Apr. 11—SUNBURG — While bidding adieu to one of the area's top players, the Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg baseball team is looking for the next crop of athletes to step up.
The Fighting Saints are coming off an 11-9 season, with an 8-3 record in the Camden Conference.
"This season, there will be opportunities for many former bench players to find their roles in the starting lineup," said second-year head coach Chris Pappadackis. He's joined on the staff by Noah Thorson, Kelly Navarro and Brent Wilts. "We will look to fill the innings on the mound now that Jared Cortez has graduated.
"The first few practices, players have shown a ton of energy and excitement for these new opportunities. It will be fun to see how they stack up when games start."
Four senior starters come back for the Fighting Saints in P/C/IF/OF Logan Rudningen, OF/C/P Jett Olson, 1B/DH/IF/OF Clayton Olson and OF Logan Johnson.
Pappadackis called Rudningen "the catalyst for our team this season." Along with his versatility, Rudningen hit for a .359 average, a .446 on-base percentage and a .892 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He finished with five doubles, 20 runs, six RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
"(Logan) had a strong junior season with a solid stat line," Pappadackis said. "He was getting on base when we needed it the most. He can play any position with ease. ... He will be doing the majority of the catching for us and taking his place on the mound pretty regularly as well."
After batting ninth in the order last season, KMS is hoping for a leap from Johnson. Johnson hit for a .321 average, .415 on-base and .826 on-base-plus-slugging with 12 RBIs.
"Logan found ways to consistently get on base and turn the lineup over to the top of the order," Pappadackis said. "I am looking for him to continue to drive runs in."
Other returning starters include junior IF/P Hunter Engelke and sophomore IF/OF/P Kylen Payne.
Pappadackis has Engelke as a player to watch after he hit .327, had a .400 OBP and .727 OPS with 10 RBIs last spring.
"This season I look for him to improve those numbers at the plate and to also see success on the mound," Pappadackis said of Engelke. "He has the ability to go and attack any hitter in any count."
