Ozark will look to remain on the upswing after the Tigers’ 17 wins last season were the most for the program in four years.
Coach Justin Sundlie welcomes back three full-time starters from last season to his lineup and a pair of pitchers who both logged more than 20 innings a year ago.
All three of Ozark’s returning starters, Cooper Buvid, Brock Sundlie and Brady Dodd, each hit .300-plus last season.
Dodd figures to have much to do with Ozark’s fortunes this spring as a candidate to be the Tigers’ No. 1 pitcher and lead-off hitter. He was a starter at second base and a spot starter and reliever on the mound last year.
Dodd is coming off a .311 season in the batter's box a year ago. On the mound, he made two starts in eight appearances. Over 25.1 innings, he had a 2-1 W-L record with one save and a 2.76 ERA. His 1.30 WHIP was tops among Ozark’s pitchers.
Buvid will handle the Tigers’ catching duties full-time for a second straight season. His junior year saw him turn in a .330 batting mark with a homer and team-high 24 RBIs to earn an All-COC Second-Team selection.
Brock Sundlie will move from left field to center this season. A year ago, he batted .317. He was hit by a pitch six times and walked five times to hike his on-base percentage to .414.
One of the most intriguing stories for Ozark will be Hudson Roberts’ sophomore season. The left-handed hitting Roberts batted .316 in 16 at-bats a year ago.
Roberts gave Arkansas a verbal commitment last summer. He will play right field.
Another newcomer to the outfield is Brock Dodd. He will be in left after missing his junior campaign due to a broken hand.
The left side of the infield has Gage Depee at third base and Andrew Bauer at shortstop.
On the mound last season, Depee worked 24.1 innings while making two starts. He was 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA.
Alex Nimmo will try to make an impact as a utility type. He had his first three varsity hits in six at-bats as a sophomore last season and ripped a double off the left-field wall at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark’s jamboree.
The Tigers will be looking for more power sources, after having a .376 slugging percentage a year ago. Of Ozark’s 237 hits last season, 197 were singles and only four were home runs.
The Tigers started last season by winning their first four games and were 11-4 while winning their first two COC contests. Ozark was 7-2 at home, after enduring losing records at home in both 2021 and 2019.
New to the Tigers’ schedule will be trips to Glendale’s Red & Blue Classic and the Columbia Festival.
Ozark will open its season at home Wednesday versus Kickapoo.
