Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director

Follow @PBRMissouri

Making our way into the top ten of the most read articles of 2015, the Team Preview for the DeSmet Jesuit Spartans earns the number ten spot. The Spartans finished with a 19-10 record and fell 1-0 to the eventual state champion, CBC Cadets, 1-0 in the district final.  Here is the re-post of the DeSmet Team Preview from February 25. 

#11: 2015 Team Preview: DeSmet Jesuit Spartans

Wed February 25, 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: De Smet Jesuit
Nickname: Spartans
Class: 5A
League: Metro Catholic
Head Coach: David Stewart
Twitter Handle: @DeSmet_Baseball
2014 Overall Record: 20-11
2014 League Record:  4-4, 3rd
2014 Post-Season Finish: District Runner-Up

Number of Position Players Lost: 5
Number of Pitchers Lost: 3
Number of Returning Starters/Position Players: 4
Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 3

TOP RETURNERS (Commit)
Troy Beilsmith, SS, 2015
Mike Berra, OF, 2015
Dan Hornsey, DH, 2015
Kory Kostecki, RHP/3B, 2015
Erik Miller, LHP, 2016 (Stanford)
Mike Plassmeyer, LHP, 2015 (Mizzou)
John Smith, OF, 2015
Clayton Stephens, C, 2017

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Henry Boeckmann, LHP/1B, 2016
Nicholas Chiapel, 3B/RHP, 2016
Nick Claxton, OF, 2016
Adam Gunter, C, 2016
Nick Logusch, RHP/SS, 2016
Carter Martens, RHP, 2017

OUTLOOK
First year head coach David Stewart will will inherit a pair of Division 1 lefty arms in 2015, Mike Plassmeyer and Erik Miller.  Plassmeyer, as senior, has pinpoint control, finishing his junior season with 34 strikeouts to just four walks.  As a junior, he worked 41.3 innings and finished with a 1.86 ERA, allowing just 11 earned runs.  Junior Erik Miller is equally impressive.  The Stanford commit, is a southpaw that stands 6-foot-5 208-pound with a fastball touching 91 mph.  Senior Kory Kostecki will give the Spartans a solid right-handed starter as well.  In 2014, Kostecki went 3-0, working 27.2 innings with a 2.28 ERA.  De Smet will have no shortage of arms to work with in the competitive Metro Catholic Conference.  De Smet will rely on a pair of seniors to provide most of the offense. DH Dan Hornsey batted .309 with two home runs and 23 RBI, while OF John Smith, batted .308 with a pair of home runs and 19 driven in, last season.  Seniors Troy Beilsmith and Mike Berra also have varsity experience and play a key role in the Spartans success.  De Smet will rely on sophomore catcher Clayton Stephens to handle the duities behind the plate.  Stephens saw limited action on varsity as a freshman and will have expanded role this year.  De Smet enters the MHSBCA preseason rankings at #10, and come playoff time, the Spartans pitching staff could carry them a long way.

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