some boppers in the lineup this year. I think they'll be able to score with more people this year, and then they got the pitching staff that can hold everybody down. They're always going to send five or six guys to the JUCO D1 ranks every year, and it's just become a thing every year, going back to when Jackson Wells was there in 2021. So they've had this five, six-year run where I think this will be their fourth state championship game if they make it this year out of the last six years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know, before we change classifications to wrap up the six A, uh, you mentioned how balanced you thought the West and the Central are. What has really maybe been the biggest takeaway so far in that division uh that stuck out to you this season?
SPEAKER_00I think it's good as Jonesboro's been this year. I like I expected them to be pretty good. They've got Luke Weatherford, whose older brother Jacob pitched at Little Rock. He was the OVC pitcher of the year, senior year. But then, I mean, they swept Bryant last week. That that shocked me. I mean, they had been playing well. I think their schedule, you know, set them up for success because they were getting to the back end of the schedule. Now it's back end loaded. You got Conway, Cabot, Little Rock, Christian, and Bryant all four in a row, not necessarily in that order, but they've been playing at a high level. So when you get to big games at the end of the year, you have that winning mentality. So that that's been the biggest shocker this far uh this season for me. And then Brandon Ellert, Little Rock Christian, I think you know they know how to win at the 5A level. You move up to 6A. They were really excited about that last year. So they don't they feel like they can take on anybody, and they have. They took Conway to 10 innings, and it was a 1-0 ball game. Uh, Cabot did beat them last week. So you're gonna have a first round matchup like you know, maybe Harbor and Little Rock Christian. I think they're gonna be closer games in that first round, as opposed to the West sweeping the central like they've done in the past.
SPEAKER_01Uh changing up classifications going down to the 5A now. Um, we've talked about some first year head coaches already. Uh, but Greenwood is really starting to establish themselves uh down in the river valley as a team to take seriously, too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and Brandon Brewer, he's been there for a few years now, and I think they're just now figuring out what kind of team they're gonna be and continue that run. Uh, got knocked out by Valley View last year. They just ran into uh a juggernaut, as we know, but they're gonna have to play well down the stretch. Last year they kind of just they had some injuries. I know that was a big deal. Uh, they had a no-hitter earlier this year. Aaron Taylor threw that for them. Uh, now they're sitting in third place in that 5A West. They're looking up at Van Buren and Mountain Home. They've already lost twice to Van Buren, but they really control their own destiny on the way out. If they win out, they can be that number two seed, which is gonna be really good considering you're going up against the East uh this year in the 5A playoffs. East is matched up against the West, Central's going against the South. So you want to avoid having to play Valley View or Green County Tech in that first round game.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was gonna say, speaking of Valley View, the best team right now in the 5A, in your opinion.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, until somebody tells me otherwise, they've only lost one game this year. I mean, I just tell you what, Josh Allison, he's built the powerhouse in Northeast Arkansas, and it's funny to watch over the last 15 years how everything has evolved up there. Brooklyn's always been that steady 4A, 5A school, well, really 4-8, and they're always gonna be there right at the end. They made the state championship game last year, they lost that thriller to Harding Academy. But Valley View, Valley View could be a 6A school. They play 6A schools. They only lost Miller North out of Nebraska, one of the top teams in Nebraska. But it was funny, two years ago, Josh Allison, their head coach, they had a couple of games that got canceled towards the end of the year. So right before the state tournament, he called up Rogers and Fayetteville in northwest Arkansas and said, Hey, we're gonna come play over there for the weekend. So they played one on Friday and one on Saturday, the weekend before the state tournament. Just for fun. Yeah, just for fun. I think that was Slade's junior year, and then they now they do it every year. So they've played Conway, they beat Conway. They haven't lost a conference game in five years, Alyssa. Just think about that. I think it's at 65 or 67 games now. Uh 67, I think, going into tonight or Tuesday against Green County Tech, which is the only team in their conference, I think, that has a shot to beat them. Green County Tech's gonna throw Sid Palma and Brooks Robinson to sophomores that can beat Valley View. Uh Cannon Ring behind the plate for the Eagles is going to Little Rock next year. Derek Runyan at shortstop, really good leadoff hitter. So it should be in the Arkansas Sports Media poll. That's number one and number two in class 5A going to battle at Valley View. Uh, a lot on the line today, Northeast Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01Dang, that sounds like the place to be on a Tuesday night tonight. Good gosh. That'll be a fun one to see how that one uh shakes out. Looking around the rest of the classifications, uh, who jump who jumps out to you too, just playing really good baseball right now.
SPEAKER_00The consistency with Lake Hamilton down in the south, Matt Wiegan. He's uh you know, Alan Gum disciple. He learned a lot from Coach Gunn. Um, that that's of course at Shiloh Christian now. He was at UCA in southern Arkansas. Uh, they look like they're in control of the south right now. Mountain home, the bombers, uh, they're eight and one in the west. I think they have a good shot to win that conference. They've you know been in that top four. They've always been that team that's kind of laying in the weeds. I remember a couple of years ago they beat Sheridan in the first round of the state tournament. All of a sudden they're in the semifinals. So nobody pays attention to Mountain Home that much. Uh Benton's playing good baseball. Coach Balistery, of course, them and Greenbrier tied at the top of the 5-8 central at 7-1. Mail is at six and two. They take on Sylvan Hills tonight. Uh, that's gonna be for playoff seeding. Uh, Nick Watson's done a really good job. He he lost Tag Andrews a couple years ago to the Razorbacks, who's at Little Rock now, and then Peyton Lee's, of course, with the Razorback. He's Nick Watson's done a great job of uh just continuing that winning tradition at a Pulaski County school like Maw Mill. So a lot of good matchups for seeding purposes tonight uh across the state in 5A.
SPEAKER_01How are my guys at Taylor doing?
SPEAKER_00Winning, that's all they do. Of course, baseball and softball, it doesn't matter, you know. It just doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Always I'm just like, man, it's their time of the year, these are their sports for sure, down there at Taylor. And we've got a couple more weeks before those regional tournaments start, and then the state tournament starts leading up to um the state finals that are going to be in hot springs this year. Um, if Bobby's listening, I don't want to make the triple A mad, but I want to ask you a question. Okay, because I've talked about this and you kind of mentioned it, it's not a series, it's a single game. Yeah. Would high school baseball benefit from that finals being a series?
SPEAKER_00And I'll say this because I I've been a proponent for some type of series like that going back the last 25 years. Yeah, because I think anything can happen in a one-game setting. It's the reason that Major League Baseball, the College World Series does remember people may forget, but the College World Series used to be a one and done at the end of the end of the College World Series. Now they play a ser best of three series. I'm not saying you have to do a best of five, and this may only apply to the top three classifications, maybe even the top two. But and I'll go back to 1998, okay? You played four games in five or six days, and you played the championship game at the host site. So my junior year, we played the four the three A state tournament at Little Rock Mills. We were the host school, played the first round game against Ashdown, won that one, played the semifinal or the quarterfinal game against Greenwood, beat them. Semifinal was against Newport. That went nine innings. We won that one, and we turn around the next day and play baseball in the finals. That game ended up being 15-13. We took a five-run lead in the first. They came back and scored 13 straight, and then we tied the game up 13-13. They scored two in the top of the seventh to win 15-13. Now, you don't test the depth of a team at that point. So are you really testing how good a team is, or are you really testing how good a player is? For example, Russellville is having a tough year, Alyssa. You know, coming off of you know the last couple of years with Coach McCrady, they've been in good position. They have one, they have one of, if not the best pitcher in the state, and Tristan Newberry. 6'4, 225. He's low 90s from the left side. He could beat any team in this state, but they're struggling offensively, struggling defensively. They're 2-15 overall, 0-9 in conference play. So they just don't have everything now. In a one-game setting, Newberry comes out and throws a no-hitter. Uh, the team they're playing against walks a few guys and has an error and loses one to nothing. Does that really show the the test of who the better team is overall? No, it doesn't. So, you know, I was glad when they went to the next year in '99, where they went to, okay, we're gonna have a weekend of champions, so you play your semifinal, you wait a week. So they've done that the last 27 years. So that's that's the thing. The the problem would be having parents, everybody come to one central location or one area for three days, and it's just it's tough. It's just the logistics of everything is tough and everything. I know why they don't do it. It's just uh, you know, something that states around Arkansas have done in the past, and maybe you know, down the line, if we figure out logistics or something, somebody comes up with a great idea, it may could happen in the future. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01No, I think it's a great topic if just to have a conversation about and what that looks like um just because of the sport itself. Like you're not doing that in football, you're not doing that in basketball, but baseball's so unique in that way uh that those series feel like they just carry a little bit more weight than that one game does. Um, and maybe you're right, maybe you look at the six and the five A and test it out and see. Um, I always like to open the door and have a conversation because I've heard it from some coaches like, hey, we don't play that a series until you know you get to the finals. If you get to a finals, you get one shot. Yeah, and in baseball of all sports, it's difficult.
SPEAKER_00Think of the last few years, some of the great championship games when Little Rock Christian beat Valley View in in 24 or 23. I think we go back to 23. Yeah, go back to 2023. Little Rock Christian beats Valley View in extra innings and you know threw their best two guys that night. Well, you bounce back the next day. Valley View had a plethora of arms available for for the next two games. I think Valley View would have been the best team out of that series. Fayetteville and uh Rogers last year, that would have been a knockdown drag out over the course of three games. Of course, they'd already you know played each other during the season a couple of times, and you know, they get to play each other two or three more times. That that would have been a great thing to see. And they ended up playing that in northwest Arkansas because of rain.
SPEAKER_01Because of the rain, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it would take away a few things, but I think it would add to the game a little bit more than what it would take away. I think the net positive would be, especially in 6A.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it could it could definitely be a lot of fun. Hey, I appreciate all the baseball insight. Always great to catch up with you and talk baseball. And of course, we've got a few more weeks before we actually do crown another state champion uh around the the state. So we'll see what kind of baseball we have for us in the next couple of weeks. Kevin, I appreciate your time.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, Lisa. Always great enjoy talking to you.
SPEAKER_01Another special thank you to Kevin Bohanan for joining us and talking a little baseball today on our varsity vibe podcast. If you have missed any of our other episodes, I encourage you to go listen to those conversations with coaches and athletes from around the state. Really great to get to know them on and off the field of play. And make sure to follow us on social media as well as Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook. Got great content over there for you. And subscribe to our podcast and our YouTube channel since you're here hanging out with us. And sign up for our newsletter at varsityvibearkansas.com. That newsletter coming to your inbox twice a week. Thank you again for joining us. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and I will see you next time.
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