Jays working for deeper postseason run

By Phil Cobb | March 23, 2015 |

STEVE HARTMAN/DAILY FORUM
The 2015 Northeast Nodaway baseball team roster includes: front row, from left — Rowdy West, Kacey Adwell, Eli Scroggie, Andrew Freemyer, Dalton Auffert and head coach Vance Proffitt; second — Brayden Welch, Max Giesken, Garet Jackson, Andrew Faustlin and Austin Jones. Not pictured — Dylan Mildfelt.

Editor’s note: The Daily Forum will be previewing every high school and college team in Nodaway County as the spring sports season approaches. This is an installment in a series that will be published over the course of the next several weeks.

After signing with North Central Missouri College in early February, Northeast Nodaway baseball senior Andrew Faustlin mentioned his ultimate goal for his final high school season: a trip to the state tournament.

Faustlin isn’t the only member of the Bluejays with high ambitions for 2015. With a roster dotted by experienced upperclassmen, head coach Vance Proffitt voiced the goal for Northeast Nodaway as a whole.

“This year’s team really wants to make a deeper run into districts and the playoffs,” Proffitt said. “We want to defend our conference championship and compete with the bigger schools on our schedule.”

The Bluejays posted a 10-7 record a year ago, including a league record of 4-0, to take the Northwest Missouri Baseball Conference title. They did it largely on the back of their future college pitcher, Faustlin, alongside sophomore first baseman Rowdy West and junior second baseman Max Giesken — all three of whom were first team All-Conference and All-District selections.

Faustlin led the offense with a .500 average while driving in a team-high 24 runs. His 6-1 record on the mound, coupled with a 3.66 ERA and 76 strikeouts, also helped propel the Northwest Missouri Baseball Conference champions. West hit .479 with 19 RBI, while Giesken put together a .489 average and had 12 RBI.

Proffitt also mentioned senior shortstop Garet Jackson — a 2014 first team All-Conference selection — senior center fielder Austin Jones and sophomore pitcher Andrew Freemyer as keys to protecting last year’s league title, which Northeast Nodaway’s skipper said his team is “excited” to do.

“(Assistant coach Cody) Green and myself are really excited to be able to take this experienced team to a new level,” Proffitt said. “We want them to really push themselves and experience what winning is all about.

“Being now a round robin conference format will make the conference that much tougher this year.”

The Bluejays will, however, have to fill in for graduated first team All-Conference catcher Shaun Burns.

First on the schedule for Northeast Nodaway is a 4:30 p.m. first pitch slated for Monday, March 23 against Mid-Buchanan in Ravenwood followed by a 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24 matchup with East Atchison, also in Ravenwood.