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#14 - Team Preview Francis Howell Vikings

December 19, 2017
Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director

Coming in at number fourteen on our countdown of the most viewed Missouri stories of 2017 is the Francis Howell Vikings Team Preview.

The Vikings finished the season at 17-16-1, ending the season with a 3-2 loss in the District Championship game.  Here is a look at Francis Howell's Team Preview that ran on January 6.

#14 - Team Preview Francis Howell Vikings

Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director

As  we  prepare  for  the  upcoming  2017  high  school  season,  we  will  be  taking  a
preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.

Team: Francis Howell HS
Nickname: Vikings
Class: Class 5
Conference: GAC South
Head Coach: Tony Perkins
Years as head coach at school: 23 Years
Twitter Handle: @howell_baseball
2016 Overall Record: 29-11
2016 Conference Finish: 8-2
2016 Post­ Season Finish: Missouri Class 5 State Champions
Team Website: http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/fhbb/
2017 Preseason Rank: #7

Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 2
Number of Returning Starters/Position Players: 2

Players to Watch
Kyle Grantham, First Team All-State, Louisville Slugger All-American
McGwire Dean, Honorable Mention All-State

NEWCOMERS
Joe Faron, OF, 2018

X-Factor
Zach Hunsicker, RHP/1B, 2018

Season Outlook
Francis Howell is coming of a big 2016 season that saw four players sign a NCAA D1 National Letter of Intent and win a Missouri Class 5 State Championship. Head coach, Tony Perkins, took home National Coach of Year honors and in 2017 he will look to lead the Vikings to their fifth state title in his 23 year tenure at Howell.  The Vikings will have two seniors with experience from last years team that were selected to the All-State Team.  OF Kyle Grantham was named Louisville Slugger All-American to go along with his First Team All-State accolades, and SS/RHP McGwire Dean received Honorable Mention All-State honors after hitting .340 with 22 RBI as a junior.  Howell look to junior RHP Zack Hunsicker to fill the role at the top of the starting rotation.  Hunsicker represented Missouri at the PBR Future Games last August.  And, look for junior OF/RHP Joe Faron to have an increased role this spring.  The Vikings are strangers to the post season and will look to defend their 2016 state title this spring.

CLICK HERE, For more Missouri 2017 Team Previews

For MOre Top Missouri Stories of 2017