At the end of the 2019 season, the boys varsity baseball made it all the way to state but unfortunately fell to Borgia, which brought the season to a disheartening close. They were eager and geared up to compete all the way to state again last year but were unable to have the opportunity due to COVID-19. With multiple seniors going on to play college baseball next year, the team is stacked with talent and cannot wait for games to start in the following weeks.

“We got to state in 2019 by the guys putting in hard work in the off season and trusting in the process throughout the year, and we will seek to do those same things this season,” said Head Coach Dan Petke.

Prep Baseball Reports ranked Nick Moten, senior, to be the fourth leading class of 2021 athlete in the entire state of Missouri, followed by Adam Ebling, senior, at number six, and Zach Dantuono, senior, at ten. Moten regularly throws 91-93mph and can top out at 95mph. Adding that to a mix of off-speed pitches, Moten will be an extremely tough pitcher to hit off of this season.

Not only is the team strongly built with talented seniors, but they also have a solid group of juniors and a sophomore who will contribute immensely to the team. Jacob Brown, junior, who could find himself at the front end of the pitching rotation this year, tops 88mph from the mound. Max Mentel, sophomore, also is one to watch, as he reaches 86mph and has two more years to grow his potential.

“The strongest part of the team I would say is pitching. We have a lot of good younger arms in Jacob Brown and Max Mentel, and I think they’re going to be great for us in the rotation this spring,” said Moten.

Both Jeremy Sheffield and Parker Smith, juniors, are incredibly gifted in the infield and outfield, as they are unbelievably fast. Sheffield’s additional versatility makes him a well-rounded player and extremely valuable to the team.

“[Sheffield] is going to be a great bat for us in the lineup this spring and is a vacuum in the infield. He can play short, second, third, and outfield so he has a lot of versatility to him which is good because we are going to be able to move him around if needed,” said Moten.

With heightened competition this season, the team is looking to focus on the fundamentals and use that to put the ball in play often, making Westminster baseball tough to beat.

“There are no easy opponents on our schedule this year, so we will find success by executing the fundamentals on a daily basis,” said Coach Petke.

Between Zach Dantuono, Adam Ebling, Luc Fuller, Landen Johnson, and Nick Moten, the class of 2021 will have lots of representation in college baseball next year. Dantuono is headed to Mizzou, Ebling to Tulane, Fuller to Drury, Johnson to Indiana State, and Moten to the University of Arkansas. These athletes will possibly face one another in college but look forward to completing their senior season’s out together in high school.