FH Baseball History

This is always an ongoing search for highlights of our program.

History

The first ever baseball program was created at Francis Howell High School. They used the area where the present tennis courts are as their practice area. Before this the boys participated in fast pitch softball as their varsity sport. Bill Burnett was the first ever head coach at Francis Howell. Grant Scharnhorst Jr. hurled the first no hitter in schools history that year, he was a junior.

This was the first appearance of a team in a State Championship as the Vikings made it that year. They were led by 3 year lead off hitter Jerry Burbes. Buck Hachmann was the left handed ace of the team. There were no classes in the state of Missouri at this time as all teams competed for the single state championship that was awarded. After Buck graduated in 1964 he competed at Southeast Missouri State where he was MVP in '66 and '68. He had offers professionally but was drafted into the army and was unable to play ball again. Both Jerry and Buck are member of our Hall of Fame

Roger Banze was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates right out of High School. He went on to pitch against Nolan Ryan in the minors. Word has it the big league guys were there to watch him and not Nolan. Roger experienced arm problems and was not able to make the big step. Coach Burbes believes that Roger Banze was a guy that hit triple digits as he can attest to from catching him during the off season.

This was the first year for the Gateway Athletic Conference and the Vikings were conference champions. Hall of Famer, Tim Morgan graduates this year. He finished his season with a .74 era. He threw 2 no hitters that year as well as 2 1 hitters. He continued his playing days at Central Missouri State. Coach Burbes had this to say about Tim: "He will never be replaced-someone will be out on the mound, but his skill and leadership will never be replaced. Tim related a story about Coach Burbes driving the team bus to away games and cutting a corner a little too sharp and breaking the side view mirror. We are glad he stuck with coaching instead of bus driving.

Hall of famer Mike Stevener relates an interesting story. He remembers when he was a senior this year and they were playing Columbia Hickman in a double header. The Vikings usually played the Kewpies on a Saturday but this particular double dip was on a Tuesday or Wednesday. It was the 12th inning and the score was tied with Mike up to bat. So far during the game, Mike held the collar going 0 fer so far. Coach Burbes was coaching 3rd base and Mike stepped out to get his signals. Coach Burbes said, "Loose one Hog". The next pitch "Hog" hit probably was one of the longest balls he had ever hit for a home run. They won that game and continued their success that day by sweeping the double header.

The Vikings repeat as District Champs and are again one win away from the Final Four as Mehlville defeated them 2-1.

Francis Howell Hall of Famer Paul James graduates this year after a stellar career. Paul was an exceptional athlete that excelled not only in baseball at the shortstop and pitching position, but was also the starting quarterback on the football team. He continues his collegiate career at Meramec Junior College and the University of Missouri before he is drafted by the Texas Rangers. He spent 3 years in this organization.

The second final four appearance for the Vikings was led by head coach Terry Kasper. They finished 2nd in state that year. Chris Harrison had a great year offensively and on the bases. Chris still holds the single season stolen base record of 29, he also has the career record of 44. Chris also set the record for runs scored with 35. Darin Cissell and Chad Thorpe had their first of 2 appearances in Final Fours. Danny Johnson and Brian Burbes were the pitching leaders and they were handled by catcher Chris Daley. Brian Burbes picked up the win in the semi-final game. Garret Huster was a stud at first base. They were also GAC Champs.

Ben Walker was a sophomore that year. Sean Lewis hit a dramatic home run (his first of his career), to help win the districts. Ben was so excited to congratulate Sean that he tripped on a bat running to home plate to greet Sean and broke his ankle.

Jeff Fincham sets the single season sacrifices record with 10. He was a player that got everything out of what he had and sure led by example with just his work ethic. Johnson, Burbes, and Daly head to Rend Lake.

This year was the second final four for Terry Kasper and the Vikings finished 3rd in state. Darin Cissell and Chad Thorpe again led the way for Francis Howell offensively. Ben Walker, Craig Burbes and Zac Schiller were the stalwarts on the mound.

Cissell heads to Meramec then to SLU where he was drafted. He spent a couple of years in the San Francisco Giants organization. Thorpe goes to Central Arizona and then to Meramec JUCO. Ben Walker heads to SMS and then to play professionally in France.

Then sophomore Ryan Edwards, had this interesting story to tell about the Final Four that year. Coach Kasper came up to Ryan and told him that he was going to pitch the second game of the Final Four. He thought it was a joke until he looked left and saw Assistant Coach Perkins, grinning from ear to ear. When he realized that this true he said that he just knew that he was going to throw up. He ended up doing all right, as the Vikings won the 3rd place game. Ryan said that the bottle of Tums sure helped him get through that game.

After winning conference in coach Tony Perkins' first year at the helm, the Vikings made a run at the state championship again making it to the Quarterfinals where they were defeated by Joplin. Ray Howard was hired as the assistant coach. Brian Jundt was the shortstop. Ryan Edwards was the ace of the staff and had a perfect game verses Wentzville in the regular season which the Vikings won 1-0. Craig Burbes had an exceptional year on the mound. John 'Spank' Szepanski finished his 3 year reign at 1st base. He wore out a lot of defenders during his stretch. Spank played at Meramec JUCO.

Ryan Edwards graduates with a school record era of .88. Ryan was also first team all conference, all metro, and all state. He was also selected and pitched in the MHSBCA Senior All Star game. The pitching staff allowed a school record of runs allowed at 63. Of those 63 only a record 36 of them were earned. The team era was 1.50.

This was a record breaking year that the Vikings won 22 games. they also had a record 249 runs scored. Francis Howell again made it to the final four where the finished second to Fort Osage who were lead by shortstop Albert Pujols. Cleat Davis was the staff ace and pitched 9 innings in the semi final game against SLU where Howell won in the bottom of the 9th as Kyle Jundt scored on a passed ball. B.J. Brinkmeier had a good season on the mound. Nick Wilfong was the offensive leader of the team but missed the last 4 games of the season due to an injury. He was only able to pinch run in the Sectional game and beyond. Jimmy Schroeder hit a 2 run home run verses Jefferson City in the bottom of the 7th to win the sectional game by one run.

Nick Wilfong ends his career with a .444 average. He also tied the record for runs scored with 35. He set the single season Doubles record with 13. Wilfong was also first team all conference, all metro, and all state. Nick headed to Mizzou where he was drafted after his junior year and spent 2 years in the San Francisco Giants minor league system.

Kyle Jundt set the season at bat record with 115. Mike Land set the record for being hit by pitch with 11. Cleat Davis set the single season record with 105 strike outs and 161 career K's, while earning first team all conference, all metro, and all state. He also set the record for single season career complete games at 7 and career complete games at 12. The pitching staff had a school record of 247 K's on the year. This year set records for hits 304, doubles 62, walks 120, hit by pitch 32, and stolen bases with 143.

Coach Perkins is selected as the St. Louis Metropolitan Coach of the Year as well as the Major League Scouting Bureau coach of the year.

This was the last appearance for the Vikings in the final four as to date. They finished 4th in state that year. 6 sophomores were in the lineup for their run that year led by Josh Kohrs and Steve Eberhardt. Brett Schaefer tied the record for runs scored with 35.

Tony Sargent sets the record for single season assists at 71. Ryan Trantham set the single season record at 224. Matt Riffee graduated with the career hit by pitch record.

Coach Perkins is selected by his fellow coaches as the GAC coach of the year. He also was a clinician at the annual MHSBCA clinic where he spoke about the program's try out procedures.

Greg Rodgers ties the school record for doubles at 13 as a freshman. GAC Champs. A school record of 26 runs were scored against Zumwalt North. We won that game. The team had the best batting average at .347. Kevin Sahrmann ends his career with the most victories ever in winning 16. Todd Kaplan is academically ineligible as a junior and makes the team as a senior and has a great year. He ended up playing at St. Charles JUCO and Lindenwood.

Josh Kohrs and Rodgers are selected to play on the MHSBCA Junior Showcase All Star team.

Highlighted by Josh Kohrs' 14 home run season and also a district championship team. He holds the career record for home runs with 25. Kohrs hit 2 home runs in 4 separate games this year as well as collecting 7 RBI's in a single game against Duchesne. The team broke a record while scoring 26 runs versus Fort Zumwalt North. Josh Kohrs and Steve Eberhardt were both selected All State and were both selected to play in the MHSBCA Senior All Star game. Coach Perkins and Coach Oetting both coached in this year's game. Tony Sargent wrapped up his 3 year reign at shortstop graduating with 2 defensive records.

Steve Eberhardt set the single season hit record with 43. Josh Kohrs finished with 94 RBI's for his career and 42 in this year. He also ended his career with the most innings pitched with 152. Josh also has the most career appearances at 43. Tony Sargent ends his career as the assists leader at 185. Brock Schaefer ends his 4 year career as the career put out leader with 432. The most runs in an inning were recorded against Zumwalt South with 11. The most team home runs were recorded in 31 in this year.

It was a disappointing year finishing 10-17. Only 2 seniors played on the team in 2nd baseman Mike Hoehn and middle relief pitcher Geoff Harrison. Greg Rodgers a junior was named co mvp of the GAC and was first team all conference and first team all state. He also started to break some career records in doubles, hits, and at bats. Rodgers tied the single season hit record with 43 hits. Harrison set the record for most appearances with 20.

Coach Perkins is selected to the MHSBCA Hall of Fame. Coach Oetting is selected as one of the assistant coaches of the year.

What a year this was for the Vikings. Class 4 State Champions! Starting with 4 sophomores: Jeff Sargent, Michael Hopkins, Josh Street, and Tim Avants, the Howell team defeated Joplin in the championship game.

The Vikings beat Eureka 5-4 in the district championship in 11 innings, with Josh Street picking up the win and pitching 5 great innings. Tyler Kasper pitches his tail off and comes up with a game winning triple that Brannan Austin pushed in with a game winning hit.

The Sectional game was at Fox and the Vikings won 11-10 in 7 innings. After being down big early the Vikings battled back and won the game. Jeff Sargent started the game and gutted it out as he did all year for the win (10-0 on the year). Tim Avants laid down a bunt with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, when he had 2 strikes on him, that was a base hit that scored courtesy runner Dan Avants, who was running for Brannan Austin, for the win.

Tyler Kasper cruised through the Quarterfinal game versus Marquette as Howell won 8-0.

The semi final game was a war that saw the Vikings battle back from a deficit, and win 6-4. Sargent starts and gets the job done again. Sophomore Matt Brunnworth picks up the victory in relief. Senior Matt Marsh strikes out their best hitter to end the game and earn the save. Seniors Greg Rodgers and Brannan Austin lead the Vikings offensively. Jim Frost has a key double to cap the comeback. Phillip Widel scores on a crazy play at the plate to get the insurance run.

Joplin was a tough opponent in the state championship game. Kasper starts and has tough luck but gets through 5. Street, Brunnworth, and then Rodgers throw for the Vikings as well. Rodgers, who has not pitched in a good month, earns the victory in relief. Rodgers and Austin again lead the Vikings. Andy Rohne has a day as well. After an Austin hit in the seventh, Matt Neimeier pinch runs and is sac bunted to second by Michael Hopkins. Widel moves him over with a ground out. With two outs and Neimeier on third and Rohne on second Tim Avants bounces one off of the plate with 2 strikes on him. Tim flies out of the box and there is no chance to get him and the Vikings get their first state championship.

Many records were broken. Check the records page and look for 2003. Greg Rodgers was the St. Louis Post Dispatch player of the year. He and Jeff Sargent were both first team all state selections in both the sportswriters and coaches teams. Tyler Kasper was also first team all state by the sportswriters.

Rodgers, Kasper, and Sargent were also first team All Metro Players.

All Conference players were: Greg Rodgers, Brannan Austin, Jeff Sargent, Tyler Kasper, and Josh Street. Sargent was named player of the year in the conference. Rodgers, Sargent, and Kasper were also 1st team all metro players.

The Vikings finished 25-6. They also won, for the first time, the Midwest Classic Tournament that they hosted.

Greg Rodgers is selected and plays in the Missouri Senior All Star game held at CMSU.

Terry Oetting and Mike Janes resign from their assistant positions. Doug Boyer and David Daniels are hired to take their spots.

It was an interesting year for the Vikings. The year began as Francis Howell ranked #1 in the preseason polls in the State as well as the St. Louis region. Jeff Sargent was chosen as a preseason All American by Collegiate baseball.

The year started out strong, fizzled in the middle, and finished strong. The Vikings broke the odd year district championship curse by winning districts for the second year in a row. Jeff Sargent and Blake Hopkins led the way on the mound. The Vikings defeated Pacific in the championship game and advanced to play Farmington in the Sectional game.

The game started and then the rains came so the game was resumed 2 days later at C&H. The Vikings escaped with a 2-1 victory. The quarterfinal game was versus Vianney. The bats went south and Howell could not muster a run for Hopkins who pitched a great game. The season ended one game away from getting to the final four again.

Many post season awards followed. Those receiving All Conference recognition were: Jeff Sargent, Tyler Kasper, Tim Avants, Josh Street, Phillip Widel, Blake Hopkins, Michael Hopkins, Matt Neimeier, and Jeremy Opfer. All Metro recognition went to Sargent, Street, and Avants. Sargent was 1st team all state for the second year in a row. Street was a second team all starter and Avants was a 3rd team all starter. Sargent was also recognized by the BCA as a district 5 1st teamer which encompasses 5 states.

The Vikings entered the year with high expectations and finished 16-9. They shared the conference crown with Ft. Zumwalt South. Many stellar careers ended. Michael Hopkins graduates after being only the 3rd 4 year varsity guy. He sets many school and state career marks. Mike will continue his career at Central Missouri State. Jeff Sargent graduates after spending 3 1/2 years on the varsity. He also has many school and state records. Jeff will play football and baseball at Missouri State (SMS). Matt Brunnworth, another 3 year starter, heads to the University of Rolla to pitch for them. Tim Avants, the hero of the state championship team, will continue his outfield career at Northwest Missouri State. Josh Street, another 3 year starter, leaves behind his marks in the school and state records as well. The shortstop is heading to St. Charles Community College. Matt Niemeier ends his 2 year reign at 2nd base and will play at Florissant Valley College. This core group accomplished a ton of great things for the Vikings, check the record page out for all of these guys accomplishments.

The Vikings were defeated in the district championship game by Eureka 17-16. Coach Perkins misses the first game of his career as he was in the hospital during the game. Many post season honors were earned. Sargent, Street, Hopkins, and Avants were all 1st team all starters. Those 4 also were All Metro players. All Conferences went to Sargent, Street, Hopkins, and Avants.

The Vikings won the Midwest Classic tournament. They beat Howell Central 3 times this year. Jeff Sargent's career consecutive win mark falls after 24 when Troy beats us. He finishes his career at 24-2 on the mound. The consecutive win mark is a state record. The 6 players that are continuing their baseball careers in college is believed to be the biggest class to do so, so far.

The sophomore team coached by Joe Reidelberger finished the year 20-1 with their only defeat coming from Kirkwood. The freshmen team also had a great year going 16-1. Coach Durnin leaves the program after one year and Coach Jeff Pyle is hired to coach the Freshmen.

District and Sectional Champions

This year the Vikings held a successful campaign. The varsity finished 21-9. They won districts avenging last year's loss to Eureka in a rematch game. They absolutely pounded the ball in that game, beating them 17-3. Joe Baumgartner picked up the win. In the previous two district games, Kyle Waymon beat Washington 5-4 and Kyle Corcoran beat Howell North 5-4.

In the Sectional game the Vikings faced a new opponent in Seckman. Waymon takes the hill and we win 8-4 to earn a spot in the quarterfinal game verses #1 ranked Vianney. Vianney had defeated us in the regular season 3-1. Alas, 5 pitchers throw in that game and the season ends in a 14-2 loss. Vianney moves to the final four and wins state.

Kyle Waymon, Kyle Corcoran, and Jeff DeKalb all earned scholarships to continue their careers at St. Charles Community College. Junior shortstop, Matt Hermeyer, was selected as a first team all state selection by the Missouri Coaches and sophomore centerfielder, Preston Aldridge was selected as a second teamer. Hermeyer was also a 2nd team all state selection by the sportswriters. In the All Metro selections, Hermeyer was a first teamer, Aldridge was a second teamer, and Kyle Waymon and Kyle Corcoran were Honorable Mention. All conference players selected were as follows: 1st team, Waymon, Hermeyer, and Aldridge. The 2nd team were Corcoran, Baumgartner, and Brent Boehringer. Honorable mention went to John Tierney and Brendan Orf. Brent Boehringer received the sportsmanship award for the Vikings. Hermeyer also was named a Prime time player voted on by Prepcasts.com.

There were a few records broken this year. Matt Hermeyer surpassed Jeff Sargent's hits for a season-clouting 48. He got 2 hits against Vianney in our last game to break the record. We were able to stop the game and get the baseball for Matt. Kyle Guemmer breaks the season save record picking up 5 saves. In our District championship game against Eureka we scored 12 runs in one inning to break a record as well.

The Vikings won the Midwest Classic Tournament to go back to back in that. We have won that Tourney 3 out of the last 4 years. Seniors Kyle Waymon, Brent Boehringer, Jeff DeKalb, Kyle Corcoran, Brendan Orf, Derek Lambert, and Andy Maus all graduate and move on. They have left their mark on the program. Next year there will be high expectations as the bulk of the squad will return. Coach Reidleberger and Coach Orfs sophomores had another fantastic season as they went 20-2. The cupboard will not be bare.

Chuck Mueller and Gerry Wolf are inducted into our Francis Howell baseball Hall of Fame at our annual Golf tournament. The tournament was the biggest one to date. Our summer camps are flourishing as we had 134 campers at our first one and 144 at our second.

Coach Perkins passes a personal milestone earning his 252 wins. Freshmen Coach Pyle leaves the district and Tony Chiaramonti is hired as the new Freshmen coach where Coach Schmidt will return to help.

18-9 GAC CHAMPS

The Francis Howell Vikings 2008 edition produced a lot of good things. They finished 18-10 and 5-1 in the Gateway Athletic Conference. That tied Howell Central for 1st place in the conference. We had high expectations going into the postseason but were upset by Northwest High School in the Semi Finals of district where the game was held at C&H.

Many post season honors were earned by the Varsity. In the GAC All conference selections those named on the 1st team were Matt Hermeyer, Preston Aldridge, Nathan Orf, and James Allen. 2nd teamers were Joe Baumgartner and Ben Cook. Earning Honorable mention were Drew Banze and John Tierney. The All Conference All Academic team included: Nathan Orf, James Allen, Zac Gronek, Preston Aldridge, Ryan Trimble, Jack Meyer, Kyle Shockley, Jimmy Keiner, and Austn Buenemann. In the St. Louis All Metro Team Aldridge was 1st team, Allen 2nd team, Orf 3rd team, and Hermeyer Honorable Mention. All State representatives were Aldridge 1st team, Orf and Allen 2nd team, and Baumgartner Honorable Mention. Preston Aldridge was named an Honorable Mention All American by Collegiate Baseball.

One of the coldest Midwest Classic Tournament was held this year as the Vikings went 2-2 in it after winning the first 2 games on Friday and dropping the last 2 on Saturday. Parents really helped out by tarping the both dugouts and supplying big electrical heaters. Burn barrels were placed around the park as well.

Anthony Chiaromonti resigns as the freshmen coach and Steve Moorman is hired. He came to us after spending 7 years in the Ritenour district and is a graduate of Holt High School.

2nd IN STATE, QUARTERFINAL CHAMP, SECTIONAL CHAMP, DISTRICT CHAMP, GAC CONFERENCE CHAMPS, FESTUS TOURNAMENT CHAMPS, MIDWEST CLASSIC CHAMPS

The 2008 Vikings had an outstanding year finishing 2nd in state with a 24-4 record. Many state and school records were broken by an outstanding group of seniors. 8 seniors are continuing their career in college. They are: James Allen-Kansas State, Nate Orf University of Illinois-Chicago, Preston Aldridge-Jeffco, Zack Gronek-Missouri S&T, Kyle Behr-Forest Park, Drew Banze and Ben Cook-Lindenwood, and Ryan Trimble-Truman State.

The year started with a clean sweep in the Midwest Classic. James Allen was MVP offensive player of the tourney and Preston Aldridge and Nate Orf were All Tournament. The Vikings also traveled to Festus and won 2 games in a 2 game tournament there. They were 5-1 in the conference and won the conference title outright. In the District tournament they beat Eureka 7-4 and then Austin Buenemann shut out Howell North 8-0 for another trip to the state tournament. Zack Gronek got the nod against Jackson in the Sectional game at C&H which the Vikings cruised to an 8-3 win. The Quarterfinal game was played at Ballwin A.A. and the opponent was Parkway South. Buenemann again got the start and shut them out in a 2-0 win.

The state tournament was held in Springfield, MO and hosted at Drury University. SLUH was the opponent in the semi-final game. Gronek got the start and James Allen came in and pitched 4 innings for a 8-5 win to send us to the state championship. Buenemann added his 3rd post season home run in this and Preston Aldridge also homered and had a double. The championship game was hard fought as the Vikings fell 3-2 to Ozark. Aldridge had to be carried off the field with a torn hamstring in the 2nd inning which was a devastating blow.

There were many post season honors. 1st team all conference players were Zack Gronek, Preston Aldridge, Nate Orf, and James Allen. The 2nd team all conference player was Austin Buenemann. Honorable Mention picks were Ben Cook, Andrew Banze, Kyle Behr, and Nick Armstrong. The Sportsmanship award went to Ryan Trimble. All Academic team members were Jake O'Neil, Nathan Orf, James Allen, Preston Aldridge, Ryan Trimble, Nick Armstrong, Zack Gronek, Jack Meyer, Jeff Lasater, Alex Sewing, Andrew Banze, Austin Buenemann, and Kyle Behr.

1st team All Metro players were Nate Orf, James Allen, and Preston Aldridge. The 2nd Team was Austin Buenemann and Zack Gronek. 1st team All State went to Nate Orf, Preston Aldridge, James Allen, and Austin Buenemann by the MHSBCA. Preston and Nate were 1st team all state by the sportswriters and James and Austin were 2nd team. Nate Orf was selected as an All American in District 5 by the BCA. That district covers 5 states. Preston Aldridge was a preseason Louisville All American as well as a post season All American.

Here are the school records that this group jumped into: Orf #1 Batting average for a year .495, #1Batting average for a career .462, #2 On Base % for career .621, #1 Runs scored in a year 41, #4 Runs scored in a career 69, #1 Hit by Pitch in a career 21, #5 Stolen bases in a season 18, #4 Stolen bases in a career 37, #3 Base on balls in a season 18, #5 Base on balls in a career 34, # 3 Put outs in a season 135, and #2 Intentional Base on balls in season 3. Aldridge #3 Batting Average for career .442, #5 On Base % for career .513, #4 Hits for career 121, #4 RBI's for career 91, #3 Runs scored in a career 80, #4 Home runs in a season 6, #2 Home runs in a career 16, #3 Triples in a season 3, #3 Triples in a career 7, #2 Total bases in a career 206, #3 Base on balls in a career 37, #2 Intentional base on balls in a season 3, #3 Sacrifices in a career 8, #1 Pitching saves in a career 7. Allen #4 Batting Average for career .436, #4 At Bats in a season 107, and #2 Assists in a season 70. Buenemann #3 Earned Average in a season .91, and #1 Consecutive innings pitched without giving up a run 17. Gronek #3 Pitching wins in a season 8. Cook #4 Base on balls in a season 16, and #2 Put outs in a season 145.

This was one of Coach Perkins' most talented and dedicated teams. There were many fantastic memories that were created. There was so much support from the school, administrators, and parents that it was stunning. Without Brian Orf coming down and pumping water off the field there were many games that would not have been played. Of course Emory was Emory and did everything in his power to allow us to play. The Cooks did another outstanding job running the bbq's. These people were honored by the team before a game and were presented plaques in appreciation. We had one of our better programs published as Sandi Sewing took over and did a fantastic job.

On a sad note, one of our best student managers that we have ever had, Jake Gregory had a terrible accident. She was doing some photography and fell off a cliff on her head. Things were bleak early and the tremendous support of everyone in the community seems to be paying off and she is making baby steps in recovering. I know that there were so many people in our baseball community that were praying and supporting her. Good Luck Jake and we will always be rooting for you! Our hats next year will have her initials in them and she will be an honorary manager for the rest of her life.

On an upside, all coaches will be returning next year. The dedication and solidarity of the coaching staff has a ton to do with our program. Coach Perkins will be speaking at the National High School Baseball clinic in Chicago in January on Practice Organization.

WHAT A YEAR! THANKS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEAM FOR MAKING THIS A YEAR TO REMEMBER FOREVER!

This was a year that found the Vikings finishing 16-14. The Midwest Classic again reached 16 teams and for the first time ever had a team from Canada participate as Innisdale made the trip South for the tournament. Varsity assistant Coach Justin Williams resigns after an 8 year reign on the coaching staff and Nick Beckman is hired to replace him on the staff.

Some highlights of the season included Tim Holmes first team All State selection. He was also 2nd team All Metro and 1st team All Conference. Brett Graves was 2nd team All State as a utility player. Here is a more comprehensive list of our players accomplishments this year: All Conference Honorable Mention-Mark Hatfield DH, Jared Hagley of. 2nd Team All Conference-Tyler Schneider of, Nick Armstrong if, Brett Graves if, Josh Golliver if. All Academic Team winners were-Nate Hardy, Brett Graves, Jared Hagley, Jake Ivory, Justin Williams, and Danny Bodenschatz. The 2009 Sportsmanship award winner was Josh Golliver. The Bill Todd Scholarship award winner was Alex Sewing.

Tim Holmes was selected to represent the East side in the annual Senior All Star game that was played at Lindenwood College. Coach Perkins and Coach Schmidt served as the coaches for this game. Timmy represented Howell very well in this game. Players that will continue their playing days in college are: Tim Holmes (Central Missouri), Tyler Schneider (Merramec), Nick Armstrong (Merramec), and Alex Sewing (Missouri Baptist).

Former manager Jake Gregory looks to be making a recovery after her nasty accident and will be attending college in the fall. Seems that thoughts and prayers were a good thing here. We all wish Jake the best in her recovery.

Coach Perkins has been chosen to be the District 5 representative for the National High School Baseball Coaches Association. District 5 encompasses 5 states in the Midwest.

GATEWAY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

The Vikings finished 23-8 this year. One of the highlights was a clean sweep in the conference going 6-0 and earning the title out right. There were many highlights in the season. The Vikings beat AJ Walkenhorst from Zumwalt South in the conference game and he was one of the best pitchers to come through our conference. The biggest low light was losing the District championship game to Zumwalt South when we were up in the last inning and had a guy struck out at least twice to end the game and the umpire would not pull the trigger.

There were a lot of post season honors for the Vikings. We selected an All District team for the first year and our representatives were: 1st team Brett Graves, Jake Ivory, and Case Munson. The 2nd team were: Case Munson, Danny Bodenschatz, and Steven Diel. Honorable Mention picks were: Wes Kuhn and Josh Schneider. All Conference picks went like this: 1st team Graves, Ivory, Munson. 2nd team Golliver and Schneider. HM Brett Peel, Diel, and Bodenschatz. The most prestigious post season honor is 1st team all state and we had 3 first teamers, Brett Grave, Jake Ivory, and Case Munson.

Josh Golliver, Danny Bodenschatz, and Jordan Motz were all selected to participate in the Coaches Senior All Star game representing the East side in a game that was played at Lindenwood. The following players are continuing their playing days in college: Josh Golliver (Heartland Community College, Nate Hardy (Washington University), and Danny Bodenschatz (Southeast Missouri State University.

Amongst our talented junior class we have 2 that have already committed to play college for next year. Brett Graves will play at the University of Missouri and Case Munson will play at Jefferson Community College. We expect at least 4 more to continue their playing days at the next level.

The coaching staff looks to return intact with the loss of Josh Street but we have already found a replacement in alum Jeff Sargent. Michael Hopkins is also looking to help out as well.

Francis Howell was in the top ten in the state most of the year in 2010 and finished ranked 8th in the St. Louis area. Expectations are very high for 2011 with losing only 2 starters. If the team puts in the hard work that is expected of them, 2011 could be a great year.

STATE CHAMPIONS, SEMI FINAL CHAMPIONS, QUARTERFINAL CHAMPIONS, SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS, DISTRICT CHAMPIONS, CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, MIDWEST CLASSIC CHAMPION, AND TROY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS

To say the least this was one of the most outstanding years in Francis Howell baseball history. The varsity finished the season 32-3 and won the state championship with a 10-5 win over Liberty in Springfield, Mo at Meador Park. Brannon Callaway started that game on the bump and went 4 innings and lefty Steven Diel came in and shut the door for 3 innings to earn the Vikings their 2nd state title. Jacob Rhodes from the 9 spot contributed 3 hits and Case Munson had a triple in this game as the whole line up hit up and down.

The most intense game of the whole run though was the semi final game versus Vianney. Brett Graves, the ace of the staff started the game and did well and the Vikings enjoyed what they thought was a comfortable lead of 7. Vianney battled back and eventually took the lead 13-11 going into an extra inning when in the bottom of the 8th the Vikings came to bat. Catcher Gordy Gundaker reached base and sophomore Zac Perkins came up with a runner on and 2 outs. Perkins got into one and hit a game tying home run over the centerfield wall to tie the game. Jacob Rhodes then hits the next pitch for a single which brings up the top of the order and Brett Graves. Graves is promptly hit and Brett Peel comes to the plate and launches a double to right center to send Francis Howell to the State Championship game. Brett Graves and Jake Ivory both also homered in this game and Case Munson had a huge triple in the 1st inning to get our scoring started. 5 pitchers helped us to win this game. After Graves, Matt Norton came in then Aaron Dunkley, followed by Kyle Nuetzel, and finally Jake Ivory who got the win. Many state records were broken like runs scored, home runs, and hits in a final four game. This is a game that will be talked about for years.

The post season tournament started with districts in a 5-4 win over St. Dominic and then a 7-0 win over Ft. Zumwalt North. The championship game was a hard fought 5-4 win over Ft. Zumwalt East. The Sectional game pitted draft guys in Brett Graves for Howell and David Schmidt from CBC. The game was played at Mo Bap and the Vikings prevailed 8-3. The quarterfinal game was a huge match up against SLUH at C&H. SLUH was undefeated and Iowa signee and drafted lefty Sasha Kuebel was on the mound. Brannon Callaway, one of our hottest pitchers in the post season, gets the start and Aaron Dunkley follows. Brett Graves throws the final 2 innings to earn the save. Case Munson was huge as he hit a grand slam to put us up early in the game and then added another home run later in the game. The Vikings were on their way to their 7th final four.

Many, many records were broken. Not only school records but state ones as well. We set the record for most wins in MSHSAA history with the 32 victories and even games played as we played every game that we possibly could this year. We started the season ranked 3rd in the state and bounced up and down from #1 to # 4 throughout the regular season. We ended up ranked #1 in the state by the MHSBCA. We also received national recognition in many different areas: We were number 15th in the High School Sports poll, # 17 Collegiate Baseball, # 18th in the ABCA, # 20 in the ESPN Rise, and #32 in the BCA. Brett Graves and Case Munson were also named All American. Jake Ivory was 2nd team All American. Brett Graves had the ultimate baseball honor as he was named the Gatorade Player of the year for Missouri. Case Munson was a Region 5 All American by the ABCA. Graves was also the Rising Star Award winner by the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association. Coach Perkins was named as Region 5 Coach of the year by the BCA which encompasses 7 states. He was also the class 4 coach of the year.

A record 10 players will continue their playing days in college. Brett Graves, Jake Ivory, and Case Munson will play at Mizzou, Aaron Dunkley and Jacob Rhodes at Merramec, Matt Norton and Gordie Gundaker at Quincy, Steven Diel and Brett Peel at Jeffco, and Brannon Callaway at St. Charles. Graves got drafted in the 26th round by the Cardinals but elected to play at Mizzou. Graves, Munson, and Ivory were 1st team All State. Graves was the player of the year in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Ivory and Munson were also All Metro. All Conference teams went like this: 1st team Brett Graves, Case Munson, Jake Ivory, and Brett Peel. The 2nd team consisted of Gordy Gundaker, Kyle Nuetzel, and Brannon Callaway. Honorable Mention was Jared Hagely, and Zac Perkins. Player of the year in the conference was Brett Graves and Coach of the year was Tony Perkins. Sportsmanship winner was Jacob Rhodes and earning the Bill Todd Scholarship was Brett Peel. All Academic were: Brett Graves, Jake Ivory, Gordy Gundaker, Zac Perkins, Jacob Rhodes, Jared Hagely, Wes Kuhn, Tyler Reeves, Matt Norton, Calvin Munson, and Nic Perkins. Brett Graves and Brett Peel were the captains of the team in 2011.

We had great representation in the Sr. All Star games. In the MHSBCA All Star game Brett Graves, Jake Ivory, Case Munson, Steven Diel, Aaron Dunkley, and Gordy Gundaker all participated in an unprecedented 6 players in the game. Coach Perkins helped coach the team and Jake Ivory was the MVP of the game. In the Missouri vs Illinois sr. Showcase held at Busch Stadium Brett Graves, Case Munson, Jake Ivory, and Brett Peel all played in this great event. Coach Perkins also coached this team as well. Both of this games were won by the team on our side and the Howell guys were a big part of the victories.

Darin Cissell resigns as an assistant coach after 9 years and Nick Beckmann also resigns after 2 years. TJ Sinovich is hired as the new varsity assistant coach. The Vikings won the Troy Tournament going 5-0 in the first week of the season then followed it with a clean sweep of the Midwest Classic where Case Munson was the MVP offensive player and Brett Graves, Jake Ivory, and Gordy Gundaker were All Tournament. Glenn Schiller, Dale Banze, and Tony Sargent were all elected into the Francis Howell Baseball Hall of Fame at our annual Golf Tournament. A matching sign from our 2003 state championship sign has been erected at C&H with all team members listed on it that will be there for years. This team has set the bar high as maybe being the best team Francis Howell has ever had. Their legacy will be remembered for years.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS 4 STATE 2011 CHAMPIONS VIKINGS!

GAC CONFERENCE CHAMPS, TROY TOURNAMENT CHAMPS

The 2012 Vikings had a great year following the heaviest graduation year they have ever seen. They started the season out by winning all 5 games in the Troy tournament and being crowned champions. Kyle Nelson, Kyle Nuetzel, Hunter Ryan, and Austin Schneider were the only seniors on the team. Nelson continues his playing days at Lindenwood, Ryan goes to Louis and Clark, and Nuetzel goes to Meramec as well. The season ended at Ft. Zumwalt South when they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to end the Vikings dream of another state run.

These players were selected on the All Conference team: 1st team, Zac Perkins, Austin Schneider, and Calvin Munson. 2nd team, Nic Perkins, Kyle Nuetzel. Honorable Mention Kyle Nelson, and Mitch Larkin. All Academic Team members were; Donnie Lovelady, Michael Reardon, Eric Huenke, Josh Gwaltney, Zac Perkins, Nic Perkins, Calvin Munson, Dylan Salsman, Jake Hellwig, Austin Southmayd, Hunter Ryan, and Chris Beckman. The Sportsmanship award winner was Brent Muelleer. All District Teams looked like this; 1st team, Zac Perkins, Austin Schneider, Calvin Munson, and Kyle Nuetzel. 2nd team Kyle Nelson, Nic Perkins, and Mitch Larkin. Honorable Mention was Jake Hellwig. 1st team All State was Nic Perkins, 2nd team All State was Zac Perkins, and Honorable Mention was Calvin Munson. Munson was also selected to play in the Area Code Games in California by the Chicago White Sox.

T.J. Sinovich resigns his position as assistant coach and Justin Schmidt, a Howell alumni, is hired to be the varsity assistant coach. Ben Walker and Chad Thorpe will also be helping as volunteer assistant coaches in 2013. Elijah Dilday transfers from Christian High School and commits to the University of Nebraska. He is a junior in 2013. PBR has the 2013 edition ranked #1 in the State and the Coaches preseason poll has them at #2.

33-5

MIDWEST CLASSIC CHAMPIONS, GAC SOUTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, DISTRICT CHAMPIONS, SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS, QUARTERFINAL CHAMPIONS, SEMI-FINAL CHAMP, AND STATE CHAMPIONS!

The 2013 Francis Howell Vikings again won the State Championship with a 33-5 record. The set a state record for number of games played with 38. This was due to a lot of help from players, dads, and C&H members. One of the most memorable feets was right before the midwest classic we had around a 2 foot fall of snow. We were able to get it off and get our games in and ended up paying off for us and we won the tournament.

In the District championship game Howell defeated Holt 8-0. Calvin Munson had the complete game victory giving up only 2 hits. Eli Dilday hit a home run. Zac Perkins had 3 hits and broke the school record for hits. Zac also broke the career stolen base record that Coach Cissell had owned. The Sectional was a great game as the Vikings defeated Ft. Zumwalt West at Ft. Zumwalt West, 2-1 to advance. Calvin Munson had the complete game victory on the mound. Calvin, Eli Dilday, and Nic Perkins all had 2 hits. The Quarterfinal game saw Howell facing SLUH and TCU bound 6 '9 Brian Howard on the mound for them. Austin Southmayd started the game and lasted 1 2/3 inning. Donnie Lovelady relieved and was outstanding as he went 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Calvin Munson came in and earned the 2 out save, striking out the last hitter of the game. Calvin also hit a 2 run Home Run to tie the game in the 4th inning. In a 2-2 game in the 6th Nic Perkins dropped down a beautiful bunt for a hit that was thrown away and he ended up at 2nd base. Nate Green came through with a huge line drive hit down the right field line that scored Ryan Perkins, who was courtesy running for his brother Nic, and he ended up with a triple. Nate scored on a wild pitch to make it the final score 4-2.

The State Semi Final game was held at TR Hughes. There was a tornado that touched down in St. Charles County that affected many of our players and their families. The opponent was Staley out of Kansas City. Calvin Munson started the game and went 5 2/3 with 10 strike outs. Calvin also hit a 2 run home run in the 1st and Nic Perkins went yard right behind him to go back to back and go ahead 3-2 after 1. Brendan Trimble had 3 hits for the Vikings, Zac Perkins had 2 RBI's, and Mitch Larkin had 2 hits. In the 5th the Vikings were down 4-6. Calvin led off with a triple. Ryan Perkins courtesy runs and scores on a wild pitch. Nic Perkins is walked and is replaced for courtesy runner Justin Perkins who scores on a Trimble hit to tie it 6-6. Josh Gwaltney contributed an RBI double. Zac gets a RBI sac fly. Jake Hellweg bloops in a RBI single to take the 9-6 lead. Donnie Lovelady comes in with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out in the 6th and hits the first batter. He retired the next to to hold them scoreless in the inning. After a lead off single in the 7th Donnie retired the next 3 hitters to get the save and earn a trip to the state championship game.

The State Championship game was pushed back because of rain which caused our seniors to miss their graduation. But they had their own graduation at TR Hughes as they defeated CBC 7-3. CBC had defeated the Vikings in the Troy Tournament championship game with 3 run walk off Home Run by Justin Paulsen. But this was to be the Vikings day. Austin Southmayd gets the start. In the 1st inning Zac Perkins singled to start the game, Calvin Munson had a rbi single, then for the second day in a row Nic Perkins hit a 1st inning home run plating 3 runs to put the Vikings up 4-0. Howell issues 2 intentional walks in the 5th inning and Southmayd finds a way to get out of it. Howell adds a run in the 5th with a Munson single and then getting a 2 out rbi single from Mitch Larkin. Eli Dilday comes up with a huge bomb in the 6th and it's again for 2 more runs to make it 7-3. Southmayd gets the final 3 outs and is demolished by Nic as the team dogpiles for the only time all year.

The Vikings were ranked in the nation in 5 different places, the highest being 9th. They ended up first in all of the Missouri polls. GAC South All Conference players went like this, 1st Team: Zac Perkin IF, Josh Gwaltney OF, Eli Dilday IF, Nate Green DH, Mitch Larkin IF, Jake Hellweg OF, Calvin Munson P, and Nic Perkins C. 2nd Team: Brendan Trimble OF, Austin Southmayd P. Calvin Munson was the player of the year. First team All State MHSBCA were Nic Perkins, Zac Perkins, Eli Dilday. 2nd team was Austin Southmayd, and Honorable Mention were Mitch Larkin and Nate Green. Sportswriters had Zac Perkins, Eli Dilday, and Calvin Munson First Team. All Metro went like this, Zac Perkins 1st Team, Eli Dilday 2nd Team, and Calvin Munson the Player of the Year in the St. Louis area. Calvin Munson was also a 1st Team All American choice by Baseball America. Numerous school records were broken, check out our records page.

In the MHSBCA Senior All Star game at St. Peters Rec-Plex Coach Schmidt and Coach Thorpe helped coach the East Squad while Coach Walker helped out at the admissions table. Calvin Munson, Mitch Larkin, Dylan Salsman, and Austin Southmayd all played in the game. In the Senior All Star game held at Busch Stadium, Coach Perkins helped coach the Missouri team with CBC coach Mason Horne and Bernard Gilkey. Calvin Munson, Zac Perkins, and Nate Green all played in this game.

A fantastic senior group moves on. Calvin Munson was drafted in the 31st round by the St. Louis Cardinals but chooses to play football at San Diego State. The rest of these players are continuing their baseball careers in college: Zac Perkins-Lindenwood, Mitch Larkin-Crowder, Nate Green-Jeffco, Austin Southmayd-Central Missouri, Dylan Salsman-McKendree, Jake Hellweg-Florida State College, Donnie Lovelady-Florida State College. Josh Gwaltney is playing soccer at St. Charles Community College.

2014 has a lot to live up to but the cupboard is not bare. Nic Perkins has committed to play at Ole Miss and Eli Dilday has committed to play at Nebraska. Chris Beckmann and Brendan Trimble have committed to Truman State as well.

WHAT A YEAR!

Another great year for the Vikings. They reached the final four for the 3rd time in 4 years. After defeating Vianney in the semi final game they were defeated by Columbia Rockbridge and finished 2nd in state. They also played their first season ever at the High School as the new facilities were opened. A sweet grass infield baseball field, a jv field in the back which is not grass and a softball field were initiated. The varsity again broke a state record for games played as they played 40 games in the year which is the state maximum of games that are allowed to play.

The Vikings almost didn't get out of Districts as Washington went up 7-0 early in the District championship game. Austin Forney comes in and settles things down and Ryan Perkins hits a home run to get us going and we advance to the Sectional game versus Ft. Zumwalt South. That game was a 10-2 win as Tanner Kulpa does a great job on the mound. The Quarterfinal game was versus SLUH. It goes 9 innings. Braydon Cook starts and does well on the mound and we win 3-2. The Final Four is again at TR Hughes. Nemesis Vianney is the Semi Final opponent. Tanner Kulpa again gets the nod and Nic Perkins homers early to get us going. We won that game 3-1 to advance to the State Championship game. The opponent is Columbia Rockbridge who we had defeated in the regular season. They were hot and we were defeated 9-6 to earn 2nd place. The Vikings again were down early but as they did all year they never gave up and battled back to show the true character of the team.

3 players graduated that were members of 3 final 4 teams. Nic Perkins, Chris Beckmann and Eric Huenke all got that unique experience. All conference selections went like this: 1st Team Nic Perkins, Brendan Trimble, Eli Dilday, and Tanner Kulpa. 2nd Team were Ryan Grantham, Eric Huenke, Ryan Perkins, and Justin Perkins. All Academic Team members broke a record with 16 players earning honors: Jake Kostyshock, Eli Dilday, Braydon Cook, Tanner Kulpa, Justin Perkins, Chris Beckmann, Matt Graser, JD Koehler, Nic Perkins, Brendan Trimble, Ryan Perkins, Austin Forney, Mason King, Grant Bowles, and Sam Hefner all qualified. Congratulations to all. Nic Perkins was voted the Co-Player of the Year in the Gateway South and Eric Huenke won the Sportsmanship award.

Nic Perkins was selected as the Player of the Year in St. Louis by STL Sports. 1st team All Metro were Eli Dilday and Nic Perkins. 3rd Team All Metro were Brendan Trimble and Ryan Perkins. All State went like this: 1st team Brendan Trimble, Eli Dilday, and Brendan Trimble. 2nd Team was Tanner Kulpa, Honorable Mention players were Justin Perkins and Ryan Perkins. Nic Perkins was a Rising Star finalist. In the Senior All Star games we had numerous participants. In the MHSBCA Senior All Star game held at Lindenwood, Eric Huenke, Brendan Trimble, and Nic Perkins played for the West Squad. The PNC Missouri vs Illinois game was held at Busch stadium and Coach Perkins had the pleasure of coaching there again and Nic Perkins participated in the skills events and played in the game. Coach Perkins got to coach with retiring Desmet coach Greg Vitello who is retiring after over 40 years of coaching and Alan Benes. Nic Perkins and Eli Dilday were named All Americans by the Louisville Slugger both preseason and postseason.

The team was ranked #1 in the St. Louis area in their final poll. They finished ranked 2nd in the state by MHSBCA. This team etched themselves in many different records after this year. Check out our records page, it is very impressive. After a hectic year with many pro and college scouts around Eli and Nic did not get drafted and elect to attend College. Our college Commits go like this: Eli Dilday – Nebraska, Nic Perkins – Ole Miss, Brendan Trimble – Truman, Chris Beckmann – Truman, Tanner Kulpa – Mineral Area, and Austin Forney St. Charles Community College. We wish them all luck and they provided many lasting memories.

23-12

The 2015 season saw us finish the season at 23-12. We began the season as usual with our 2 tournaments and were 8-2 in those games. In the Troy tournament we lost to Holt in the semi final game and defeated Ft. Zumwalt South in the 3rd place game. We played well in the Midwest Classic and won 4 games against Jackson, Summit, Blue Springs South, and Lee's Summit West and faced CBC, the eventual state champs, in the Championship game. We jumped out to a 5-0 lead off of Notre Dame commit Matt Vierling but saw the lead slip away as CBC won 7-6. Ryan Perkins was named the MVP offensive player of the tourney and Justin Perkins and Ryan Grantham were All Tournament players.

We began our regularly scheduled season and proceeded to drop 4 in a row. One of the highlights was picking up a game with Mt. Vernon, IL as Ft. Zumwalt North chose not to play us. We put together the game on the morning of the game and hopped on a bus and traveled 2 hours to beat a quality team. We were defeated by Ft. Zumwalt West in the district Semi and Holt wins the district. We played 7 out 8 of the final 8 teams in the state tournament. Great schedule!

All District players were 1st team Ryan Perkins, Justin Perkins, Ryan Grantham, and Luke Kahle. The 2nd team were Mason King and Brady Wildschuetz. Honorable Mention was Chase Beiter. All Conference players were: 1st team Justin Perkins, Ryan Perkins, and Luke Kahle. 2nd Team were Brady Wildschuetz, Ryan Grantham, and Mason King. Honorable Mention was Chase Beiter. Ryan Grantham was the Sportsmanship Award winner and Ryan Perkins was named the Player of the Year in the Conference. On the All Academic tear were Ryan Grantham, Matt Graser, Zach Hunsiker, Luke Kahle, Mason King, Joey Land, Brady Marshall, Austin Nelson, Justin Perkins, Ryan Perkins, Trevor Rhoads, Nathan Steen, Austin Turnbough, Brady Wildschuetz, and Dylan Williams. The following players were named First Team All State: Luke Kahle, Justin Perkins, and Ryan Perkins. Ryan Perkins was named 1st Team All American by the Louisville Slugger.

The following seniors will continue their playing days in college: Mason King-Truman State, Austin Nelson - SWIC, Matt Graser - Hannibal LaGrange, Will Whiteman - Lindenwood Bellevue, Nathan Steen - Greenville, and Brandon Shaiper - Missouri Baptist. We wish them all the best of luck.

We will return many starters and a bunch of quality pitching so 2016 is a promising year. At this time we have 4 commits that will be on our team next year: Braydon Cook, Justin and Ryan Perkins will go to Murray State, Jake Kostyshock will attend Arkansas.

GAC CHAMPS, DISTRICT CHAMPS, SECTIONAL CHAMPS, QUARTERFINAL CHAMPS, SEMI CHAMPS, AND STATE CHAMPIONS

29-11

The 2016 team finished strong and earned the program's 4th State title. The year started off with the Troy Tournament where the Vikings went 4-1 and then they hosted in the Midwest Classic where they went 3-2 versus stiff competition. During this stretch we had wins over DeSmet and CBC. Had a tough loss versus Lee's Summit West that was avenged later.

In 2016 we shared the GAC South Conference. It was the 25th time the Vikings have been conference champs. In defeating Hannibal, Holt, and Timberland in the district tournament that gave them their 18th district title. Trevor Rhoads hits a home run off of his future college roommate. The Sectional game saw Howell hosting Ft. Zumwalt North. The Vikings cruised behind Jacob Kostyshock with an 8-2 win. It was the 14th time that Francis Howell won a Sectional game. The quarterfinal game was an away game at Parkway Central. Behind Justin Perkins and Bradon Cook the Vikings moved on to their 11th final four with a 7-2 victory. The state semi final game saw a familiar team in Lee's Summit West who had beaten Howell 5-0 on a 1 hitter by Dusty Stroup. Stroup starts this game as well but Jacob Kostyshock was out for revenge and Howell wins 6-1. Justin Perkins starts the state championship game versus Jefferson City and gets a couple of innings of help from Bradon Cook as the Vikings beat Jeff City 8-2 for their 4th State Championship. Kyle Grantham hit 2 home runs in that game.

The team lost 6 games before finally getting it figured out and were on a mission to win the state championship as they won their last 12 games in a row. It was a combination of great pitching, defense, bunting, and hitting. They all began to root for each other and figured out the short memory thing and our dream was realized.

The team ended the season ranked #1 in the St. Louis area and #1 in the State for Class 5. They were also mentioned in many post season national rankings. Ryan Perkins was selected as the Player of the Year in the conference for the 2nd year in a row. Coach Perkins was also selected as the GAC South Coach of the year. 1st team All Conference were Ryan Perkins, Justin Perkins, Jacob Kostyshock, Kyle Grantham, and McGwire Dean. The 2nd team was Luke Kahle, Brady Wildschuetz, and Joey Land. Jacob Kostyshock was selected as the Pitcher of the Year in St. Louis. Ryan Perkins, Kyle Grantham, and Justin Perkins were selected First Team All Metro. 1st Team All State were Kostyshock, Kahle, R. Perkins, Grantham, and J. Perkins. 3rd Team All State was McGwire Dean. We had 2 All Americans. Ryan Perkins was All American for the 2nd year in a row and Kyle Grantham was All American as well. Grantham is also a pre-season All American for 2017.

Besides being selected as the Conference Coach of the year, Coach Perkins earned a bunch of accolades. In December Coach P and his wife Tracey traveled to Columbus Ohio where he was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame. That is only the 3rd guy in Missouri to be inducted with that honor. In January Coach and his wife traveled to Anaheim, California where Coach P was named as the Division 1 (big school) National Coach of the Year. He is also going to be the Class 5 Missouri Coach of the Year as well. He picked up his 500th win in the State Semi Final win, and 501 in the State Championship. The kids did not forget the wager about winning 10 games in a row and they shaved his mustache off after the Jeff City game. Great year for Coach P!

The team was recognized at a Rascals game on the field where the team gave Coach P a bat which he had the players sign. They were also recognized at a Howell Football game the day we got our championship rings. Just about every player made it back for this. We had many seniors move on to play in college: Bradon Cook, Justin Perkins, and Ryan Perkins to Murray State. Jacob Kostyshock to Arkansas, Chase Beiter to Maplewoods, Luke Kahle to Neosho, Brady Wildschuetz to Missouri S&T, and Trevor Rhodes to Westminster.

The cupboard will not be bare for 2017 as All American Kyle Grantham returns with McGwire Dean as starters. On the mound the Vikings look to be led by Ben Holsclaw and Zach Hunsicker as they both logged significant innings for the Vikings and both had good years for their club teams this last summer.

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS 18-19

2019 saw strides of improvement finishing the season 18-19. The Vikings finished the GAC South with a record of 6-4. Had a chance to tie for the championship but lost 2 tough games to Troy to end conference play. Dalton Grantham and Matt Schark were 1st Team All State. Matthew James garnered All State recognition as well. All 3 of the ones mentioned were 1st Team All Conference as well as Will Doherty. The team has nothing but a bright future as 5 sophomores saw significant playing time as well as a few other sophs.

13 seniors graduated and these players will continue their playing days and education: Chris Dansberry Lindenwood, Evan Howse Central Missouri, Antwoine Patton Lindenwood-Belleville, Dwayne Daggs Spoon River CC, and Jonathon Coles Drury. Matt Schark has committed to Jefferson College at this time with his senior season yet to go.

PJ Arway was hired to help the Varsity this year and was very helpful. Coach Jungermann was also in his first year with the Varsity. Clark Cranston guided the sophs to a very good record even with the Varsity stealing a lot of his guys. Justin Schmidt and Ross Cook worked hard with the Sophomores. For the first time in quite a few years it looks like the whole coaching staff will return which is refreshing.

GAC CONFERENCE CHAMPS, DISTRICT CHAMPS

The Vikings bounced back after 2020 and had a great year. We finished 29-9 and won the GAC Conference as well as the District Championship. In the District Tournament we beat Howell North 10-0 and then beat Howell Central in the Semi in a wild 16-13 game. The District Championship pitted Howell versus Marquette. The Vikings moved into the Quarter final game with a 7-4 victory. Howell faced Zumwalt West in the Quarterfinal game and lost 7-6 on a controversial call to end the game.

All conference players were Carson Subbert, Shane Kearbey, Will Doherty, Sam Maddox, Tytus Cissell, Matt James, and Jackson Hetzel. All State recognition went as such: 1st Team Will Doherty infielder, Sam Maddox outfielder, 2nd Team were Carson Subbert as a pitcher as well as Matt James at DH/Utility, Honorable Mention picks were Shane Kearbey as a pitcher Tytus Cissell (Freshmen) as an outfielder, and Jackson Hetzel as a DH/Utility.

A strong senior class let us this year and many continue their careers in College. Will Doherty moves on to play at Missouri Southern. Matt James and Carson Subbert both are heading to Lindenwood. Sam Maddox moves on to Western Illinois in Macomb, Ill. Twins Jackson and Gus Hetzel chose to play football at Lindenwood. The cupboard is not bare and we will return many players for 2022.

Justin and Ryan Perkins are inducted into the Francis Howell Baseball Hall of Fame.

32-10

District Champions, Quarter Final Winner. 12th Final Four appearance and finished 3rd in State

The Vikings had a grueling schedule that prepared them for the post season as they qualified for the Class 6 Final Four. The 2022 Vikings only lost 1 senior offensive starter so the 2023 season looks promising. Coach P thought the turning point of the season was when they played in the Columbia Tournament and played 5 games in 2 days. Howell won all 5 beating Battle 11-0, Willard 8-0, Sedalia 6-2, Hickman 4-3, and Grain Valley in the Championship game 17-10.

In the District Tournament the Vikings drew Troy in the first round and won 8-3. The District semi saw us playing Ft. Zumwalt South won 8-2. The District Championship was a matchup of rival Ft. Zumwalt West. Brysen Nepute started the game and was stellar. Howell moves into the Quarterfinal game with a 5-1 Victory. The Quarterfinal game pitted sister school as Howell played Howell Central. The Vikings head to their 12th Final Four with a 3-1win, behind Nepute again.

The State Semi Final game saw a formidable opponent in Liberty North. Coach P said that the two teams were like twins as we both had many underclassmen in the starting lineup that are great players. Jake McCutcheon hits a dramatic home run in the game. The game goes 10 innings and Liberty North wins 4-3 in a great game. The 3rd Place game saw Tyler Rauser on the mound and the Vikings win going away 11-0. At least we ended the season with W. Leo Humbert, a freshman has a breakout season for the Varsity starting every game. Brett Norfleet drops 9 home runs on the year. Jake McCutcheon breaks the school record for hits surpassing Kyle Grantham from the 2017 class.

The following players all got All Conference mention: Andrew Brakensiek (sr) P, Brady Hultman (jr) OF, Jake McCutcheon (sr) IF, Caleb Miller (jr) UT, Brysen Nepute (jr) UT, Brett Norfleet (jr) IF, Tyler Rauser (sr) P, Tytus Cissell (so) OF, and Leo Humbert (fr), DH. Jake McCutcheon and Brett Norfleet both had All American mentions. All State Selections were as follows: 1st Team-Jake McCutcheon, Brett Norfleet, and Brysen Nepute. 2nd Team was Leo Humbert and Honorable Mention for the second year in a row was Sophomore Tytus Cissell.

Jake McCutcheon moved on to play at Missouri State. Tyler Rauser will pitch at Truman. Andrew Brakensiek will play at State Fair CC. We have a lot of commits coming back for 2023. Brett Norfleet is committed to Missouri for both football and baseball. Soph Tytus Cissell, Coach Darin Cissell's son, is also committed to Missouri. Brysen Nepute will attend San Jacinto CC in Texas. Ayden Rogers and Brady Wilson will attend Jeffco. Landen Graves and Carter Allen will attend St. Charles CC. Tommy Kramer will attend Illinois Tech. Caleb Miller will join Will Doherty at Missouri Southern. Soph Adam Shipley committed recently to SLU. We will look forward to a successful 2023 campaign.

Sam Maddox transfers from Western Illinois to join teammates Matt James and Carsen Subbert at Lindenwood. Kyle Grantham and Brendan Trimble are inducted into Francis Howell Baseball Hall of Fame.

31-11

Conference Champs, District Champs, Quarter final Champs, 13th Semi Final , 2nd in Class 6

The Vikings had another great season as the tough season schedule helps them advance to their 13th Final Four and finish 2nd in State. Francis Howell Tied for the Conference Championship with rival Ft. Zumwalt West. In the District Tournament which was hosted at Troy the Vikings got by Ft. Zumwalt North 7-2, Liberty (Wentzville), and beat Ft. Zumwalt West 6-1 in the District Championship game. Ft. Zumwalt West had beaten the Vikings 4 times in the regular season but we got 'em in the one that mattered. One of those losses was a 4-2 loss in the Troy tournament Championship game. The Quarter Final game saw the Vikings head to DeSmet to take on Desmet. The place was electric and there was a standing room only around the field. The Vikings scored early and often and won the game 8-1 to earn their way into the class 6 Final Four for the second year in a row. In the Semi Final game the Vikings faced a strong Jackson team. Howell jumped out to an early lead behind ace Brysen Nepute on the mound. Jackson made a furious comeback but Howell prevailed and won 9-8. Francis Howell was set to play Liberty North in the Championship. This was a rematch of last year's game where Liberty North beat Howell 4-3 in 10 innings in the Semi Final in 2022. They were a formidable team with many college commits. It wasn't meant to be as Liberty North wins the game 9-3 and repeats as State Champions. One of the biggest wins came against Edwardsville ILL., 8-7. Edwardsville wins the big school State Championship in Illinois for the second year in a row.

Francis Howell had many post season honors. 1st Team All State were Brysen Nepute, Brett Norfleet, Tytus Cissell, and Leo Humbert. Honorable Mention All State were Aden Johnson and Caleb Miller. First Team All Conference players were Brysen Nepute, Tytus Cissell, Aden Johnson, Leo Humbert, Jackson Vaughn, and Brett Norfleet. 2nd Team All Conference were Brady Wilson, Brennon Wibbenmyer, and Caleb Miller. 1st Team All Districts were Brysen Nepute, Tytus Cissell, Aden Johnson, Leo Humbert, Jackson Vaughn, and Brett Norfleet. 2nd Team All District was Alex Bryan, and Caleb Miller. The GAC Sportsmanship winner was Evan Piwowarski. Brysen Nepute set the school record for wins in a season with 11. He finished up his 2 year career 17-4 off the mound. Many school records of the 2023 team etched their names in our records page on our website. Caleb Miller and Aden Johnson were selected and played in the Senior All Star game held at Southern Boone High School. Coach Perkins helped coach the game. Aden Johnson threw the last inning for the Class 6 team and Caleb Miller was selected as the MVP of the game.

A very strong senior class graduates and sets a high standard for the future Vikings. Brett Norfleet heads to Mizzou to play football and baseball. Brysen Nepute heads to San Jacinto Juco in Houston Texas, Aden Johnson heads to Purdue Northwest, Aiden Mongomery goes to Wisconsin Lutheran College, Evan Piwowarski goes to Merramec, Brady Wilson goes to Jeffco, Carter Allen goes to St. Charles Community College, and Caleb Miller heads to Missouri Southern. Tony Bishop was inducted into the Francis Howell Baseball Hall of Fame at our golf tournament. Leo Humbert, Jackson Vaughn, and Eli Skidmore all were selected and played in the Futures game in Atlanta. Coach Perkins also helped coach this team.

The cupboard is not bare as the Vikings are set to reload. We have 5 D 1 commits and 12 Commits overall returning for the 2024 season. Tytus Cissell after getting some kind of All State recognition the past 3 years is committed to Missouri. He also has been selected to participate in the Super 60 by PBR which is a big deal. Tytus also has a chance to be drafted this year. Jackson Vaughn is committed to Wichita State. Brennon Wibbenmyer will attend Missouri S&T. Schafer Craddick and Owen Larrigan will attend Moberly juco. Adam Shipley will pitch at St. Louis University. Grayson Coleman will pitch at William Woods, Quinn Redfield will play at Jeffco. Alex Bryan will pitch at Maryville University, Eli Skidmore will pitch at St. Louis University. Leo Humbert is ranked in the top 10 by PBR and has committed to the University of Missouri. Sophomore pitchers Jake Brettschneider and Dylan Curtis are both being recruited highly.

In Coaching news at Francis Howell Justin Schmidt resigned as a long time coach for the program and headed to North Point. We are fortunate to have hired Seth Fortner into the program. Brett Schroeder will be the head Freshmen coach and Coach Fortner will help him. Every other coach is returning. Varsity Staff is Coach P, Matt Feldt, Darin Cissell, and Anthony Herron. Jv will have head coach Clark Cranston and Rich Barnes and coaches again. Coach Feldt will be recognized as an Assistant Coach of the Year by the MHSBCA at their yearly clinic in Jefferson City the 3rd week in January.

30-12

2024 was another successful year for the Vikings. They finished 30-12 and won Districts, Quarterfinal, and made it to the Final Four for the 3rd year in a row. Alas in the rain soaked game versus Blue Springs with 2 delays and playing in the rain most of the game the Vikings were defeated. Howell faced a familiar foe in the 3rd place game, Liberty North. Liberty North had won the state championship the last 2 years. Alas, the Vikings were defeated 4-0 and finished 4th in state. There were many individual and team records set which you can view on our records page.

Tytus Cissell finishes his High School career earning All American, All State, All Conference, and All District. He was committed to Mizzou but was drafted in the 4th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and he entered into their system in June. Leo Humbert came up lame late in the season but still garnered some All State, All Conference, and All District honors. He looks to have a great senior year for the Vikings. Leo is also committed to the University of Missouri. Alex Bryan was the ace of the staff and finished 6-1 on the year. Alex was also All State, All Conference, and All District. Alex will continue his career at Maryville University. Jackson Vaughn also got injured late in the season but also got recognition for All State, All District, and All Conference. Jackson is committed to Wichita State and will return for his senior year. Sr. Brennon Wibbenmyer was a steady influence all year in right field and had many outstanding assists from out there.Wibb was All Conference and All district. He is continuing his playing career at Missouri S&T. Mathew Rauser was great at 3rd base all year and hit .347 for us. He was All Conference and All District. He will return for his senior year and is committed to play at Maryville University where he will join his brother Tyler. Brady Tanner had a great year at 2nd base and batted in the top of the line up. He was All Conference and All District as a sophomore. He has not committed as of yet but is being recruited highly. 2 of our best pitchers were sophomores Dylan Curtis and Jake Brettschneider. Dylan was 6-1 and Jake was 4-3. Both got post season recognition and both are committed to University of Missouri. Another power arm is Eli Skidmore who finished the season at 3-2 and will be welcomed back. He will continue his career at SLU.

All in all we have 14 commits on this 2025 edition of our upcoming team. 5 D 1's, a couple of D 2's, and some juco guys. So the future looks bright. On the coaching side Darin Cissell retires from coaching after being with us for about 25 years. Anthony Herron also decided to not coach. On the bright side besides having Matt Feldt back we have picked up ex Howell, Mizzou alum Brett Peel who we are excited to get. Brett coached at Missouri and also at SIUC so brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Seth Fortner will also be joining the varsity coaching staff. Frank Page was inducted into our Baseball Hall of Fame.We do not rebuild, we reload!

34-4

2025 was a great year for the Vikings. We started the season with 8 wins in a row before dropping a league game to Fort Zumwalt West. We then won 10 games in a row before splitting a double header with a tough Rockbridge team. After that loss we won 14 in row. During the District tournament we were the #1 seed and got a raw deal as we faced Fort Zumwalt North in the first game. The problem is we had a draft Carson Lohman pitching against us. The Vikings sent out Eli Skidmore and he did his job as the Vikings won 2-1 in a great game. We then beat Howell Central 12-2 and lost the district championship game to our nemesis Fort Zumwalt West. We just lost the wrong game.Pitching was our strong suit. Eli Skidmore was our go to go and he finished 7-0 on the year. Dylan Curtis 5-1, Jake Brettschneider 4-0, and Collin Lovelady 5-0 all had great years. Lovelady mixed a no hitter in as well. Andrew Dierks broke our school record of saves with 6 as a sophomore. Other pitchers that fulfilled their roles were Mason Burke, Jack Hubbard, Derek Chupp, Jack Brettschneider, Carson Drummond, Shake Speckert, and Noah Jones. Good news is most of those pitchers are returning.On the offense side we had a lot of clout. Brady Tanner led us in hitting with a .407 average. Mason Bogard battled injuries all season but hit .404. Soph Shake Speckert hit .392. Senior Matthew Rauser finishes his career hitting .381. Junior AJ Jones was a pleasant surprise in the outfield and hit .351. D1 players Jackson Vaughn and Leo Humbert finished their reigns as Vikings and both had a great season.Senior commits were: Leo Humbert Missouri, Jackson Vaughn University of Nebraska-Omaha, Eli Skidmore Missouri, Mason Bogard Moberly, Matthew Rauser Maryville, Shane Ernst Moberly, Riley Tallis Spoon River, Mason Burke Spoon River, Collin Lovelady Heartland.For 2026 we have 2 Missouri commits that are pitchers and they are Dylan Curtis and Jake Brettschneider. Sophomore Andrew Dierks is committed to SLU. Pitchers Jack Hubbard and Carson Drummond are committed to Moberly. Brady Tanner is committed to Indiana State. Juniors Derek Chupp and Shake Speckert will be committed soon.The whole coaching staff will return which is really a great thing. Our golf tournament was sold out again and George Hill and Matt Schark were inducted into our Francis Howell Baseball Hall of Fame. We don't rebuild we reload!