Clarksville, Ark.-The U of O baseball team returns six starters and a veteran pitching staff to turn the tables from a disappointing end to the 2013 campaign.
    
In 2013, Ozarks picked up a number of impressive wins in the first half of the season starting out 7-2 before dropping several close conference games in the second half of the season. In the end, the Eagles were the top hitting team in terms of batting average in the entire American Southwest Conference. The Eagles led the league with a .300 average and outfielder Freddy Prince won the batting title, yet Ozarks finished last in the East Division.

"We didn't win very many games down the stretch," said head coach Jimmy Clark. "We lost a lot of one and two run games. There was a lack of execution on bunt offense and bunt defense. We are hoping we can fix that this year. We had a tough time scoring runs. We simply didn't have a lot of margin for error."

Even though the Eagles return the conference's top hitter from a year ago and three others that hit above. 300, Clark believes his club must improve the timeliness of those hits.

"Batting average is probably the most decisive statistic out there," said Clark. "The amount of runs you score is more important. We got all of our hits with no one on base or with two outs. We simply didn't get the hits when guys were in scoring position. Two out hits with runners in scoring position are difficult to get. The teams that get those are the ones that win. The first half of the season we did that, but in the second half we didn't."

Clark and his coaching staff have been focusing on how to drive in more runs this season.

"We've worked really hard to put ourselves in position to score runs," said Clark. "We are working on getting reads and stealing bases. We need to run the bases better, too. But at the end of the day, we've got to have guys drive in runs."

Clark's top returning player is Prince, a senior outfielder and right-handed relief pitcher. Prince was an All-Region and All-Conference player in 2013 after hitting .406 with 11 doubles and 22 RBI. Prince pounded out 63 hits and owned a .973 fielding percentage. Prince excelled in the 2013 Texas Summer Collegiate League, garnering Hitter of the Night once. Junior Sam Shook is another All-Conference player returning for the Eagles. Shook received national recognition after being selected to the prestigious Academic All-American Team in 2013. Shook, who hits left-handed, owned a .333 average and drove in 23 runs. Shook hammered out two home runs and recorded a team-high 12 doubles. Junior Taylor Parker was named All-Conference after hitting .314 with 43 total bases and 33 hits. Senior Tony Morales is another proven player who owns a career batting average above .300.

"We have some guys that can hit again," said Clark. "I like our club offensively. I think if we can get a little more balance, we can have a good year. We need some guys that are productive hitters and drive guys in."

The pitching staff posted the best earned run average in Clark's twelve seasons owning a 4.68 ERA. The group revolves around a pair of veteran right-handed throwers. Seniors Jeffrey Works and Tyler Erickson have been three-year starters and will again be counted upon to provide Ozarks with consistency on the mound. Works tossed 65.0 innings, struck out 35 and owned a 3.18 ERA. Erickson went 4-4 on the mound in 68.0 innings of work posting a 4.50 ERA. Each started in 11 games. Prince will likely be the closer.

"Jeffrey and Tyler have gotten better every year," said Clark. "Our pitching staff will be good enough that we don't have to score a tremendous amount. Pitching is where it starts and I really think we have talent. This is a seasoned club." 
    
Ozarks finished 17-23 overall and 4-14 in the American Southwest Conference a year ago. For the 2014 season, there will not be an East and West Division. Instead, the divisions have been combined and the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

Ozarks opens the season February 14 by hosting Augsburg College in a double-header.