The 2025 baseball season will see a new coach at the helm as former Hulbert coach John Rozell is taking over for Zane Rose, who went to Gore after last season.
The Bulldogs, who will begin the new season at noon Saturday with a home game against the Westville Yellowjackets, were 1610 a season ago and got knocked out of the Class 4A playoffs at the regional tournament final against the host Sallisaw Black Diamonds.
The ’Dogs return five starters from a season ago, with one lone senior — pitcher/first baseman/third baseman Jonah Claborn.
“He is our leader in every sense of the word,” Rozell said. “He is our No. 1 arm with good stuff with lots of movement. He will also hit in the No. 3 or No. 4 hole for us and is a big runproducer who finds lots of gaps and barrels the ball pretty well.”
The other returning starters are juniors — outfielder/infielder/ catcher Gabe Miller, catcher/pitcher/utility player Wyatt Prewett, shortstop/pitcher/utility player Hayden McKinster and outfielder/infielder Jackson Phillips.
“Gabe is an explosive athlete with plus speed who is extremely versatile as well,” Rozell said. “He will play outfield and catch. Wyatt is our starting catcher, but he will also pitch and play all over the field. Hayden will play infield and outfield and is a guy with experience on the mound that we will rely heavily on. Even though we don’t have many other returning players, the ones we have are solid players with lots of experience.”
The majority of the remaining roster is freshmen — pitcher/infielder Jace Prewett, second baseman/catcher/ outfielder Tripp Rozell, infielder/pitcher Jack Rhodes, outfielder/infielder/ pitcher Brody Israel and outfielder Trey Turpin.
“We have an outstanding group of freshmen who will be thrown into the fire this year, but that will pay off in the long run,” Rozell said. “Those freshmen are all extremely versatile and baseball junkies who can play anywhere on the field. We will get our bumps and bruises this year, but the future is bright for Muldrow baseball.”
The John Rozell era got off on the right set of paws for the Bulldogs as they routed the Westville Yellowjackets 15-2 in the home opener and season opener Saturday afternoon.
The ’Dogs (1-0) scored 10 runs in the opening inning to put away the game early. A five-run second inning put the game into runrule status.
For the game, Prewett was 2-for-2 with a double, three runs batted in and three runs scored, while Miller was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for Muldrow.
McKinster (1-0) got the win, pitching a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts. After Rozell pitched the second inning, Rhodes pitched a scoreless third inning with two strikeouts.
After playing the Sallisaw Black Diamonds once Monday and once Tuesday in the district opener, the Bulldogs will travel to meet Paris, Ark., at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, then entertain Siloam Springs, Ark., at 5 p.m. Friday before beginning next week with a home-andhome district series against Hilldale — with the ’Dogs visiting the Hornets at 5 p.m. next Monday before the two teams will meet at 5 p.m. next Tuesday in Muldrow.
