Despite no playoffs, Hoots conclude best season in three years
Another season of O’Fallon Hoots baseball has come and gone. And while no playoff action was seen, this season did see the team post it’s best win percentage since the 2021 campaign. So before we completely move on from the 2024 season, take a second to catch up on all that happened this past summer.
Season Recap
The season started on a rough note for the Hoots. May 28 brought the season and home opener, and the Hoots suffered a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of their rivals from across the river, the Alton River Dragons. The Thrillville Thrillbillies came to town the following day, and dismantled O’Fallon, 13-1.
Fortunes turned on May 30 with a trip to face the Burlington Bees, who the Hoots defeated 7-2 for their first win of the year. They then returned home for another two games versus the Bees, with O’Fallon winning both of them 15-2 and 4-2. Another two wins against the Normal Cornbelters and Springfield Lucky Horseshoes brought the winning streak to five. That win over Springfield was the first game in the I3 Broadband Community Cup.
A loss on June 6 versus the Clinton Lumberkings ended the win streak, but the Hoots took the next three games to make it eight wins in nine games. The last of those three wins came against the Cape Catfish, who faced the Hoots in the MRV Banks Show Me Slugfest this season. Cape got revenge the following day however, downing O’Fallon 12-6.
On June 11, O’Fallon dropped both games of a doubleheader at Thrillville, but bounced back with three straight wins, which was capped off with a 22-8 win and offensive showcase against the Jackson Rockabillys.
Three of the next four games ended as losses for the Hoots, but O’Fallon rattled off four straight wins between June 22 and June 27, including a doubleheader sweep over the Full Count Rhythm, which marked the first time the two franchises ever faced each other.
With just three days to go in the first half, the Hoots lost a June 28 game at Alton, but won the following day 9-8 at Clinton. The Hoots closed out the first half on June 30 with another matchup in Clinton, dropping the half finale 9-6. Despite being six games over .500 at 17-11, O’Fallon was unable to clinch the first half playoff, which belonged to the 21-6 Thrillville.
Half two started 1-1 for the Hoots, opening the half with a 4-2 win over Burlington and then a 12-11 loss at Springfield. A season-high six game win-streak followed from July 6 until July 11, and had the Hoots sitting pretty atop the South Division at 7-1.
O’Fallon quickly fell back down to Earth however, going 3-5 over their next eight games. The floor really fell out from July 19-25 when the Hoots dropped six straight. The squad snapped the skid on July 26 with a home win over Thrillville, but a 4-3 loss in game one of a doubleheader at Alton on July 27 all but sealed the team’s exit from playoff contention.
The team collected one more win in game two of that doubleheader before dropping the last three games of the season. O’Fallon concluded the second half with a record of 12-16, good for third in the South Division.
At season’s end, the Hoots sat with an overall record of 29-27. And even though that record did not result in a playoff berth for the team, it was the organization’s best record since their 32-27 campaign in 2021.
Award Season
Several Hoots players were honored for their achievements on the field over the course of the season.
First was Barrett Lohman, who was named Prospect League Pitcher of the Week for week five of the season on July 2. In one game played between June 25 and July 1, the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy pitcher threw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit while racking up 12 strikeouts and earning the win. This dominant appearance helped lower Lohman’s season earned run average (ERA) to a measly 0.81,
Two weeks later, third-baseman Bryson Lofton earned Prospect League Hitter of the Week for week seven. From July 9-15, Lofton appeared in seven games and had 24 at-bats, where he hit a staggering .542 to collect 13 hits. Five of those hits were doubles, and three of them were home runs. The Bryan College product snagged himself 12 runs batted in (RBI) and compiled a 1.750 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
Lofton earned another piece of hardware right before the season finale on July 31. The O’Fallon Hoots booster club presented Lofton with the Offensive Player of the Year award for the team. Lofton ended up fourth in the Prospect League with a 0.392 batting average, tied for seventh in the league in RBIs, and finished in the top five in home runs.
Joining Lofton as an end-of-season award winner was relief pitcher Markell Dixon, who was named the booster club’s Pitcher of the Year. Coming out of John A. Logan College, Dixon ranked fourth in the Prospect League with 63 strikeouts. He also was at or near the top of the team leader board in ERA, appearances, innings pitched and opponent batting average against.
Impactful Players
Lohman, Lofton, and Dixon were not the only three Hoots who made their presence known this season.
Lofton was just one part of a top-of-the-order group that became one of the most formidable in the whole league. The de facto leadoff hitter for most of the season became Ryan Stevens, whose 35 walks in 38 games played ranked best on the team, and his .420 on-base percentage also ranked towards the top of the squad when accounting for number of at-bats, making him an ideal leadoff man.
Henry Zenor and Baden Hackworth usually filled out the top three spots in the lineup along with Stevens. Hackworth’s .455 on-base percentage was in fact higher than his leadoff man’s, and his .351 average was second only to Lofton’s .392 of players who appeared in 30 games or more. Meanwhile, Zenor was the rock of the Hoots’s lineup, playing in a team-high 50 games; the next closest player was Andy Niebrugge with 42. Zenor’s .314 average helped him drive in 36 runs, second most on the team to only Lofton.
Besides Lofton, Stevens, Zenor, Hackworth, and Niebrugge, four other Hoots appeared in 30 or more games: Maury Weaver, Kyle Byrne, Tyler Lang, and Justin Simard. Weaver became known for his defensive versatility, spending time in center field and the middle infield. His high stolen base rate (14 stolen bases on 15 attempts) also made him a threat on the bases, and he flashed some power with his four home runs. Byrne also added four home runs and could be found all over the field, making appearances in the outfield as well as first base. Lang became the primary catcher for the team following the departure of Will Briggs, and hit four homers as well. As for Simard, he acted as the team’s main shortstop before his departure from the team, and backed his defense with a strong bat, hitting .318 across 110 at-bats.
Joining those mainstays were a number of players who either left the squad early or joined the team late. The Hoots received a shot in the arm at the start of the second half with the arrival of Jack Meyer, returning to the team after his 2023 stint. Despite appearing in just 28 games, Meyer walked away as the team leader in doubles with 16. His .589 slugging was third best on the team, and his .383 average was second only to Lofton among players with more than 20 games played.
While he only appeared for 16 games, Briggs quickly became one of the best offensive players on the roster. The catcher hit nearly .400, and had a slugging percentage just a touch over .600. Infielder Kade Wood turned into a fan favorite thanks to his spark plug style of playing, dancing around on the basepaths and swiping 16 bags because of it. And while the sample size was small, Kurtis Byrne, brother of Kyle Byrne, made the most of his nine games played to end the season, collecting 13 hits in 38 at-bats; six of those hits were doubles, and one was a home run. A third Byrne brother, Kaden, eventually joined the team as well.
On the mound, Lohman and Dixon were not the only dominant hurlers on the team. Christian Harvey was the next most used pitcher on the team behind Dixon, making 14 appearances, four of which were starts. Harvey compiled a 5.50 ERA while racking up 11.00 strikeouts per nine innings. Camron Poe and Sam Cardwell were third and tied-for-fourth in appearances with 13 and 12 respectively. Cardwell also made three starts while winning three games.
Staying on the relievers’s side of the staff, the Hoots got excellence out of Alex Esker and his 1.64 ERA over eight appearances, and Joshua Cunningham and Brady Coon both posted sub-4.00 ERAs. And while he only appeared in 4.1 innings, Brendan Ealy was efficient, allowing just one earned run.
As for predominantly starting pitchers, Ryan Hoshaw led the way with eight starts. His four wins also led the staff thanks to a sub-5.00 ERA. Brayden Rubel started half of his 12 appearances, and racked up 51 strikeouts in just 36.1 innings of work. Peter Underwood only appeared in five games, all of them being starts, but finished his tenure with a sub-4.00 ERA. And while they may have had some of the smallest sample sizes, Owen Kelly and Jackson Yarberry were both lights out in each of their three starts. Kelly finished with a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings, while Yarberry posted a miniscule 0.60 mark in 15 innings.
Statistical Leaders
Hitting
- Batting Average: Bryson Lofton (.392)
- RBIs: Byson Lofton (42)
- Runs: Henry Zenor (39)
- Home Runs: Bryson Lofton (7)
- Stolen Bases: Kade Wood (16)
- On-Base Percentage: Bryson Lofton (.497)
- Slugging Percentage: Bryson Lofton (.677)*
- On-Base + Slugging Percentage: Bryson Lofton (1.174)
Pitching
- Innings Pitched: Markell Dixon (37.1)
- Strikeouts: Markell Dixon (63)
- ERA: Barrett Lohman (0.81)
- Wins: Ryan Hoshaw (4)
* – Indicates Prospect League leader
About the O’Fallon Hoots
The O’Fallon Hoots began play in O’Fallon, Missouri in May 2020 after relocating from Hannibal, Missouri following the 2019 season. The Hoots provide fun and affordable things to do in the O’Fallon and St. Charles County areas. For tickets, merchandise, or any team information, visit ofallonhoots.com.
