College baseball: Four Kennett players sign for the next level

Four Kennett High School baseball players signed with a pair of schools to further their college careers during a Wednesday ceremony.

Shortstop Matt Gardner and right-handed pitcher/outfielder combination Ashton Williams both signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to play for Little Rock (Ark.).

Right-handed pitcher/infielder Peyton Branum and second baseman J.C. Poole signed NJCAA National Letters of Intent to play for Three Rivers College.

Kennett's Peyton Branum runs to first base in a game against Potosi on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.(File photo by Christian Johnson, staff)

The four Indians have been a special part of an impressive run, which included a state championship in 2021 and third-place finish the following year.

During the previous three seasons, Gardner, Williams, Branum and Poole have joined forces to help Kennett to a 74-22 record (.771 winning percentage).

“They have combined for a 32-1 record, which is an impressive stat,” said Kennett athletic director Jim Vaughan while introducing the players.

Kennett's J.C. Poole (23) high fives pitcher Ashton Williams (10) after winning a Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 4 State Sectional against Potosi at Indian Park in Kennett on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.(File photo by Christian Johnson, staff)

Little Rock’s X (formerly Twitter) also officially announced the signings of Gardner and Williams on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The Trojans loaded up on pitching, also signing right-handers Jackson Privett (Pocahontas, Ark.) and Davis York (Marion, Ark.).

Gardner, who stands 6-foot-3, has impressive range at shortstop including a top infield throwing velocity of 81 mph according to the website: prepbaseballreport.com.

“He’s probably our best defender,” Kennett head baseball coach Aaron New said. “I’m excited to see how his game will develop in his senior year.”

Williams finished with a 7-1 record in 11 appearances for Kennett (22-9) last season as the team reached the state quarterfinals before falling to John Burroughs, 4-0, on May 25, 2023.

“Ashton was one of the top power arms in the area,,” New said. “He has good stuff, and has developed a good change-up.”

Gardner and Williams will join a Little Rock team that finished 31-23, including a 14-8 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Illinois eliminated the Trojans in the OVC Tournament on May 26.

“It’s the greatest feeling,” Williams said of signing with Little Rock. “It’s all the days, nights and years spent training, and the sacrifice it takes for this.”

“It was one of the first schools to offer me (a scholarship),” said Gardner, who’s expected to compete for a middle infield spot for Little Rock next year. Playing summer baseball in Arkansas made him familiar with his future school.

Meanwhile, Poole and Branum will be rejoining Tanner Pierce and Brooks Nigut on the same team at Three Rivers College. Tanner Duncan, another former Indian, is currently a sophomore for the Raiders.

Three Rivers also features several other local players, including Cooter’s Luke Barnes, Trey Benthal of Portageville and Trey Fikes and Matt Moore from Steele.

“The school is close to home,” Poole said. “I thought about going the juco (junior college) route because I’ll be able to work on my game, and improve as a player.”

Poole was a prolific bat in the Indians’ line-up as a junior, with a .329 batting average and .465 on-base percentage, respectively.

“He’s worked extremely hard to strengthen his body,” New said. “He always finds a way to get on base for us.”

Poole is expected to bat at the top of the order during the 2024 season as a primary middle infielder.

New said Branum is a tough pitcher because he throws strikes consistently. He walked just nine batters in 142 batters faced and posted a 2.05 earned-run average last season.

“He gets his pitches over the plate,” New said. “He’s an intelligent pitcher who knows how to get outs.”

Branum, a pitcher/corner infield combination, said coaches talked him into going to Three Rivers. Having players he’s familiar with also sold him on the idea of playing for the Raiders.

Three Rivers was 26-27 during the 2023 season, including 14-14 in Region XVI games. The Raiders scored 361 runs in 53 games.

Kennett will open the 2024 season with a pair of home games versus Jackson Christian and Kelley on March 15-16, respectively.

J.C. Poole is the son of Matthew and Teresa Poole. Peyton Branum is the son of Nick and Dana Branum and Tina Cantrell. Ashton is the son of Eric and Crystal Williams. Matt Gardner is the son of Matt and Lindsey Gardner.