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2015 Team Preview: St. John Vianney Griffins

February 4, 2015

Shon Plack and Jeff Viles
Prep Baseball Report-Missouri

As we prepare for the upcoming 2015 high school season, we will be taking a preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.

Team: St. John Vianney
Nickname: Griffins
Class: 5A
League: Metro Catholic
Head Coach: Scott Brown
Twitter Handle:  @vianneybaseball
2014 Overall Record: 29-9
2014 Post-Season Finish: 4th at State; Missouri Class 5

Number of Position Players Lost:  6
Number of Returning Starters/Position Players:  5
Number of Pitchers Lost:  3
Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 1

TOP RETURNERS (Commit)
Matt Bokamper, INF, 2015
Chris Cornelius, SS, 2016 (Missouri)
Josh Estes, C, 2015
Neil Fischer, 1B, 2015 (Lewis)
Parker Heath, RHP, 2016
Ryan Knernschield, 2016, C
Joseph Manley, RHP, 2015
Patrick Maus, 3B, 2017
Matthew McCauley, OF, 2015
Nolan Snyder, INF, 2015
Austin Tapella, 2B/MIF, 2016

OUTLOOK
Vianney looks to return to T.R. Hughes for the Missouri Class 5 Final Four, after an excellent run in 2014.  Coach Brown's crew will return a contributing corps this spring, led by junior SS Chris Cornelius.  Cornelius, a top SS in the midwest and Mizzou recruit, batted .462 with a .655 slugging percentage, while driving in 36 runs. The Griffins will also junior catcher Ryan Knernschield, who played a big role in the teams success a year ago.  The physical 5-foot-11 180-pound catcher has a strong arm with pop times in the 1.94 to 2.05 range.  Vianney will not lack in senior leadership either.  Lewis University recruit 1B Neil Fischer, OF Matthew McCaulley, INF Matt Bokamper, INF Nolan Snyder and RHP Joseph Manley will all be hungry to get the Griffins a state championship during the senior season.  Bokamper batted .357 last season, while Fischer and McCaulley could add power to the middle of the line up.  Manley top returning pitching from last season, where he posted a 3-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched.  Vianney could also lean on senior Matt McCauley play a bigger role on the mound in 2015.  Head Coach Scott Brown was also recently inducted into the MHSBCA Hall of Fame, and will no doubt have the Griffins ready to play this spring.  Although the Metro Catholic League could be one of the toughest conferences in the state, Vianney has the experience and talent to compete with anybody in the state. 

CLICK HERE, to see the MHSBCA Rankings
CLICK HERE, to see the entire list of 2015 Missouri Team Previews

Coaches Preseason Questionnaire

We appreciate all of the help provided by high school coaches across the state assisting with our preseason coverage. If you have not already done so you can fill out our coaches' preseason questionnaire online by CLICKING HERE.

 

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