Solid Pitching and Defense Are Keys To Team's Success
Varsity Baseball Season Preview with comments from Head Coach Brent Landrum
“This team is deeper on pitching than it has been in years (180.2 IP return plus the addition of Godwin and Rowley.) The defense should be solid again (.935 team fielding percentage in 2016) this season. The line-up is as deep as it has been since 2008. I expect us to struggle early at the plate and then turn it on as we head to Florida. This group is very dedicated to baseball and they get along very well. With a deep pitching staff, deep hitting line-up, and solid defense, this team will be fun to coach. I am excited for the season to start.”–Coach Brent Landrum
The 2017 John Cooper Varsity Baseball Team looks to duplicate or even improve upon last year’s 20-14 (first Cooper team to win 20 games since the 2008 season) record and 3-4 finish in the S.P.C. South zone. The team qualified for the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships. They finished in a tie for the fourth seed, but due to tie-breaker rules, they entered the tournament as the sixth seed. The team lost in the first round to Fort Worth Country Day. This year’s goal is to make a deep run in the SPC tournament.
Players To Watch The team returns 10 team members, eight of which lettered, and six position starters as well as four starting pitchers. The team lost only four seniors. Returning lettermen are seniors Jonathan Beaty, Bobby Finnie, A.J. Krehbiel, Emerson Raybon, junior Jaeden Camstra, and sophomores Logan Leax, Evan Minarovic, and Braden Sebesta. Returning team members are seniors Trent Burgess and Brian Kanady.
New to the varsity team are juniors Ryan Reid and Jackson Rowley as well as sophomore transfers Evan Godwin and Jonathan Spangler-Sakata.
Offense 2016 team MVP Finnie (.300, 0 HR, 21 RBI) led the team offensively last year as the team’s only .300 hitter. Beaty (.259, 0, 21), Krehbiel (.227, 0, 12), and Raybon (.236, 1, 14, and .400 in SPC play) look to improve offensively this season. Burgess will provide depth at the plate and speed on the bases. Reid hopes to make the transition from 2016 JV MVP to varsity contributor a smooth one.
Leax (.266, 0, 15 RBI and 19 stolen bases) and Minarovic (.278, 0, 9) look to continue to improve at the plate as well as provide speed on the base paths. Sebesta (.278, 0, 3) will be relied on mostly as a pitcher but he will provide depth to a deep batting line-up. Godwin and Spangler-Sakata will bat in the heart of the order and hope to provide power to the line-up.
Defense The strength of the 2017 team will be its pitching and defense. Finnie (2-4, 50.1 IP, 1.94 ERA) looks to return from an injury to lead the staff as SPC play rolls around. Godwin will be the team’s ace as we start the season. Godwin is currently committed to Texas Tech University. Camstra (3-1, 42 IP, 4.83 ERA) will move up in the rotation after an impressive sophomore campaign. Minarovic (5-2, 36.2 IP, 3.81 ERA) and Sebesta (5-5, 49.2 IP, and 2.67 ERA) round out what should be a much-improved starting rotation. Kanady and Rowley will provide critical relief pitching and spot start duty.
Raybon returns as the starting catcher for the third straight season and he will be backed up by Spangler-Sakata. Krehbiel and Godwin will man first base, Beaty will handle second base, and Spangler-Sakata and Sebesta will share time at third base. Minarovic will be the starting shortstop. The outfield will be led by Leax and Finnie, as well as Burgess and Reid. Godwin and Rowley will spend some time in the outfield as well.
Coaching Team The team is coached by Brent Landrum, who enters his 13th season at the helm with a 213-171-6 record at Cooper and overall. Steve Hon returns for his 14th season as varsity baseball assistant coach. Pitching coach Mike Williams returns for his sixth year with the Dragons.
The Competition The team will participate in the SPC South Zone this year with six other teams from Houston and Austin. The usually tough Houston teams of Episcopal (11 time SPC champion), Kinkaid (four time SPC champion), Houston Christian (2014 SPC champion), and St. John’s (two time SPC champ) will be good again this year. Austin St. Andrew’s looks to improve upon their 5th seed qualification in the SPC tournament. Austin St. Stephen’s is always in the mix and they are very well coached.
For Cooper to make post season play (playoffs) in Dallas, they need to finish in the top six of the SPC South Zone.
The Dragons again play a very tough non-conference schedule with games against St. Thomas, St. Pius X, Second Baptist, Concordia Lutheran, Northland Christian, Cypress Christian, Stafford, and the always tough competition in Florida over Spring Break.
Spring Break The team will again travel to Florida this year over Spring Break and they are returning to Vero Beach to play at the former spring training home of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers trained in Vero Beach for 61 seasons before moving to Arizona. Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax, among other many great Dodger players have trained at the same location where the Dragons will play this March. This will be the seventh year the Dragons have played in Vero Beach after going to Cocoa Beach for six seasons.
Tournaments The Dragons host two tournaments this season. The first (February 16-18) is a five-team tournament played at Cooper and the second (February 23-25) is an eight-team tournament played at Cooper.
The Dragons are playing in the St. Thomas/St. Pius X tournament this year for the third time (March 9-11). They play Cypress Christian, SPC South Zone foe St. John’s, and TAPPS-power, St. Thomas.
2016 Team Accomplishments
Season Record: 20-14
S.P.C. Record: 3-4 in South Zone play
Qualified for SPC playoff championship tournament, tied for 4th seed in South Zone
Tied for 9th place in SPC playoff championship tournament
Third place-John Cooper School Tournament
Third place-John Cooper School Round Robin Tournament – Cooper pool
4-1 record at Historic Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida
Set team record for innings pitched in a season (227.1)
2016 Individual Accomplishments
Bobby Finnie ’17: All-SPC, All-South Zone, All-Tournament Cooper Tournament, All-Tournament Cooper Round Robin Tournament, Team MVP
Emerson Raybon ’17: All-South Zone, Honorable Mention All-SPC, All-Tournament Cooper Tournament, All-Tournament Cooper Round Robin Tournament
Jonathan Beaty ’17: Honorable Mention All-South Zone
Logan Leax ’19: Honorable Mention All-South Zone
Evan Minarovic ’19: Defensive Player of the Year
Braden Sebesta ’19: Pitcher of the Year
A.J. Krehbiel ’17: Dragon Award
The 2017 John Cooper Varsity Baseball Team looks to duplicate or even improve upon last year’s 20-14 (first Cooper team to win 20 games since the 2008 season) record and 3-4 finish in the S.P.C. South zone. The team qualified for the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships. They finished in a tie for the fourth seed, but due to tie-breaker rules, they entered the tournament as the sixth seed. The team lost in the first round to Fort Worth Country Day. This year’s goal is to make a deep run in the SPC tournament.
Players To Watch The team returns 10 team members, eight of which lettered, and six position starters as well as four starting pitchers. The team lost only four seniors. Returning lettermen are seniors Jonathan Beaty, Bobby Finnie, A.J. Krehbiel, Emerson Raybon, junior Jaeden Camstra, and sophomores Logan Leax, Evan Minarovic, and Braden Sebesta. Returning team members are seniors Trent Burgess and Brian Kanady.
New to the varsity team are juniors Ryan Reid and Jackson Rowley as well as sophomore transfers Evan Godwin and Jonathan Spangler-Sakata.
Offense 2016 team MVP Finnie (.300, 0 HR, 21 RBI) led the team offensively last year as the team’s only .300 hitter. Beaty (.259, 0, 21), Krehbiel (.227, 0, 12), and Raybon (.236, 1, 14, and .400 in SPC play) look to improve offensively this season. Burgess will provide depth at the plate and speed on the bases. Reid hopes to make the transition from 2016 JV MVP to varsity contributor a smooth one.
Leax (.266, 0, 15 RBI and 19 stolen bases) and Minarovic (.278, 0, 9) look to continue to improve at the plate as well as provide speed on the base paths. Sebesta (.278, 0, 3) will be relied on mostly as a pitcher but he will provide depth to a deep batting line-up. Godwin and Spangler-Sakata will bat in the heart of the order and hope to provide power to the line-up.
Defense The strength of the 2017 team will be its pitching and defense. Finnie (2-4, 50.1 IP, 1.94 ERA) looks to return from an injury to lead the staff as SPC play rolls around. Godwin will be the team’s ace as we start the season. Godwin is currently committed to Texas Tech University. Camstra (3-1, 42 IP, 4.83 ERA) will move up in the rotation after an impressive sophomore campaign. Minarovic (5-2, 36.2 IP, 3.81 ERA) and Sebesta (5-5, 49.2 IP, and 2.67 ERA) round out what should be a much-improved starting rotation. Kanady and Rowley will provide critical relief pitching and spot start duty.
Raybon returns as the starting catcher for the third straight season and he will be backed up by Spangler-Sakata. Krehbiel and Godwin will man first base, Beaty will handle second base, and Spangler-Sakata and Sebesta will share time at third base. Minarovic will be the starting shortstop. The outfield will be led by Leax and Finnie, as well as Burgess and Reid. Godwin and Rowley will spend some time in the outfield as well.
Coaching Team The team is coached by Brent Landrum, who enters his 13th season at the helm with a 213-171-6 record at Cooper and overall. Steve Hon returns for his 14th season as varsity baseball assistant coach. Pitching coach Mike Williams returns for his sixth year with the Dragons.
The Competition The team will participate in the SPC South Zone this year with six other teams from Houston and Austin. The usually tough Houston teams of Episcopal (11 time SPC champion), Kinkaid (four time SPC champion), Houston Christian (2014 SPC champion), and St. John’s (two time SPC champ) will be good again this year. Austin St. Andrew’s looks to improve upon their 5th seed qualification in the SPC tournament. Austin St. Stephen’s is always in the mix and they are very well coached.
For Cooper to make post season play (playoffs) in Dallas, they need to finish in the top six of the SPC South Zone.
The Dragons again play a very tough non-conference schedule with games against St. Thomas, St. Pius X, Second Baptist, Concordia Lutheran, Northland Christian, Cypress Christian, Stafford, and the always tough competition in Florida over Spring Break.
Spring Break The team will again travel to Florida this year over Spring Break and they are returning to Vero Beach to play at the former spring training home of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers trained in Vero Beach for 61 seasons before moving to Arizona. Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax, among other many great Dodger players have trained at the same location where the Dragons will play this March. This will be the seventh year the Dragons have played in Vero Beach after going to Cocoa Beach for six seasons.
Tournaments The Dragons host two tournaments this season. The first (February 16-18) is a five-team tournament played at Cooper and the second (February 23-25) is an eight-team tournament played at Cooper.
The Dragons are playing in the St. Thomas/St. Pius X tournament this year for the third time (March 9-11). They play Cypress Christian, SPC South Zone foe St. John’s, and TAPPS-power, St. Thomas.
2016 Team Accomplishments
Season Record: 20-14
S.P.C. Record: 3-4 in South Zone play
Qualified for SPC playoff championship tournament, tied for 4th seed in South Zone
Tied for 9th place in SPC playoff championship tournament
Third place-John Cooper School Tournament
Third place-John Cooper School Round Robin Tournament – Cooper pool
4-1 record at Historic Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida
Set team record for innings pitched in a season (227.1)
2016 Individual Accomplishments
Bobby Finnie ’17: All-SPC, All-South Zone, All-Tournament Cooper Tournament, All-Tournament Cooper Round Robin Tournament, Team MVP
Emerson Raybon ’17: All-South Zone, Honorable Mention All-SPC, All-Tournament Cooper Tournament, All-Tournament Cooper Round Robin Tournament
Jonathan Beaty ’17: Honorable Mention All-South Zone
Logan Leax ’19: Honorable Mention All-South Zone
Evan Minarovic ’19: Defensive Player of the Year
Braden Sebesta ’19: Pitcher of the Year
A.J. Krehbiel ’17: Dragon Award
–2/22/17
The John Cooper School
From Curiosity to Wisdom
The John Cooper School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school. Our mission is to provide a challenging education in a caring environment to a diverse group of select students, enabling them to become critical and creative thinkers, effective communicators, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifelong learners.
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The John Cooper School seeks to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff, and student body. The School does not discriminate against any individual in admissions, educational programs, personnel policies, general practices, or employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, or age.
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