Coach’s comment: “We are young but very talented. Hopefully the experience of these seniors, especially the ones with college commitments, will rub off on this talented class of freshmen and get them up to varsity speed quickly.’’
Douglas Byrd
Coach: Maurice Huey
Top returners: Wyatt Rodger, Jason Bryant, Justin Richardson.
Promising newcomers: Brody Callahan, Paris Jackson, Trent Kennedy.
Coach’s comment: “We are a young team but we are definitely developing a good group of guys. We have a good group that are excited about the upcoming season.’’
Coach’s comment: “I expect our team to outperform last year’s team in the win and stat column. We have great senior leadership and a good group of aggressive, hard-nosed players. We also have some very talented young players that will be contributing consistently this year.’’
Freedom Christian
Coach: Shaun Stafford
Top returners: Graysen Stafford, INF/P, Jr.; Andrew Corney, OF/P, Jr.; Mac Corney, INF/P, Fr.
Coach’s comment: “We lost several starters from last year’s team. We are very young, but very capable of competing at a high varsity level. These young men have played together before and already have great team chemistry.’’
Pine Forest
Coach: Tom Willoughby
Top returners: Isaiah Pinero, P/Inf, Jr.; Jayhlen Brown, INF/P, Jr.; Ryan Temple, INF/P, So.; Chase Mims, C/P, Sr.; Jonathan Strickland, OF, P, Sr.; Davis Collier, INF, Sr..
Coach’s comment: “The Trojans are led by strong senior leadership and talented juniors and sophomores. The success of the team depends on how quick they buy into the “team first” mentality. These young men love to compete in everything they do.’’
South View
Coach: Blake Maxwell
Top returners: Josh Pitts, Jerry Maynor, David Ramsey, Koltyn Ziegler.
Coach’s comment: “In the final game of 2023, we started two freshmen and three sophomores. All of these guys gained valuable experience last year and we hope they are able to use that experience, along with their development as players within our program, to help us improve our record from last year. Pitts and Maynor will be leaded on as seniors for leadership, as well as performance, to hopefully send the Tigers back to the playoffs.’’
Village Christian
Coach: Billy Stern
Top returners: Justin Benton, INF/P, Sr.; Joseph Randolph, INF/P, Jr.
Promising newcomers: Ben Gooch, C, 8th; Sean Nicely, INF/P, Jr.
Coach’s comment: “Overall I’m optimistic about this team’s ability to once again compete for a conference championship. We are a young team, so we have to see who’s ready to step up with the key hits and clutch plays.’’
Gray’s Creek
Coach: Jeff Nance
Top returners: Ty Stewart, Braylon Lepley, Matthew Perez, Amaury Brockington, Andrew Mabe, Mason Barnes, Jackson Karcher.
Promising newcomers: Peyton Stanton, Gunner Sterling, Davis Reed, Cayden Sibley.
Coach’s comment: “As always pitching and solid defense are the foundations to success. We have worked hard all year in hopes we can be the best we can be and execute when the time comes. Being competitive on every pitch and keeping that focus is something we hope to achieve this season. It’s a blessing to get to play this game. I love our guys.’’
Terry Sanford
Coach: Sam Guy
Top returners: Brent Smith, Ryan Seagroves, Wills Noon, Skylar Young, Ethan Nobles, Josh Hart, Benny Whiteaker, Josh Mozingo.
Promising newcomers: Brayden Morrison, Gibson Bray, Jesse Cortez, Brayson Heeks, Kyle Kessinger, Walker Kueny, Jacob Moore, Jonathan Pate, Tyler Sellers, Luis Smelcer, Mason Walker, Brock West.
Coach’s comment: “I think this year’s team is a good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen. We have the potential to be a very solid baseball team if everybody can execute their roles on the team. We will be relying on everybody to get a job done that will be vital to our team’s success. If we can overcome a couple of injuries and have some younger players step up, then it could be a pretty successful year. If we do not have everybody doing their jobs on a daily basis, then it could be a long and questionable season. Hopefully, we come together as one unit and play for each other with a team-first attitude.’
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