The St. Joseph Mustangs have taken three steps forward and two steps back with the roster for their inaugural season.

The team picked up outfielder/pitcher Ben Baker, a sophomore from Rockhurst, as well as outfielders Greg Noble of Northeast Texas Community College and Houston Slemp of Eastern Oklahoma Community College.

It appears up to Noble and Slemp — a pair of former University of Arkansas recruits — to take over the leadoff hitting duties that would have gone to speedy outfielder Chris Benham. The Northwest Missouri State star will have surgery in June on his wrist, which he injured last fall in the weight room.

The team also lost Eastern Illinois junior outfielder Chris Ulrey to an elbow injury. Ulrey tore his ulnar collateral ligament during the season and will spend the summer in rehab.

Slemp is hitting .340 this season with 10 doubles and seven home runs. His 25 stolen bases in 28 attempts should earn him a good look at the leadoff spot in the order.

Noble is hitting .345 this season with 15 doubles and five home runs, playing all three spots in the outfield as an everyday starter.

Baker, a graduate of St. Piux X, recently homered in Phil Welch Stadium in a 5-2 victory against Missouri Western. He is hitting .350 this season with four home runs and 29 RBIs.

Mustangs manager Matt Johnson said he plans to use Baker both in the outfield and on the mound.

“He’s closing for Rockhurst right now, and he has five saves,” Johnson said. “He’s going to be a nice little player for us. In talking to the assistant coach down there, he’s a scrappy player, works very hard and does things right.”

Another home game?

The June 7 road game at Junction City has been canceled at Junction City’s request, and the Mustangs hope to take that opportunity to add a 26th home date to their schedule.

The team will fill the date only if it can identify a quality opponent. If that happens, the opponent could be announced within the next few days.

“It will be our only Sunday game, and we may try to make it a day game,” general manager Rick Muntean said.

All other home games are 7 p.m. starts.

Horsing around

The public can get a sneak peak today at the horses that will be running the outfield during pregame and after Mustangs home runs this season.

Three of the animals will appear in today’s Apple Blossom Festival parade in downtown St. Joseph, Muntean said.

The team is contracting with Legacy Stables of Stewartsville, Mo., for the horses. The animals also will be available for viewing down the left-field line at games this summer, Muntean said.

Moore talk

Muntean has announced that Nathan Moore has been selected to do the play-by-play for webcasts of both home and away games this season.

Moore, a native of Olathe, Kan., is a graduating senior at Northwest Missouri State and serves as an announcer/news reporter for KXCV-FM, the campus public radio station.

“He has been doing baseball since his freshman year,” Muntean said of Moore, who will serve in the capacity of a summer intern for the team.

Sports reporter Rick Dunaway can be reached at rickd@npgco.com