By Eli Jordan
The McPherson baseball program looks for a new leader after news broke that former head coach Kyle MacKinnon was leaving the program to coach at a minor league level. But when the team returns the majority of its pitching staff as well as other key members of the lineup they don’t have to look far. Camping the 2022 roster to the 2023 roster, the biggest shake ups come in replacing the bat of former catcher Trevor Johnson. But the Bulldogs have found a good replacement at the backstop position. Hunter “Flash” Robinson has been phenomenal. Robinson leads the team with an on base percentage of 0.525. As of writing, the Bulldogs are 6-6, but of those six losses two of them came to the 19th ranked USAO, and another to #4 Louisiana State University at Shreveport.
Of the 12 games the Bulldog pitching staff has put together, affectionately called the Dog House, they have struck out 78 batters, meaning their K/9 stat at time of writing is 8.23. The Dog House is led by Seniors Blake Maddock with a 9.24 era and Alex Escobar with a 10.64 era. Behind them is Alex Amaral with a 9.00 era thus far in the season.
Only dropping six conference games all last season, new Head Coach Andrew Pratt looks to replicate the success of those before them, and to bring his team back to the post season tournament. Their goal this year being to get out of the opening round of NAIA tournament play, and they want to bring a National Championship back to Bulldog Park. And maybe just then, will the Baseball team get a locker room.
