Carden leads team into new era of Cobra baseball

Fountain Lake baseball player Montana Carden poses Friday, May 25, 2018. (The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen)
Fountain Lake baseball player Montana Carden poses Friday, May 25, 2018. (The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen)

Fountain Lake senior Montana Carden boasted the highest batting average in Garland County during the 2018 season, but his pride is pitching and he showed it on the mound in his final season for the Cobras.

Carden and fellow senior Stephen Turner joined with a host of underclassmen to lead Fountain Lake (14-7) to the most wins in program history in one of the deepest baseball conferences in the state. His leadership on the mound made him The Sentinel-Record's pick for the 2018 Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Garland County selection. He is the son of Jeff and Cassie Carden.

"We had a pretty good year," Carden said. "It was the most wins Fountain Lake has ever had. We beat some teams that we do not usually beat and we had some good wins."

"Ever since he moved into our district, he has been the foundation of this program," said Fountain Lake head coach Josh Wesson. "He leads our team offensively, he leads our team on the mound and he leads our team off of the field. He is just a great kid that loves baseball. It is going to be hard to replace him."

The schedule included wins against Haskell Harmony Grove and Bauxite, two teams Carden said have always had Fountain Lake's number. He led the Cobras with a .460 batting average, three home runs, six doubles, 25 RBIs and 24 runs in 21 games.

"I still feel like I could have had a better year at the plate," Carden said. "Overall, I'm not mad about it. I had a fairly decent year."

He was also Fountain Lake's leader on the mound, going 7-4 with a 3.50 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 52 innings.

"I told myself if I got around 70 strikeouts, I personally pitched well," Carden said. "Overall, as a team, I think the goal was to make regionals and make it out of district.

"It's a little bit easier said than done when we play Ashdown, Nashville and teams like that in district."

Fountain Lake finished the regular season 14-6 and 4-5 in the blended 3A/4A-8 conference, which included Class 4A state semifinalist Malvern (25-7) and Class 3A state semifinalist Glen Rose (22-7). The 4A-7 conference tournament featured the likes of Malvern, state quarterfinalist Ashdown (26-10) and eventual state champion Nashville (30-5).

The Cobras were matched up with Ashdown Panthers and top Major League Baseball prospect Jaden Hill in the first round. Hill held Fountain Lake to two runs as the Panthers eliminated the Cobras, 12-2.

Wesson knew he had Carden and Turner to lead the team, but the year began with a fair amount of uncertainty.

"We got super lucky with move-ins and freshmen coming up this year," Carden said.

First baseman Bryce Strauder hit for a .302 average with four home runs, three doubles and 21 RBIs in his freshman season.

"That is a big deal for a freshman to step up," Carden said. "In his first year of high school baseball, he hit four home runs."

Sophomore Preston White moved into the district from Lakeside and hit .375 with 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored as the team's shortstop.

"We didn't have a shortstop and we got us a shortstop," Carden said. "(Freshman) Jack (Wurz) stepped up and played right field. He filled the nine hole well. We definitely got lucky."

Sophomore Daeton Bassett moved to Fountain Lake from Omaha, Neb., home of the College World Series.

"We didn't have a third baseman," Carden said. "We didn't know what we were going to do."

"Daeton was a big part of the team," Carden added. "He came in, threw some good innings and hit five home runs. So, we're thankful for that."

Bassett hit .293 with 19 RBIs in addition to his five home runs. He also complemented Carden on the mound.

"I think he was probably our most successful pitcher," Carden said. "He threw a super good game against Jessieville. He kept them off balance for the first four or five innings.

"It's good just knowing you've got somebody who can come in and you don't have to throw all seven. You get in there and you give them a good five or six innings and you've got someone who can come in and get the job done."

Carden said he always sought to help the team in whatever way he could.

"To me, a big part of it is separating offense from defense," Carden said. "If you are not doing the job on the mound, you've got to contribute to the team however you can at the plate. If you're not doing it at the plate, you've got to get out there and make plays and get people out on defense."

Turner, White and Bassett are also First Team selections, with Strauder named to the Second Team. Turner hit .386 this season with five doubles and 21 RBIs. He and Carden were the only two seniors on the team.

"I would rather have two seniors like them than have 10 seniors that are the opposite of them," Wesson said. "They understand. They saw the vision of the program since they have been here. They are incredible leaders. The younger guys, they all followed those two. They do everything the right way, whether it is on the field or off. They were a huge part of the success we had this year."

Next for Carden is moving to North Arkansas College to play for the Pioneers in Harrison.

"If I get up there and I'm feeling it, I'd like to hit and I'd like to get in the lineup a little bit," Carden said. "But when it comes down to it, I want to pitch."

Sports on 05/27/2018

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