Mules receive 6th seed for district tournament

Mules’ head coach John David Pattillo had a few words of encouragement for his team as they collected a win for their last home game of the season on Tuesday.

DAR/D’Courtland Christian

The stage is set for the postseason as many baseball teams within the Class 6 District 1 will compete for a shot at a district championship and a spot in the state tournament.

With one more week before the first pitch of the opening round, the Poplar Bluff Mules are eager to put all their hard work from throughout the season to the test. The Mules closed out the regular season with a 19-11 record and recently received the No. 6 seed in the district tournament.

The Mules haven’t won a district title since 2017, but with a higher winning percentage than they had since 2019, some players believe they have a strong chance of getting back to the big game.

Junior pitcher/short-stop Noah Spain has been one of many elite pitchers the Mules have utilized throughout the season. Compared to how the Mules felt heading into last year’s district tournament, Spain said there’s new energy and more experience heading in this season.

“We’re feeling much better about districts this year,” Spain said. “We’ve played really well and there’s been a lot of growth with our confidence. Our team has been doing well in hitting and pitching, and we're determined to succeed and prove ourselves against tougher opponents. I believe we can have a good postseason by working hard and maintaining a confident mindset.”

Spain said having that dog mindset has helped him stay locked in from the plate and the mound.

“When you’re going up against some of the best teams in the district, you have to believe you’re better than everyone else, or you don’t stand a chance. It’s all about setting your mind to do something and achieving it, but you just have to have that dog in you to get it done. I believe we all have it, so I’m looking forward to the first pitch.”

The Mules will take on the No. 3 Seckman Jaguars on Wednesday at Lindbergh High School. This will be the fourth matchup between the teams dating back to 2014. Seckman currently holds the upper hand as they have won the last two face-offs when the Jaguars defeated the Mules 4-3 in 2022.

With so many games being postponed due to inclement weather, head coach John David Pattillo said things have been slow for the Mules. He said they are accustomed to playing multiple games throughout the week, and he hopes they can add another before the district tournament.

“The big thing is that we put ourselves in a good spot, now we just need to go out and compete,” Pattillo said. “We’re not too concerned about who we will play in the first round, so we just need to get ready it and go out and battle.”

Mules vs Jackson

A rally in the seventh inning wouldn’t be enough for the Poplar Bluff Mules to get past the Jackson Indians. The Mules closed out the regular season with a loss to Jackson 9-4 on Friday at Indian Parkway.

The Mules opened the scoring in the fourth after an error scored one run. Jackson flipped the game on its head in the bottom of the fifth, scoring seven runs on five hits to take a 7-1 lead. The biggest blow in the inning was a single by Owen Osborne after a 6-pitch at-bat that drove in two.

Carson McDaniel earned the win for Jackson. The lefty surrendered three hits and one run (zero earned) over five and one-third innings, striking out seven and walking three. Noah Spain took the loss for Poplar Bluff. The starting pitcher went four innings, allowing five runs (zero earned) on two hits, striking out three and walking four.

Kolby Greenwall and Kade Huffman were tough to handle back-to-back in the lineup, as each drove in one run for the Mules. Myles Johnson, Greenwall, Dylan Bratcher, and Huffman each collected one hit for the squad.

Osborne and Drake Weber each collected two hits for Jackson. Cooper Rhodes and Weber each drove in two runs for Jackson.