The North Platte baseball team has already passed last season’s win total, doing so with plenty of baseball left to be played.
Entering the final three weeks of the regular season, North Platte has posted a record of 12-5 after finishing 11-16 a year ago. Their most recent win, which was a 20-5 thumping of University Academy on April 20, gave them 12 wins in a single season for just the third time since 2009.
The Panthers’ offense has shown its explosiveness throughout the season, averaging nearly 10 runs per game. Defensively, they have also been sound with less than five runs given up per game.
Aspen Large embraces an opportunity to reach base safely as he gets hit by a pitch against West Platte on April 16.
North Platte opened conference play with a 3-0 mark, but had their conference title hopes take a hit after losing to West Platte 11-7 in eight innings.
The Panthers previously had grinded out a critical come-from-behind road win on April 9, when they played 11 innings before defeating Lawson 3-2. North Platte was down to its final three outs in the seventh inning before a two-RBI double from Ben Horsley tied it at 2-2.
Horsley formed the first half of a dominant pitching performance alongside Lane Richardson, who combined for 11 strikeouts and gave up just two runs on three hits in 11 innings against Lawson. The Panthers’ go-ahead run came across in the 11th inning, when Collin Kersten reached on an error and later scored on an RBI-double from Kaysen Iske before Richardson shut the door on the Cardinals while stranding the bases loaded.
Six of North Platte’s first 11 wins have come with a run margin of 10 or more.
North Platte will begin a five-game homestand this Friday, April 24, when they host South Holt.
The Panthers will carry the homestand into next week with tough matchups against Northland Christian (April 27), Plattsburg (April 28), Mid-Buchanan (April 30) and Rock Port (May 4).
Senior shortstop Hunter Palmer celebrates a hit for North Platte on April 16.
The path towards a second district title in three years will be a tough one. Not only will the Panthers have to get past KCI Conference foe in Plattsburg, but they will also have to outlast reigning Class 1 runner-up Faith Christian Academy, the No. 3-ranked team in Class 2 which handed North Platte its worst loss this season and has started the spring 15-2.
With the ability of North Platte’s offense, they hope their bats can remain hot in districts to give any team they face a challenging lineup to overcome.