Highland 16U Bulldogs finish summer season on an up note
The 2020 summer baseball season started late for the Highland 16U Bulldogs this summer and was abbreviated thanks to the challenges of scheduling with no Legion games during COVID-19.
When the dust settled and the season wrapped up on July 29, Highland coach Jed Eggering said he felt like his team was definitely trending upward and in the right direction. Highland finished its abbreviated season at 8-7-1.
“All things considered, considering the boys didn’t have a spring (to prepare), I feel like they did pretty well,” Eggering said. “Every game we came out and we did our best and there were some nights we didn’t have it, but overall I’m pretty proud of the boys. Skipping an entire season and trying to pick up where you left off is pretty hard to do.”
Swinging the bat, Highland had two strong contributors who helped them produce runs as well as get on base — Blaine Kapp and Luke Darling.
Both Kapp and Darling pounded the ball consistently, each hitting over .480 for the season.
“Blaine Kapp was a big standout every game and was one-upping himself from each previous game,” Eggering said. “Luke Darling was consistent all year.”
Other top hitters for the Bulldogs lineup included Bryce Knackstedt and Will Trame.
“Pretty much everybody near the end of the season was starting to find their swing, but it’s real hard to do that when you only have a 15-game summer season without having that spring,” Eggering said.
Pitching, meanwhile, was an effort by committee this summer.
“Pitching (for us) was just anybody who we needed to work (a game),” Eggering said.
Brady Knackstedt, Mason Barnes, Bryce Knackstedt, Trame, and reliever Steven Jack all contributed quality innings to the Highland rotation.
Jack was particularly strong in relief as he gave up no earned runs and pitched the Bulldogs out of several tough spots this season.
“He (Jack) was nails for us when wee needed him,” Eggering said.
On the infield, Kapp at second base and Darling at third base anchored the Bulldogs.
In the outfield, the Bulldogs had several players that stood out as Tyler Griebaum held down left field and Jacob Noll worked in centerfield. Hudson Wiegman, Brady Knackstedt, and Zach Wilken also saw significant innings in the outfield, giving the Bulldogs plenty of depth there.
“Our outfield was solid and we had a slew of people out in the outfield,” Eggering said. “Our outfield was really good this year.”
Bulldogs start to gel midway through
Eggering said he felt the team finally began to click just after the halfway point of the season in early July.
The Bulldogs finished the campaign on a high note when they split a doubleheader at home at P.I.C. Park in Pierron against Jerseyville. After dropping the first game of the night 9-5, Highland came back and held on for an 11-8 victory to close the season on a winning note.
“We lost the first game pretty handily, but the second game we put our heads down and just went out there and got the job done,” Eggering said. “I was proud of them after that second game.”
A glimpse into the future
Next season looks bright for the 16U Bulldogs as only Trame and Darling depart. Trame will be moving to Trenton and Darling is looking at playing travel ball for the Collinsville Extreme next summer.
“Luke Darling and Will are the only two that we are losing and I think we have everybody else coming back,” Eggering said. ”We’re going to be pretty set. I think as long as the boys have the spring season, they’ll come out ready to play and we’ll win a bunch of games.”
As American Legion baseball is expected to return next summer, Highland’s 16U club will have a 30-plus game schedule.