By Steve Carpenter
Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director
Brock Nehls' first edition of Blue Dragon Baseball was undeniably something special.
All the 2024 Hutchinson Community College baseball team did was:
+ Set a program record and become the first team in the 40-year history of the program to reach 50 wins with a 51-13 overall record;
+ Win the 2024 Jayhawk West with a record of 27-5;
+ Break six offensive team records, including runs scored (637), total hits (705) and stolen bases (225);
+ Finish as Region 6 Tournament runner-up after losing the first game of the tournament and winning five-straight games to force a decisive second championship game.
With all that to look back on, it's time to get the 2025 season going. The No. 23-ranked Blue Dragons open Nehls' second season at Hutchinson with a doubleheader against Hesston College at 1 p.m. Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.
BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL
No. 23 Hutchinson (0-0) vs. Hesston College (0-0)
2025 Season Opener
When: Friday, February 7, 2025
Where: Hobart-Detter Field, Hutchinson, KS
Times: 1 & 3:30 p.m. (doubleheader)
Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 12:45 p.m. -- Game 1 Game 2
X: @bluedragonsport
"We are excited to get this rolling and the guys are itching to get it going," Nehls said. "What we did last year was awesome. I think we were a little ahead of the game from where we thought we were going to be.
"But the message we are trying to send to these guys is that there is going to be a different group out there this year. The expectations are still the same. So to find out how we want to accomplish the same things we did last year, this team is going to be different that last season."
Returning experience from last season's experience-rich team is a bit thin for 2025 with only four returning position players, one starting pitcher and one bullpen arm back.
Of the four returning position players, only Quinn Maher and Jarrett Herrman saw action last season.
Maher, a first baseman/designated hitter was an all-Jayhawk West honorable mention selection last season. The third-year sophomore from Colorado Springs, Colorado, hit .329 last season with 54 total hits, 10 doubles, five home runs and 51 RBIs. Herrman (Iola), started eight games and played in 22 games last season and hit .323 in 31 at-bats.
Outfielder A.J. Mustow (Sydney, Australia) didn't play last season, but hit .324 in 2023 with 48 hits, six home runs and 44 RBIs. Infielder Jack Gardner (Warsaw, Missouri) also missed last season, but hit .285 with four home runs and 25 RBIs in 2023.
Slotted to anchor the starting rotation this season is sophomore right-hander Trenton Roehler (Blue Springs, Missouri). As a freshman, Roehler made 14 starts and 18 total appearances in 2024 and posted a record of 8-1 with a 4.81 earned-run average in earning all-KJCCC honorable mention honors. Over 58 innings pitched, Roehler struck out 66 and allowed an opponent .244 batting average.
Sophomore Sean Combs (Liberty, Missouri) is the lone bullpen arm back. He was 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA in eight appearances as a freshman.
"We have a good mixture of older guys and younger guys on this team," Nehls said about what he learned about the 2025 Blue Dragons in fall camp. "Last year we hit the ground running, but with this group there has been a lot more teaching and coaching. The big thing is that we are deeper overall than last year. This is a very talented group and we are going to be excited about the versatility within our lineup and we are going to be deeper on the mound."
After Roehler and Combs, some of the names fans will likely see on a consistent basis on the mound are Jake Wolcott (RHP/Manhattan, Kansas), Gabe Perry (RHP/Liberty, Missouri), Reece Usselman (LHP/Langley, British Columbia), Karter Chamberlain (RHP/Lincoln, Nebraska) and Noah McCombs (RHP/Olathe, Kansas).
"We have a lot of depth on the mound, "Nehls said. "I could name 10 or 12 guys who will be a big part of what we do.
"We are going to lean on Trenton. He's pitched some very big innings for us in high-leverage games. But we are young, so we will have to lean on our veteran guys until the young pups get a little more confidence."
One of the biggest replacements Nehls faces for this season is behind the plate.
Nehls lost a pair of Division I-caliber catchers in Colin Cymbalista (Nebraska) and Cody Gunderson (Charlotte). Not only did Nehls graduate two great handlers of the pitchers, but he lost a combined 154 hits, 27 home runs and 139 RBIs from last season.
Freshman Anthony Mazza (Prairie Village, Kansas) and Charlotte transfer Eli Duncan (Palo Alto, California) takes over the primary catching duties in 2025.
"We lost two really good catchers, but we feel like we have two really good catchers to replace them," Nehls said. "Both are great at handling pitching staffs and both will be big parts of our lineup."
The 2025 infield will be versatile with several players able to play multiple positions.
Maher will play first or be slotted as the designated hitter. Look for C.J. Reid (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and Taber Stokes (Mustang, Oklahoma) primarily in the middle of the infield. Cael Hamrick (Sheridan, Wyoming), Finn Hochstein (Seward, Nebraska), Nick Glantz (Elkhorn, Nebraska) and Nick Paredes (Lenexa, Kansas) will also get plenty of looks in the infield.
Mustow will either play in left field or at first base for the Blue Dragons. Other outfield names to look for are Scotty Fegen (Prairie Village), Leo Griffin (Boucherville, Quebec), Herrmann and Gardner.
"There are going to be some opportunities for these young guys to show what they can do," Nehls said. "We are going to find out who will be able the take advantage of those opportunities."
The Blue Dragons were picked to finish third in the Jayhawk West preseason coaches' poll behind Barton and Cloud County.