It's a whole new world for Nebraska high school baseball in 2023.
For the first time since 1960, the NSAA will host a Class C state tournament and crown a Class C champion.
“It's a wide-open game,” said Arlington senior Trevor Denker last week. “I think the team motto is, 'Why can't we win that?'”
The Eagles reached the Class B tourney in 2016 and 2017 after their school program was reestablished in 2010, but the odds have been stacked against them going against schools with much larger enrollments. Now, though, AHS — and, notably, Fort Calhoun — will face postseason competition with a similar profile.
“There's a lot of good teams in the class, but we think we can compete with that,” Denker said.
The slugger is one of three Eagles who return this spring after receiving all-state honorable mention from the Omaha World-Herald last season. He hit at a team-best .407 average with 20 RBIs in 2022, while Kaden Pittman hit at .338 and Braden Monke added a .313 average at the plate.
In addition, five more Arlington players — Dalton Newcomer, Darren Olson, Jack Bang, Blaine Vogt and Tyler Ott — return with starting experience.
“Good approaches at the plate and we'll be ready to go,” Denker said.
Defensively, coach Tyler Stender's squad returns all but one pitcher from last year's staff.
“We feel pretty confident,” Ott said.
The junior led the Eagles in appearances and innings-pitched a year ago, going 2-5 with a 4.51 ERA and 24 strikeouts. He expects improvements along with his maturity on the mound.
“You'll have more experience in certain situations,” Ott said. “You know what you need to do.”
All-in-all, the Arlington baseball team hopes to improve on last year's 9-13 season, which ended with a district loss to the Blair Bears — who'll remain in Class B.
“Of course, the goal is to get to Omaha,” Denker said, noting the site of all three NSAA classes' state tournaments.
The Eagles' 2023 campaign is scheduled to begin in Omaha, too. They start a two-day season-opening tourney at Fontenelle Park with a 5 p.m. March 17 game against Omaha Northwest.
