The West Platte baseball team returned to Benner Park in Weston on March 20 to open the 2026 season, using the run rule to defeat South Holt 11-1 in five innings.
It was a quality start to a season for a team that has set high expectations for itself.
“I call it unfinished business,” West Platte head coach Brian Faulkner said. “We’ve had that approach ever since day one, as far as how we’re going to get after it and our approach to this ballgame with how competitive we are going to be early.”
West Platte came flying out of the gates from the get-go with a four-run first inning. After Jhett Chandler and Cuin Vincent reached base with a hit-by-pitch and a walk, Reed Elms came up hungry and drove both of them in on the first pitch he saw to quickly give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.
Blaze Masoner followed suit. After taking a first-pitch ball, Masoner drove a ball to left field to score Elms before Jaxon Davis hit West Platte’s third double of the opening frame to make it 4-0 with Masoner scoring.
“I’m super proud of these kids,” Faulkner said. “We came out aggressive, swinging the bats at good pitches. Fundamentally, we were right where we needed to be to take control of the game early.”
South Holt eventually got out of it, but more damage would come later.
First baseman Alex Allison, batting ninth in the lineup, led off the second inning, and he had an at-bat he would not forget. After watching the first strike hit the zone, Allison turned on the next pitch, driving it over the 270-foot fence in right field for a solo home run.
“Shock,” Allison said of his reaction to hitting the home run. “First swing of the season felt great. I knew it as soon as it came off (the bat), but it was still a little bit shocking.”
West Platte first baseman Alex Allison rounds third base on March 20 during his home run trot, where he is greeted by head coach Brian Faulkner.
It was a no-doubter for the second homer of Allison’s career as a Blue Jay. The senior hit one last spring in a similar spot, but he estimated that his most recent homer had a bit more distance.
“He’s so strong up there in the box that if he connects, doesn’t try to overswing, that ball goes a long ways,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got a lot of kids that can hit it over the fence this year. We don’t try to do that, we don’t teach that, but a good swing and it will go.”
South Holt eventually settled in, getting around a two-out double from Elms to escape the rest of the second frame unscathed. The visitors got their lone run in the third inning, when a one-out walk later scored on their first hit of the evening — a two-out double to deep right field.
West Platte’s offense reignited with two more runs in the fourth inning. A leadoff walk from Carter Conrad, who was eventually balked into scoring position, was driven in on a blooper to shallow left field by Allison on a one-and-two pitch. Chandler drove in West Platte’s seventh run of the game on a single up the middle.
The Blue Jays delivered the fatal blow with a four-run fifth inning. After the first two batters reached base safely, Matthew Cook and Conrad both kept the line moving with RBI-singles to make it 10-1.
South Holt managed to record an out on aggressive baserunning, only for a walk and a single to load the bases up. After taking the first two balls, Elms earned his third RBI of the evening by taking a hit-by-pitch to walk off the 11-1 run-rule victory.
Allison finished the day a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. He also came on as a relief pitcher, tossing two scoreless innings and working himself out of a pair of dicey situations to leave three baserunners stranded.
“Tonight’s opening game is normally very emotional,” Allison said. “It’s a good way to see how we’ll start the season. Based on tonight, I think it’ll be a great one.”
Cook earned his first win of the season as the starting pitcher, throwing three scoreless innings while facing 11 batters with three strikeouts and giving up a run.
West Platte pitchers Alex Allison, left, and Matthew Cook, right, used a rock-solid, error-free defense to hold South Holt to three hits and a run.
West Platte’s defense — a trademark of last season — started the new season flashing the leather once again. There were numerous plays in the field, none more timely than Chandler helping Allison out by picking off a baserunner on third base with two outs.
The Blue Jays’ first victory of the season was also a reward for the coaching staff. Faulkner had high praise for each of his assistants, including returning coaches Shane Davis and Randy Masoner, as well as former Mid-Buchanan head coach Dave Elms, who is in his first year as a member of West Platte’s coaching staff.
“I’m proud of my assistant coaches because they keep us going,” Faulkner said. “They see a lot of things I don’t see. There’s no assistant coaches on this team; everybody has a responsibility, so these guys deserve this just as much attention as a head coach.”