The McCracken County Mustang baseball program has held the First Region in the palm of its hands since the school’s inception in the fall of 2013, except for the canceled season in 2020. With nine district titles, nine regional titles, and nine trips to the state tournament with two state runner-up titles, the Mustangs are still looking for the final puzzle piece, a state championship—something the First Region hasn’t held in its hands since the spring of 1960.
McCracken County’s head coach, Zach Hobbs, returns for his fourth season. Hobbs has 242 varsity wins between his coaching career at Calloway County (2008-15) and McCracken, which began in 2020. Still, due to the pandemic, he could not coach an actual game until the spring of 2021, when he led the Mustangs to the program’s second state championship.
“Our guys have done a good job in preparing, and I think they’ve worked as hard as any group we’ve had in the past,” Hobbs said. “We have a lot of seniors, but I’m very excited about some sophomores and juniors who will be contributing to the varsity lineup this year. I think we have some young guys who are going to push the older guys.”
The Mustangs finished with a 28-11 record last season, falling short in the 2023 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament in a 3-0 contest against Shelby County. Unlike many teams throughout Kentucky, the Mustangs returned all but five seniors, who graduated in the spring of 2023. McCracken County will have 15 seniors this upcoming season, many with varsity experience that dates back to their freshman season.
“I think our team unity has been as good as it’s been since I’ve been here as head coach,” Hobbs said. We’re excited to see what the season can lead to. We have a very challenging schedule, but we’re not concerned much about our record. We want to make sure that we’re preparing and ready to play baseball in late May. We’re ready to get going and to start playing games. It’s been a long offseason.”
Scout Moffatt, Eli James, Jude Farley, Ross Aldridge, Weston Miller, Miller Green, Griffin Cantrell, Caleb Ehling, Trace Cressler, Tyler Chapman, Andrew Farmer, Seth Harris, Casey Hawes, Alex Calhoun, and Zander Smith will suit up for their final season in the McCracken County baseball program under the guidance of Hobbs.
Moffatt led the Mustangs with 34 hits in 38 games, collecting 29 runs, 22 RBI, and six doubles. He finished with a .293 batting average during his junior season. James led the team in multiple categories: RBI with 33 runs batted in, seven doubles, and five home runs. The first baseman, James, finished with a .274 batting average in 39 games.
Farley played in 36 games, collecting 29 hits, 17 RBI, and three doubles for a .282 average. Miller collected 28 hits, 21 runs, 24 RBI, six doubles, and four home runs and went 8-for-8 in stolen bases with a .289 batting average in 97 at-bats. Offensively, Green played in 32 games, collecting 22 runs, 27 hits, 23 RBI, six doubles, and one triple, and went 14-for-16 in stolen bases with a .265 average.
Cantrell finished with 13 runs, 19 hits, 15 RBI, three doubles, and a .216 average in 88 at-bats. Ehling hit in 14 games, collecting seven runs, 11 hits, four RBI, and one double for a .355 average. Ehling went 4-for-5 in stolen bases.
On the mound, the Mustangs return a surplus of hurlers, including Green, who threw 26 innings in nine games with four starts despite dealing with injury last season. The right-handed future Western Kentucky arm struck out 43 and collected two saves for a 2.66 ERA.
Tyler Chapman, who had a standout junior season, appeared in 12 games for the Mustangs, working 40 innings on the mound. The crafty lefty struck out 25, collected a 7-1 win-loss record, and boasted a 0.88 ERA. In the theme of lefthanded arms for McCracken, Harris worked 10 games, 24 innings, and struck out 25 with two saves for a 4.89 ERA. Ehling, derailed last season with an injury, threw in three games, including the regional tournament. Ehling worked five innings for the Mustangs, striking out nine opponents for a 0.00 ERA.
Aldridge, who has been part of the McCracken County pitching staff since his freshman year, worked 11 games, striking out 57 opponents in 53 innings for a 6-1 record and a 1.72 ERA. Calhoun appeared in seven games, working 23 innings for a 3-0-1 record while striking out 22 for a 2.13 ERA.
In addition to the seniors, the Mustangs will have a handful of new and familiar faces on the diamond at Edward Jones Field. Sophomores Caden Kern and Kendrick Dunning will step into new and familiar roles. Kern appeared in 10 games offensively as a freshman and finished with a .278 batting average.
The Mustangs will begin the 2024 spring season on the road, with the first matchup scheduled for Monday, March 11, at Murray High School. The season home opener at Edward Jones Field will be on March 23 against Kennett, MO, and O’Fallon, IL.