The Fayette Falcons return an experienced starting rotation, including a dominant battery and improved hitting, to the baseball diamond this year and hope to not only finish above .500 for the first time since 2023 but also to make a run in the district playoffs.

Coach Andy Oeth returns for his fifth year as the Falcons’ skipper. Fayette finished 6-17 a year ago, hampered by an 11-game losing streak in the first half of the season, which included three games that were decided by two or fewer runs.

“I think we’re going to be very competitive this year,” Coach Oeth said.

Defense was Fayette’s chief weakness last year behind otherwise strong pitching. Coach Oeth said his staff has been focusing more heavily on fundamentals in practice so far, specifically the transfer from the glove to the throw.

“We work really hard on the hand drills,” Oeth said. “And we worked really hard on the transitions from the scoop to the shoulder to the throw. A lot of our infield issues last year were on the transition. Just bad throws. And those things only get better with reps.”

The Falcons committed 62 errors a year ago while batting .263 as a team. Oeth expects to reverse the errors and improve the hitting this season.

Two of Fayette’s seniors have committed to playing college ball next year, and both stated their desires to win a district championship in their senior seasons. Their success as the Falcons’ starting battery will help decide if that goal is realized. Ethan Bean, who signed with Central Methodist, will be the ace on the mound this year when Fayette takes the field against Higbee for Saturday’s opener. He’ll be slinging it to batterymate Payton Oeth behind the plate. Oeth inked with State Fair Community College next season with an eye on playing Division I ball one day.

Bean finished his junior season with a 5.200 ERA and a 2-5 win-loss record. Coach Oeth said his senior starter has put in a lot of work in the offseason. “It’s hard to differentiate the value between Ethan and Payton,” Coach Oeth said about his top two pitchers. “But Payton adds so much value at catcher that I think it’s more important to have him there starting than on the mound.”

When not on the mound, Bean will man third base while hitting cleanup. Coach Oeth said Bean is looking better this year after finishing out with a strong end to last season. “He really finished well, defensively. He’s more of a sure-handed third baseman, and he’s got such a great arm.”

Payton Oeth will switch from behind the plate to the mound as Fayette’s second pitcher in the rotation. With a fastball touching the lower 80s, he also brings steady breaking pitches and a high baseball IQ.

Sophomore Easton Fehling will be the third pitcher in the rotation. Coach Oeth said his arm has added more velocity and much better movement from a year ago. Junior Thad Quint will pitch fourth in the rotation when not splitting time at shortstop and left field. Quint will also bat fifth in the lineup.

Junior Parker LaValley, sophomore Sterling Hilgedick, and freshman Sawyer Asbury will all likely see relief innings.

LaValley is another versatile player who will be the backup catcher for Oeth and also has the speed to start in center field. At the plate, he’ll bat second.

“He put in a lot of work in the off-season. He’s looking very good. I really trust him catching anybody,” said Coach Oeth.

Senior Caleb Craig will play first base and bat leadoff after hitting .174 a year ago with three extra-base hits. “He’s got the speed. And with as much contact as he’s been making in camp so far, he’s been really tenacious. He looks like what you want a senior batter to look like,” Oeth said.

LaValley will bat second, harnessing his speed and ability to bunt to get on base in front of the team’s power hitter, Payton Oeth. A year ago, Oeth led the offense with a .514 batting average in 70 at bats. He drove in a team-best 15 runs on 10 doubles, five triples, and a home run.

Bean will hit cleanup in front of Quint in the No. 5 spot. Coach Oeth expects freshman Sawyer Asbury to bat sixth while starting at shortstop.

Fehling will likely bat seventh while splitting time at shortstop and third base. Sophomore Morgan Campbell will likely bat eighth after seeing varsity pitching a year ago and will start in the outfield. Senior Austin Kunze will start in the outfield corners while batting ninth. “Austin has some speed,” Coach Oeth said. “He gets a head full of steam and can run.”

“They’re not bottom-of-the-lineup guys because they are not good hitters. We’ve just got such great hitters on the team with them,” Coach Oeth said. “These are guys who are going to give us a pop at the bottom of the lineup and are going to put the ball in play.”

Fayette easily handled Slater and Sweet Springs at a preseason jamboree at Sweet Springs on Saturday, winning both games, 8-0 and 9-1, respectively. The Falcons open the season at home against Higbee this Saturday. Bean will deliver the first pitch at noon from CMU’s Estes Field.

“I’m glad we are playing them again. You want to play all the teams in your area, especially if they’re comparative in size,” Coach Oeth said. “It’s a fun way to start off the season. They have a really good coach, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they are this year.”

Fayette won a 9-5 opening-game decision over the Tigers last year in Higbee to even the matchup history at 1-1 overall. Two days later, Fayette travels to New Franklin. Fayette lost 8-3 last year to begin what turned into an 11-game skid.

“Erich [Gerding] is such a great coach,” Coach Oeth said. “He’ll have his guys up and ready. They have great athletes over there. That will be a test at the beginning.”

A week later, Fayette travels to Harrisburg for the third straight game against an area rival. The matchup is also the first Central State 8 Conference game of the year. The Falcons then return home to face CS8 opponent Linn the following day.

Fayette lost both of those games a year ago. However, Oeth felt they were both winnable and is eyeing them on this year’s schedule. “We felt that if we had zigged instead of zagged in a couple of innings, they would have turned out differently.”

Harrisburg finished even at 12-12 last season, eventually losing the district championship to powerhouse Eugene by two runs.

“Chris [Ackman] is a great coach,” Oeth said. “He and Erich [Gerding] are in the same category. They’re just experienced coaches with good strategic execution, and they know how to get their guys ready. That’s going to be a tough game.”

Coach Oeth said he is looking forward to games against Glasgow, Eugene, Jamestown, and South Callaway throughout the season. He felt his team let the game against Glasgow get away last year, falling by one run. “I felt if we had won that game, it would’ve changed a lot of things for the rest of the season.”

Regardless of the outcome of the season, Coach Oeth said this is a special year and a special senior class, most notably because his son, Payton, is playing his final high school season. “I’ve either coached or watched these boys play about every sport from the time they were in preschool all the way through. This is a special senior class to me. I want to enjoy these moments. But I’m excited. And I think they’re excited. I want this senior class to finish strong because they deserve it.”