Don Moultrie’s return as Montgomery County baseball coach was a successful one this spring.

Despite a heartbreaking loss to Elsberry in the Class 3, District 6 semifinals, the Wildcats finished their third consecutive winning season, going 12-9 overall and 8-1 in Eastern Missouri Conference play.

Moultrie took over head coaching duties this spring, replacing Vince Wolk. He coached the Wildcats from 2006-2018.

“I had a blast,” said Moultrie, who also had coaching stints at Wellsville-Middletown and at schools in South Carolina and Colorado. “I really enjoyed it. It was a good group.”

The Wildcats began their season – and Moultrie’s return to the bench – on March 15 with a 13-8 win over St. Charles at CarShield Park in O’Fallon. They were 5-6 on April 6 before winning seven of their next eight games to guarantee them their third straight winning season.

MCHS lost to Elsberry 3-2 in the district semifinals on May 11. The loss ended the high school baseball careers of Jace Ellis, Mason Leu, Dayton Simmons, Bryson Hoffmann and Jake Stellwagen. Ellis, Leu, Simmons and Hoffmann played with the program all four years, while Stellwagen completed his first season with the team after playing at Verona High School the year before.

“I’m going to miss these five seniors because they’re a good part of it,” Moultrie said. “But I’ve got sophomores and young guys who could come in and step in and fill the void. They just have to flip the switch and reload.”

Juniors Burke King, Jacob Hogue and Bryson Nichols and sophomores Noah Beck, Chase Queathem, Edwin Garcia, Seth Walton, Adrian Combs, Mac Farrar and Colby Ellis rounded out the team.

Offense was one of the key factors in the Wildcats’ success. They scored 10 or more runs eight times this season, including a season-high 22 against Mark Twain on March 28. They had five players who hit over .300 this season.

Simmons, Garcia and the Ellis brothers were the Wildcats’ representatives on the all-EMO team. Jace Ellis hit .436 with a home run and 12 RBIs, Simmons batted .385 with a home run and nine RBIs, Colby Ellis finished at .354 with a home run and 15 RBIs and Garcia was 4-2 with a 3.62 earned run average and 23 strikeouts.

Jace Ellis had a 10-game hitting streak, including a three-hit effort in the Wildcats’ 3-2 win over Silex in 10 innings on April 5. Simmons had two-hit performances against Silex, Harrisburg and South Callaway. Colby Ellis smacked the game-winning, two-run double against Silex. Garcia threw a no-hitter in the Wildcats’ 10-0 win over Clopton in six innings on April 11, walking just three batters and striking out six batters.

Also, Leu hit .338 with 17 RBIs, Hogue batted .302 with 15 RBIs and Stellwagen finished 3-1 on the mound.

Hogue and the Ellis brothers represented MCHS on the Class 3, District 6 baseball team.

Last year, the Wildcats shared the EMO championship with Elsberry. This year, North Callaway handed MCHS its only loss in conference play and its first home loss since 2021 with a 9-1 win on April 30.