Veteran Tropics squad getting boost from new faces

Southeast Tropics first baseman Owen Roberts holds a baserunner on during a recent game against the Cardinals Legacy Perfectos 18U squad at Kelly High School.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

With the core of his team returning this summer from its Babe Ruth World Series championship run last August, veteran Southeast Tropics manager Dustin Schwartz felt confident heading into this summer that his team would be pretty good.

And it has been.

“A lot of this is chemistry,” Schwartz said of his team’s success. “We’ve got so many guys from last year, and the new guys who we brought in, they are really clicking for the team. They are buying in.

“We are really good. We have the talent (and) now we have to go out and do something with it.”

The Tropics have bolted out to a 15-4-1 record and earned a win and a tie in this past weekend’s Alabama Wood Bat Tournament in Tuscaloosa.

Schwartz knew he could count on all of the returning veteran players, but he also added some new pieces, including three former Jackson High athletes (Carson McDaniel, Dylan Hayman, and Waylon Hale), who have performed well so far this summer.

“We kind of knew what to expect from a lot of them,” Schwartz said. “But Dylan Hayman and the other Jackson kids, I didn’t really know a lot about them, but those three have all been excellent.”

Hayman, who played at State Fair Community College this past season, spent this past weekend playing in left field for the Tropics and had a couple of hits to go with a couple of runs scored. His run in the seventh inning in Thursday’s tourney opener tied the game at two, which ultimately was the final score due to time limitations.

He added a double in Friday’s victory while Hale, who plays third base, chipped in a sacrifice fly in the opening game.

Half of the Tropics’ four losses have come to a team out of Paragould (Ark.), but McDaniel pitched the Tropics to a recent 3-1 win over that team.

In that victory, McDaniel worked five innings and allowed just three hits, and no earned runs while walking two and striking out two.

Another young player who has performed well for Schwartz is Portageville High senior-to-be Owen Roberts, who has played first base this summer.

Roberts had a key pinch hit in that tourney opener in the seventh inning and recently belted out three hits in a 3-0 win over the Moberly Sixers 19U squad.

The Tropics are 6-0-1 in their past seven games, and Schwartz has been very pleased with his team’s pitching and hitting, but there is a lot more to this team than just those areas.

“Defensively,” Schwartz said, “we’re great. We make a lot of great plays. We make plays that, really, other teams don’t make.”

Tropics' Benthal not intimidated in victory over 'The Mafia'

Tom Davis

One would think that the Southeast Tropics baseball squad would be slightly fearful of playing a team called 'The Mafia,' but fear doesn't sit well with Tropics' veteran player Trey Benthal.

This summer’s Tropics squad, which will be the final one in the program due to Schwartz retiring (for now) from leading the program, has athleticism defensively and offensively on the base paths.

“Our baserunning has been excellent this year,” Schwartz said. “We have speed with guys like Ross Peters, Aaron Dunlap, Trey Miller, we take extra bases. That actually has been a big part of our lineup.

“We find ways to push those runs across, which helps our pitching staff.”

The Tropics will host their rival, the Aycorp Media Charleston Fighting Squirrels Tuesday at Kelly High School for a doubleheader, which starts at 6 p.m.