Sports Editor Piedmont is hitting the road to open the 2023 baseball season.
The defending Class 5A state runner-up Wildcats will face North Little Rock High School (Ark.) in the first of four games today and Friday at the River City Jamboree in Little Rock, Ark.
Expectations are lofty as usual for Piedmont, as the Wildcats return six starters from last year’s team, which finished 32-9 and played for a state championship.
“I’m super excited to have the level of experience we have back,” fifth-year head coach Adam Skokowski said. “These guys all have a lot of experience playing in the state tournament and big games.”
Beginning the season out of the state has been scheduled before for PHS, but it didn’t pan out. Piedmont planned to travel to Little Rock to play two years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled those plans.
“These kinds of overnight trips are great team-bonding experiences,” Skokowski said. “We’ll also face some tough competition there.”
Below is a breakdown of Piedmont’s projected starting lineup and pitching rotation.
PHS lineup experienced, athletic
Statistically, junior center fielder Weston Thomas is Piedmont’s top returner. He batted .450 with seven doubles and 37 RBI’s last season.
Thomas will be joined in the outfield by another returning starter, Noah Smith, who in the offseason transitioned from third base to right field. Last season, Smith hit .290 with a pair of home runs.
“Those two will hit in the meat of the lineup for us,” Skokowski said. He also noted that Smith and Thomas each have good speed to cover plenty of ground in the outfield.
Second baseman Logan Hill, a Seminole State commit who had seven doubles a year ago, and first baseman Dalton Hampton return along with starter catcher Jackson Harriger.
Senior Cole Girard, who is also committed to Seminole State, will start at third base after homering three times in 2022. Hill’s younger brother, Luke, is recovering from a wrist injury but will be the starter at shortstop as a freshman.
“He’s very good defensively,” Skokowski said of Hill.
The lone position battle that remains is in left field, where juniors Nicholas Elmhorst and Cole Pruitt are vying for playing time.
If the preseason is any indication of what’s to come, the ‘Cats’ lineup could be explosive. In a recent scrimmage at Edmond Memorial, Smith, Girard and Logan Hill each hit home runs over a two-inning stretch.Koop leads pitching staff
There’s still a lot to be decided for Piedmont’s pitching staff as the Wildcats try to replace 2022 aces Caleb Lunnon and Fidel Hatch, but the top spot in the pitching rotation is set, Skokowski said.
Senior right hander Jakob Koop begins the year as the ace of the staff after a strong finish to the 2022 season, which included an excellent relief performance in the state semifinals against Sapulpa. Koop pitched 3.1 innings with four strikeouts and allowed only two hits to earn the victory.
Koop’s fastball is in the 85-88 MPH range and he also throws a slider and a changeup. The NOC-Tonkawa signee compiled a 0.74 ERA last season.
“He’s been our most consistent guy through scrimmages,” Skokowski said.
Jackson Califano, a 6-foot-5 lefty could be Piedmont’s second district starter. He’s recovering from UCL surgery and has only thrown a few innings in his varsity career, but has shown enough potential to impress college recruiters and is currently committed to Carl Albert State College.
“He has a chance to do really well for us,” Skokowski said.
Thomas, Smith, Noah Aller and Girard will also log innings for PHS, which will try to build more pitching depth and improve its strike-throwing throughout the season. According to Skokowski, he would like for his pitchers to throw a strike at least 60% of the time.
“We have a stable of guys and we’re trying to see who is ready,” Skokowski said. “We haven’t had anyone step up to be the man just yet, but we have guys who are fully capable of doing that. We’ve just got to find some consistency.”
‘Not shying away’
Piedmont’s non-district schedule features 12 games against Class 6A competition.
Edmond Santa Fe, Bixby, Moore, Mustang, Deer Creek and Putnam City North, among others are all on the ‘Cats’ 2023 slate. Piedmont also will play two games each against district rivals Carl Albert and Guthrie.
“We’re not shying away from anyone and I fully expect to get after them and beat them,” Skokowski said.
