Platte County senior Nick Baker reacts after the Pirates finished off a win for the Class 5 state championship last spring. ROSS MARTIN/PC Preps Extra

Platte County ready to piece together lineup capable of defending state title

Despite loss of 3 all-state players, Pirates have plenty of experienced options capable of melding together for another deep postseason run.

Many teams not returning the top two pitching options, clutch emotional anchor at catcher, do-it-all shortstop, steady designated hitter, key reliever and more might expect a need to retool and find an identity.

Platte County doesn’t plan to spend any time rebuilding. The Pirates return four full-time starters, a host of other at part-time contributors and a deep roster stocked with talent seemingly in strong position to make a run at defending the 2022 Class 5 state championship — just the second in program history and first since the 2002′ squads Class 3A title.

The core pieces of Platte County’s projected lineup include seniors Nick Baker (shortstop), Dayne Wimberly (right field), Cameron Dean (catcher) and Dylan Zimmerman (left field/pitcher) plus juniors Brayden Carter (pitcher) and Devin Wassmann (center field) and sophomore Dayton Doll (second base). That doesn’t even include all of the seven players who have already committed to continue their career at the collegiate level or all of those who played an impactful role in a 27-8 season that concluded with a 6-1 win over Festus in the state championship game last June.

Platte County’s past two seasons were built nearly from scratch under fourth-year coach John Sipes, who endured a canceled 2020 season due to COVID-19 and then went into 2021 with almost zero experienced players. Last spring, the Pirates featured a nine-player senior class that included left-handed ace Sawyer Allen, No. 2 pitcher and left field Landon Fulk, shortstop Cam Lewis, catcher Jake Knudsen, designated hitter Eli Nelson, reliever Kole Jenks, 2021 all-conference performer Ben Spence and reserves Brett Domann and Kyle Box.

Knudsen, Lewis and Allen all made the Class 5 Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state team after leading Platte County to the first playoff appearance since 2017, just the second state semifinal berth in program history and ultimately the state title.

Even with those pieces gone, Platte County expects to have plenty of options to fill the defense and batting order, while likely relying on Carter to serve as the new left-handed ace with Zimmerman — a Highland (Kansas) Community College signee — and fellow seniors Aidan Norris and Tyler Erickson to take on more innings for the pitching staff.

While the pitching roles shake out, Platte County will rely on an experienced lineup.

A left-handed hitter, Wimberly emerged as the leadoff hitter a year ago and finished with a .338 batting average, .410 on-base percentage and .964 OPS. He compiled 25 hits with five doubles, one triple and three home runs while driving in 20 and scoring 16 runs in addition to strong defense in the corner of the outfield.

Wimberly, a State Fair (Missouri) Community College signee, also walked eight times and stole seven bases. He homered and drove in five runs in a Class 4 District 8 opening round blowout of Kansas City East, and four of his eight hits in the postseason went for extra bases.

Already a third-year starter and another left-handed power bat, Wassmann expects to patrol center field for a second straight year. He ended up with a .421 on-base percentage and slugged .535 with team-highs of eight doubles and four home runs plus 21 RBIs and 29 runs scored.

Platte County’s middle infield will also be experienced and talented.

Moving over from third base, Baker enters off of a breakout junior season with Platte County’s team-high in RBIs and (24) and runs (34). He slashed .341/.435/.538 — good for a .974 OPS. Doll remained in the mix for the shortstop spot but should spend most of his time back at second base after winning that job full time as a freshman. He recorded key extra-base hits in both a Class 5 District 8 championship game win over Smithville and then in a state quarterfinal blowout of Webb City, finishing with a .354 batting average, .449 on-base percentage, six doubles and a team-high three triples.

The rest of Platte County’s potential starting lineup has experience with Dean, senior Dylan Robertson (first base), Schwieder (first base) and Zimmerman starting at points last season, while senior Jordy Hedrick makes a full return from injury.

Robertson and Schneider split time at first base along with Allen when he wasn’t on the mound. Absent for a spell due to a mid-season injury, Robertson — a lanky 6-foot-6 right-hander — played in 17 games and finished the year with a .341 average and three doubles, while Schwieder will be a third-year contributor who hit .306 with a .424 on-base percentage, four doubles, 10 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

Schweider is signed to Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College.

Zimmerman received 26 plate appearances as a junior outfielder with a .211 batting average but .385 on-base percentage. His offensive numbers included six RBIs and 14 runs scored, mostly playing in left field when Fulk was on the mound.

After splitting time at catcher with Knudsen early in the year, Dean ended up in a reserve role as a junior. The Missouri Western signed still played in 23 games with a .256 batting average but a .450 on-base percentage thanks to 13 walks and four hit by pitch at-bats. His 10 hits included a double and a triple to go with an RBI and a run scored.

On defense, Dean committed just one error. He will be a big piece this season after Knudsen’s all-state season that included a team-best .421 batting average and .515 on-base percentage. In all, five of his 24 hits went for extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple and one home run), he added 22 RBIs.

Knudsen went 4-for-8 with two walks, six RBIs and two runs scored in Platte County’s three playoff games and provided key at-bats in both a semifinal comeback win over Fort Zumwalt East and the state title game win.

In addition to Dean, Platte County could utilize junior Tyler Stearns or senior Zach Gaspers — a Baker signee — as No. 2 catchers to maintain a split on time behind the plate in a busy schedule that includes the Creekside Kickoff Tournament and a trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, in the first two weeks.

Platte County also expects Hedrick and junior Brian Chandler to help fill the gaps due to the loss of Lewis, who started all of the past two seasons at shortstop and committed just two errors in 91 chances as a senior. He also batted in the top third of the lineup all season and finished with a team-high 37 hits with a .398 batting average and a .509 OBP — ranking behind only Knudsen in both categories. His 17 stolen bases were tied for the most with Wassmann.

Hedrick recently signed to Butler County (Kansas) Community College but had just two at-bats as a junior after breaking a bone in his ankle during the preseason. The first at-bat of his career resulted in a walk and a run scored in Platte County’s Class 4 District 8 first round blowout of KC East. His next chance came in the sixth inning of the state championship game against Festus, and he delivered a two-out, two-run single to provide some needed cushion in what ended up a 6-1 victory.

While Chandler could be the first-choice starter at third base, Hedrick could see time there plus left field and designated hitter. Chandler had just five plate appearances in 2022 with a single, two walks, three RBIs and three runs scored.

The pitching staff will have many more questions to answer but with talented but mostly unproven options. Allen and Fulk were the top two pitchers each of the past two seasons and combined to throw 80 2/3 innings as seniors.

Allen led Platte County with 12 starts, 43 2/3 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts, compiling a 5-1 record with a 2.73 ERA and team-best 1.01 WHIP. The Rockhurst signee’s senior campaign also included a six-inning perfect game against Winnetonka — believed to be the first in program history — before starting all three playoff games.

In the state semifinal, Allen started but exited with an 0-2 count and two outs in the second against Fort Zumwalt East, limited to 29 pitches to give him the ability to go as long as needed in the place game. The Pirates came back for a 5-3 victory behind Fulk, who recorded 4 2/3 innings of relief. He finished the season with 11 appearances (nine starts) and recorded 42 strikeouts in 33 innings with a 3.61 ERA and 1.273 WHIP, a product of occasional control issues that resulted in 23 walks and 10 hit batters.

In the championship game against Festus, Allen went 3 1/3 innings the next night in the title game with seven strikeouts before exiting in the fourth with a 1-0 lead. He then came back on in relief of Carter and recorded the final two outs — both by strikeout — to finish off the game in a unique twist of re-entry rules.

Carter made key relief appearances in all three playoff games, becoming a key cog only after a spot start that resulted in him shutting down eventual Class 6 state champion Liberty North in a regular season matchup. He ended up throwing 24 1/3 innings in 10 games, only three starts, and recorded the save against both Webb City and Fort Zumwalt East, and his final stats included a tidy 1.44 ERA and .986 WHIP while striking out 20 and only walking five while mixing speeds between an impressive looping curveball and fastball.

While Carter could be in line to serve as Platte County’s No. 1, Sipes will also likely use Norris (four games, one start, 6 1/3 innings, six strikeouts, five walks and a 6.63 ERA as a junior), Zimmerman (10 games, one start, 20 innings 2.10 ERA, 22 strikeouts and seven walks as a junior) and Schwieder (four starts, 15 2/3 innings, 4.02 ERA and 26 strikeouts as a junior). Norris rounds out the seven players to already sign for baseball after inking with Iowa Western Community College.

Erickson was another key reliever for Platte County early in the season, recording a team-high five saves. He appeared in 13 games (20 1/3 innings) with a 1.72 ERA and 13 strikeouts to 12 walks. The Pirates could also utilize Robertson as a pitching option, and freshman Rocco Marriott is a highly regarded 2026 prospect who could see time with a chance to carve out a bigger role.

A high-profile schedule will test Platte County early and often, but a year ago, the Pirates hit their stride late and won 17 of their final 19 — a stretch that also included locking up a share of the Suburban Conference Blue Division title before the memorable state title run. They move up to the White Division this season and will likely compete with Grain Valley for the top spot before chasing more postseason success.

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