John Burroughs edges Fulton in Missouri Class 4 semifinal to punch ticket to title game

Julian Schenck's complete-game effort gets Bombers back in title game

Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports | May 31, 2023

OZARK, Mo. – The John Burroughs baseball team is headed back to the state championship game for the first time since winning the Class 2A title in 2002.

Burroughs senior righthander Julian Schenck allowed one run and scattered six hits in a gutsy complete-game effort and also added two hits, an RBI and a run scored to lead the Bombers to a 5-1 victory over Fulton at Sky Bacon Stadium.

“It feels unbelievable,” said Schenck, the Co-Player of the Year in the Metro League. “Last game on the mound at Burroughs and to be able to do that is pretty spectacular. Still got one more to go though.”

Burroughs (27-3) advances to face either Springfield Catholic (20-7) or Excelsior Springs (28-12) in the Class 4 championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday. Fulton (19-9) will play in the third-place game at 4 p.m.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” Burroughs coach Scott Deken said. “They’ve worked really, really hard for a long time. … They’ve wanted to be in the position that we’re in right now. We didn’t want to talk about it too much, but this was their ultimate goal. This is where they wanted to be. I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud.”

Deken called the effort of his senior hurler “gutsy.”

“He didn’t have his best stuff today by any means, and he’ll tell you that too, but it was a gutsy effort,” the coach said. “He threw strikes. He was living with his fastball today and that’s not always the case. He couldn’t locate his curveball as well as normal, but he was really, really good. He’s special.”

Burroughs, which got two hits apiece from Schenck and junior shortstop Calvin Gelle, recorded eight hits. Five different players different players scored runs. Five different players drove in runs.

The Bombers made clutch defensive plays when they needed them too.

Sophomore catcher Cooper Desloge threw out a runner attempting to steal to end the third inning with a Fulton runner stranded on third. In the sixth, with two runners on base, sophomore second baseman Ahmad Muhammad made a diving stop on a ball in the hole to end the threat.

“I keep saying pitching and defense, that’s what we hang our hat on,” Deken said. “And our hitting’s come along today. I have to tip my hat to Fulton. They played some incredible defense. Feel like it could have easily gotten out of hand there. They made some really, really nice plays and they are a good defensive club.

“We made two really big plays in the field I think that were huge. Ahmad’s catch at second base to prevent that ball from getting through the infield. That was humongous. Then our strike-em out, throw-em out double play there to end that inning whenever they were threatening. That was humongous as well.”

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Published May 31, 2023

NATE LATSCH, SBLIVE SPORTS

Nate Latsch is a Regional Editor at SBLive Sports overseeing high school coverage for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A veteran sportswriter and multimedia content creator, Latsch has covered high school sports in the St. Louis area and Missouri for 20 years, with a focus on high school football, basketball, baseball and football and basketball recruiting. He has worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLhighschoolsports.com, the Associated Press, FOX Sports Midwest, MLB.com and Scout.com. In addition to covering high school sports, Latsch has covered youth, college and professional sports, including covering the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams, the University of Missouri and Saint Louis University.