Baseball Dons Welcome Chance To Return To Field

The Doniphan High School Dons are scheduled to play their first baseball game since May 2018 on Thursday, Sept. 10, when East Carter comes to Bob Byrd Field for a 4:30 p.m. start. Front from left are Brandon Moore, Colton Foster, Levi Rawlings, Silas Whiteside, Lucas Berry and Landon Watson. Back from left are Larry Richmond, J.D. Burton, Ethan Jones, Ben Killian and Trace LaPar.

Steve Inman

No high school team was hit any harder by the COVID-19 emergency last spring than Doniphan High School baseball.

Just five days away from their March 23 season-opener, the school year suddenly came to a screeching halt. Spring sports were cancelled.

“We had probably our best chance of making something happen,” said Dons coach Dalton Pennington. “We had the pitching, the offense and the defense all clicking for us.”

Fans were denied getting to see Jake Eddington play his senior season. Eddington, an early signee with the Alabama Crimson Tide last winter, was ranked by many scouting organizations as the No. 1 high school baseball player in Missouri with the Class of 2020.

Fellow seniors Alex Littrell, Kyle Lowery and Mark Davis added to the depth and optimism for coach Pennington, who took over as head coach after seven seasons as an assistant.

Fall baseball was discontinued at DHS in 2017 when football returned after nearly a 40-year absence. In August, the R-I board approved a request to bring it back for one season to allow the program to make up for lost time last spring. While some players are away playing football, Pennington has an 11-man roster eager to gain some experience.

“We have kids who are juniors and seniors who haven’t seen an ounce of playing time because they were going to come off the bench last spring,” said Pennington. “They really needed this experience.”

Doniphan last played a high school baseball game May 13, 2018, against Perryville in the first round of the Class 4, District 1 tournament. After several postponements for various reasons, the Dons are set to play their first game this fall at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, against East Carter at Bob Byrd Field.

Pennington was pleased with what he saw from his young squad in a jamboree two weeks ago with Cooter.

The most experienced players include centerfielder-pitcher Silas Whiteside, corner infielder Levi Rawlings, infielder Brandon Moore and pitcher-outfielder Colton Foster. Junior Landon Watson started several games at catcher as a freshman. J.D. Burton, a transfer from Neelyville, will be a big asset to the team at shortstop, in the outfield and at catcher. Lucas Berry returns for his senior year. Ethan Jones, a junior, is a versatile athlete who will help the team in several areas.

Freshmen Ben Killian, Trace LaPar and Larry Richmond are ready to earn some high school playing experience.

“Where we really need to shine is with our pitching. We have a lot of guys who can pump strikes,” Pennington said.

The Dons are scheduled to cap the fall season by participating in the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament.

Pennington also is hopeful of hosting an alumni game on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Bob Byrd Field. Activities will include a home run derby, fish fry and recognition of those whose jerseys have been retired.