Prep Baseball Report

2015 Team Preview: Fulton Hornets



Shon Plack and Jeff Viles
Prep Baseball Report-Missouri

As we prepare for the upcoming 2015 high school season, we will be taking a preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.

Team: Fulton
Nickname: Hornets
Class: 4A
League: North Central Missouri
Head Coach: Darren Masek
Twitter Handle: NA
2014 Overall Record: 13-11
2014 League Record: 6-6
2014 Post-Season Finish: Lost in District Semifinals to Mexico

Number of Position Players Lost: 4
Number of Pitchers Lost: 2
Number of Returning Starters/Position Players: 5
Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 1

TOP RETURNERS (Commit)
Trenton Clines, 3B/OF, 2016
Alec Fleetwood, OF, 2017
Luke Gray, RHP/3B, 2017
Devin Masek, 2B/SS, 2017
Taylor Nelson, OF/LHP, 2017
Isaiah Pani, C, 2017
Tristan Steffens, 2B/3B, 2016
Blake Thompson, RHP, 2015
Cameron Vititoe, 3B, 2017

OUTLOOK
The Hornets will rely heavily on their sophomore class in 2015 with only one senior and three juniors returning from last years team.  Although Fulton will be young, many of the players on the roster have varsity experience.  5-foot-11 190-pound sophomore catcher Isaiah Pani will lead the way for the Hornets.  Pani has a 2.03 pop behind the plate and shows some power with the bat having an 84 mph exit velo.  The will have two underclassmen on the infield to keep on eye on.  Junior 2B/3B Tristan Steffens posted a .325 batting average with a .429 slugging percentage a year ago, while 2B/SS Devin Masek finished with a .458 batting average.  Senior RHP Blake Thompson will be the lone returner on the pitching staff.  Last season, Thompson was 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 28 innings pitched.  Although the Hornets have many sophomores and juniors in their starting line-up, many have played at the varsity level.  Fulton must get past #6 Mexico in districts to get into the state tournament. With the number of underclass starters, the Hornets will be a team to watch for the next couple of years. 

CLICK HERE, to see the MHSBCA Rankings
CLICK HERE, to see the entire list of 2015 Missouri Team Previews

Coaches Preseason Questionnaire

We appreciate all of the help provided by high school coaches across the state assisting with our preseason coverage. If you have not already done so you can fill out our coaches' preseason questionnaire online by CLICKING HERE.

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