Surging South Callaway poised

to start defense of state crown

South Callaway's Kaden Helsel drills a single up the middle during last year's Class 3 state championship game against Valley Park in O'Fallon.

May 13, 2018

MOKANE, Mo. --- The South Callaway Bulldogs have a baseball roster stacked with more experience than an old pair of shoes.

Players with hundreds and hundreds of games growing up, tournaments filling every weekend from April through June, starting at age 7 or 8.

They've played more games than a politician.
In addition, they also have state-championship experience --- the Bulldogs, not the politician.

That might help explain why the defending champs --- who lost only one player from last year's team --- have lost eight games this season, and why they're only ranked No. 7 in the state.

Cruise control? Maybe.

No. 7? We'll see about that.

"Every year has its unique challenges," Bulldogs head coach Heath Lepper. "This year, no matter how much you try to avoid that complacency or whatever you want to call it, it's still going to creep in a little bit.

"We talked about it last year with us returning a lot of our key players (from the team that went to the Final Four in 2016), and we've talked about it this year."

Well, something happened to this team after beating Fulton 4-1 last week to end the regular season at 19-8.

"At practice the next day," Lepper said, "there was definitely a different demeanor. Everything they did had a little more purpose to it, there was a little more attention to detail.

"I don't know if you'd say the switch has been flipped, but they know from here on out it's win or go home. It's not like we were wasting our time or spinning our wheels (in the regular season), but they know from here on out, it's about one thing."

Lepper continued.

"I think their mentality towards the season was as good as it could be," he said. "I think that comes from our experience, and I think that's where we might have an advantage.

"Because we have been there and we have done that."

There are others reasons the loss-total went up this season --- like Staley, Columbia Hickman, Jefferson City and Battle.

"We toughened up the schedule," Lepper said, "that was kind of a necessity."

Those four teams are all in Class 5. The Bulldogs have lost only one game in two years to a Class 3 team, that coming to Fatima last year.

Maybe the switch was flipped in practice last week, but that might have been the second switch flipped this season. Since going 1-4 in the Columbia Tournament in mid-April, and with the Bulldogs meandering along at 10-7, they've gone 9-1 since.

"We took a lot out of that Columbia Tournament. I mean, a lot," Lepper said. "We realized real quick that if you don't put together seven good innings against a quality opponent, they're going to jump up and kick your teeth in. And that's what happened to us.

"But that's why we got in that tournament, to see those kind of teams. We wanted to simulate what we're going to see from here on out, when it's win or go home."

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WIN OR GO HOME STARTS MONDAY for the Bulldogs, when top-seeded South Callaway meets No. 4 seed Hermann (14-10) in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 9 Tournament at 5 p.m. in Mokane.

There's no secret to the Bulldogs' success --- good coaches, really good players, and really really good pitching.

While finishing 28-5 last season, the Bulldogs down the stretch --- in the quarterfinals, semifinals and state championship game --- allowed one run.

Total.

In three games.

Against the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 ranked teams in the state.

Grayson Peneston --- the lone player who graduated --- won two of those games, but the staff's ace --- senior Kaden Helsel, is back. Helsel has had a remarkable career with 31 career wins, a total that's simply staggering in high school.

"He made an impact as soon as he stepped onto the field as a freshman," Lepper said. "The numbers he's sustained for four years --- and against some of the competition he's pitched against --- says a lot about his work ethic.

"He works his tail off in the weight room, he works his tail off on the field, and he's a great competitor. When you've got guys like that, who are out in front of your underclassmen and your team leaders, you've got guys who want to emulate that work ethic, it tends to breed success.

"You love having those guys in the program ... they don't come around very often."

Kelsel, who's signed with Drury, is 6-2 this season with a sparkling 1.30 ERA. He's backed up by another one of those guys and Ace-1A, junior Peyton Leeper, who's 6-2 with a 1.40 ERA.

"Both of those guys," Lepper said, "have the it factor. They've been our workhorses, but they both bring something different to the team. Peyton's offensive numbers are special, just like Kaden's pitching numbers are special."

Both are quite good at both.

At the plate, however, Leeper has slowpitch-softball type numbers --- .458 average, a silly .889 slugging percentage, with five home runs, 23 RBI, 38 stolen bases and 30 runs scored. Helsel is at .353 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 18 stolen bases and 37 runs scored.

Senior Dylan Lepper, son of the coach, is also a dual threat --- 4-1 with a 1.90 ERA, and .320 with 19 RBI and 19 runs scored --- as is senior Landon Horstman --- 3-1 with a 4.00 ERA, and .273 with 16 RBI and 20 runs.

Junior Drake Davidson is hitting .315 with 26 RBI and 20 runs, and junior Tyklen Salmons is at .321 with 19 RBI.

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AFTER WINNING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2012, South Callaway didn't get out of its district the next two years.

Then came the next wave of success --- state quarterfinals in 2015, Final Four and fourth-place finish in 2016, state champions last year.

"It was a culmination of the kids getting better every year, for three or four years," Lepper said. "You get goose bumps when those kids reach their goals."

Well then, they've already experienced some goose bumps this season, as they won the Show-Me Conference championship with a 7-0 record after sharing the crown two of the last three years.

"That was one of the seniors' goals, they didn't want to share it with anybody," Lepper said. "They wanted it all to themselves.

"As many games as they've played --- and we've talked about the process --- our kids' baseball IQ is extremely high. I'm not going to say they got bored this year, but they knew there were only a handful of games that really meant something. Like conference games."

The biggest goal remains.

"It's easier to win it one time than it is to win it twice," Lepper said. "So they've set that mark --- how special would it be to win it again? That's a tall order, that's monstrous, but that's the culture they've kind of created.

"They set their goals pretty lofty and then they go out there and work their tails off to get it."

No. 7? We'll see about that.

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