2012 proves to be more than rebuilding year for Eagles

sports@standard-democrat.com

ORAN -- Though a state title wasn't in the works as Oran made it's 11th trip to the Class 1 final four, this year's crop of Eagles can look back knowing they defied expectations.

With the team losing core players such as Zac Chasteen, Tyler Heuring and Nolan Urhahn to graduation following last year's Class 1 third-place finish, many expected Oran to spend this year building toward the future.

Instead the Eagles fought through a late season slump and worked their way back to their second consecutive Show-Me Showdown where they once again captured third-place.

"Really about the last three weeks (we turned it on)," Oran head coach Mitch Wood said. "We started playing the tough part of our schedule. Even though we were getting some losses I could tell our kids were doing a better job of throwing strikes and our hitting was coming around a little bit."

After a hot first month of the season where the Eagles took 11 of their first 13 games to open up 11-2, Oran started to cool down as it entered the final weeks of the regular season.

Starting with an extra-inning loss to Helias Catholic on April 21, the Eagles went on 2-5 on a seven game stretch that ended with a 6-3 loss to Kelly.

Down to their final three games of the regular season the Eagles put together wins over New Madrid County Central and Chaffee before ending the regular season with a 6-5 loss to Poplar Bluff.

Though some losses piled up along the way, Woods strategy of playing almost entirely higher class schools, including Notre Dame, Clever and Mt. Vernon, had the Eagles prepared for the Class 1, District 1 Tournament.

"Once again I think our tough schedule helped us out as far as proving we were ready for this," Wood said. "We try to play the best teams in our area. Unfortunately some of the larger schools we don't play, but we play most of the Class 2 and 3 schools that will play us."

Battle tested by the time the postseason began Oran rolled to the Class 1, District 2 title game, where they edged out the Bernie Mules 6-5 for their second straight championship.

Two wins later the Eagles found themselves back in the same spot they were last year only to see five errors against Santa Fe, the eventual champs, cost them a spot in the title game.

Though he's been through nearly all of the Eagles postseason runs that have fallen painstakingly close to a championship time and time again, Wood felt this one was especially hard to take.

"There has been a few of them that had been frustrating," Wood said. But it seemed like that this was probably the hardest one I've had to take myself.

"That's one of things where if you told me when we started, in those first two weeks, that we'd win third in state I'd had laughed at you.

On Oran's 11 trips to the postseason Wood added, "You have to remember that all those places and this and that are from different groups of kids and different kids have opportunities.

"I'm just grateful that this class had an opportunity. This year's seniors have some up here twice and that's what you have to remember instead of worrying about yourself."

Besides giving Oran another banner to put on the wall, this year's postseason run sets the Eagles up nicely for next season as four underclassmen, Seth Ressel, Jacon Priggel, Chance Tenkhoff and Bear Hick became regular starters as the season rolled on.

Those four's year worth of experience and the fact that Oran loses only three seniors this summer leaves the Eagles ready for another run at the Showdown.

"I've been real tickled with my young kids," Wood said. "I think it's going to get better the next few years with our young kids.

"Whether we make back or not I don't know, but I think our program will stay pretty steady if we get some kids in the right spots."

And though Oran will certainly miss the likes of Blake Carlyle, Dalton Elfrink and Adam Schaefer when they don't return next fall current junior Kody Moore doesn't want to here talk of rebuilding.

"I think about five out of the last six seasons people said Oran's would have a rebuilding year we've ended up here," Moore said. "I don't think there's such a thing as a rebuilding year. You lose some seniors, but everybody loses seniors every year. You don't rebuild, you get back out there and play ball."