Pirates look to continue trend of spring success across all sports

HANNIBAL, Mo. — New standards for spring success were reached last year throughout the Hannibal High School athletic department with the baseball team winning the most single-season games in program history and Quinn Thomas winning his second state golf championship.

What’s in store this spring? The chance for more history exists. Here’s a look at what is happening around America’s hometown:

Baseball

The Hannibal baseball team will look to continue its momentum from a historic 2024 season. The Pirates went 21-14 last season to post the most wins in school history and won the program’s third ever North Central Missouri Conference crown.

Two key pieces from the left side of the infield — shortstop Kane Wilson and third baseman Ryan Ross — graduated, but the Pirates return three All-NCMC selections from last year’s squad — senior pitcher Colton Dryden, senior catcher Waylon Anders and junior first baseman Cooper Scott.

The Pirates open their season at the 29th Annual Troy Flooring Center Baseball Classic at Troy Buchanan High School. The Pirates will face Fort Zumwalt West on March 21 and will play a doubleheader with North Point and Seckman the following day.

Hannibal begins the home portion of its schedule with a doubleheader against Warrenton and Wright City on March 29. The Pirates will travel to Moberly for their first NCMC game on April 1.

Track and field

Senior all-state high jumper Taegan Novel headlines a Pirates girls track team with a plethora of returning experience in several events. Novel finished fourth at the Class 4 state track and field championships as a junior and leads a class of 10 seniors on the squad this season.

Kyndall Stewart, Sameya Dean and Riyenn Brown return to lead the sprint and hurdle races, while Harper Karr (javelin), Julia Newland (shot put and discus) and Jahayla Crockett (shot put and discus) do the same in the throwing events. Junior distance runner Jordan Puterbaugh, sophomore hurdler Josie Peters, sophomore sprinter and jumper Sameka Dean, and sophomore distance runners Grace Munger and Kendall Kurz provide depth for the Pirates.

On the boys side, seniors Cameron Davis and Chance Whiteside lead the hurdlers and senior Jared Locke returns at pole vault, as do seniors Houston Morrison and Dallis Zimmer in the shot put and discus.

Juniors Landyn Essig and Dallas Baker, senior Aiden Odom, and sophomores Kade Hoskins, Casch Greving and Kellen Howard headline the sprinters. Returning senior David Munger, juniors Tanner Allen and Jonas Thompson and sophomores Gage Akright, Landen Begley, Camden Gheens, Rhett Hayes, and Alejandro Gonzalez make up a deep distance running lineup.

Both the boys and girls teams open the season March 27 with a quad meet at Bowling Green. Hannibal will host the Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays on April 15. This season’s North Central Missouri Conference championship meet will take place May 1 at Moberly.

Boys tennis

A senior-laden Pirates tennis squad will open its season on March 24 against the Missouri Military Academy. The Pirates will play their first home dual on March 25 against Fulton. Hannibal will take part in the Wentzville Holt Tournament on April 11 and 12 and will host the Hannibal Tournament on April 19.

The team features 11 seniors as well as junior Zane Lomax, who finished fourth in Class 2 District 5 to earn all-district honors last season.

Boys golf

The graduation of two-time state champion Quinn Thomas, now a freshman at Maryville University, leaves the members of Hannibal boys golf team with some rather big shoes to fill, but several key returning players and a large roster make this Pirates team one of the deepest in recent history.

Three-year varsity player Jackson Karr, 2023 state qualifier Kyle Locke and big hitter Kaisen McAfee anchor a Pirates squad that features 27 players and could rival or even best the team scores it posted last season.

The Pirates begin their season with a quad meet in Mexico, Mo., against Centralia, Mexico and Louisiana. Hannibal will host the North Central Missouri Conference tournament at Norwoods Golf Club on May 6.

The Pirates put five golfers in the top 10 and posted a 322 team score to win last year’s conference crown at Tanglewood Golf Course. Thomas won the individual title with a 76, while Locke finished third with a 78. Karr shot an 82 to finish seventh, and McAfee and Camrin Lake shot a pair of 86s to finish tied for 10th.