The Platte County baseball team dog-piled on the pitchers mound after winning the 2022 Class 5 State Championship.
Coming off a state championship, the Platte County baseball team is bringing back a lot of experience and looking to repeat last years results.
On a season that saw the likes of a perfectly pitched game, a 15-1 home record and the top-seed in the Class 5 District 8 Tournament, the Pirates ended up with the first state title in more than a decade. Platte County will have 10 varsity level players who are returning, all of which are upperclassmen.
“Just like last year, we need to rely on leadership from our top seniors and team cohesiveness,” Platte County head baseball coach John Sipes said. “This team will need to find its own identity so they aren’t in the shadow of last year’s team.”
The Pirates will look to their seven seniors who had some time on the field last year, including pitchers Dylan Robertson and Dylan Zimmerman. Brayden Carter and Ethan Veach will also be on the mound this spring as the team is full of depth.
“We have about two or three guys in every position on the field that can at a high level. In fact, eight of my 13 seniors have signed to go on to play baseball at various schools throughout all the Midwest,” Sipes said.
James Schwieder, Cameron Dean, Dayne Wimberly, Nick Baker, Andrew Habel and Tyler Erickson are the most experienced seniors while Brian Chandler, Aidan Norris, Jordan Hedrick, Hunter Canole and Veach will bring depth to the senior class.
“The boys are working hard to compete for spots right now. We have several talented players at each position, and we are just trying to find the right mix of boys so we can make another run for the championship,” Sipes said.
Platte County rattled off 27 wins last spring opposed to eight losses, which was the second straight season ending with a single digit number of losses. The Pirates have moved to the Kansas City Suburban Conference White Division.
“In the conference, Grain Valley and Belton always have quality athletes, and it seems like they put a winning team out on the field every year. Teams to watch in our district would be Kearney and William Chrisman, they both have a few talented players and can sneak up on you if you aren’t prepared,” Sipes said.