Many of the MAAA Baseball teams are having a surging start to the 2024 baseball season. Specifically, the Farmington Knights, Fredericktown Blackcats, and Valle Catholic Warriors.
Farmington, under new head coach Logan Winder, has started the season off 8-2 with wins over Class 5 opponents Cape Central and St. Mary’s, and Class 6 opponents Jackson and Fox.
The Knights just had an eight-game win streak snapped by Class 5, District 1 rival Hillsboro 16-7 on Thursday, but still hold a positive run differential of +29 (73-44).
“We have pitched it particularly well limiting free bases by throwing strikes,” Winder said of the positive start to the season. “We have also done a great job of manufacturing runs.”
Cooper Tripp is batting .531 with 17 hits and 18 RBI, while Aiden Redmond is getting it done on the mound for the Knights going 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA.
“The goals for this team are to set the standard for the future of the program," Winder says. "This goes back to the culture of unity, leadership, toughness, resilience, and attitdute. We've done a great job of this so far and we look to continue to improve on it every day.”
Farmington travels to Pacific for a doubleheader on Saturday and return home to host Van Buren on Monday starting a busy week. The Knights will play six games in seven days.
The Fredericktown Blackcats are entering this season after finishing 2023 with a .500 record (11-11). The Cats have partnered with Marquand-Zion this year bringing over Brayden Homan.
Fredericktown is a perfect 5-0 and have outscored opponents 63-3. They will get their toughest counterpart of the season Monday playing on the road at Hillsboro who just beat the Farmington Knights.
The Valle Catholic Warriors look like the top team to beat in the MAAA Small School Conference outscoring opponents with ease 70-12 through a perfect 9-0 start.
The Warriors are 9-0, ranked in the top 5 in Class 3, and have already beaten the Class 5 Defending Champion Festus Tigers 10-0.
Grant Fallert is 3-0 on the hill for Valle. He, Alex and Isaac Viox, Tyler Gegg, and just about anyone in the Warrior lineup have contributed to a potent Valle Catholic offense. Valle faces the St. Louis Patriors on Tuesday.