2021 High School Baseball Preview
HS Team Breakdowns: 50-41
31. Madison Central Jaguars (Miss.)
2020 Record: 7-1
Notable Standout(s): OF/RHP Braden Montgomery (Mississippi State), 3B Hunter Hines (Mississippi State), SS Creek Robertson (Southern Miss), C Ross Highfill (Southern Miss), LHP Beau Bryans (Auburn)
The Jaguars enter the 2021 season as the second-ranked team in the state of Mississippi and have deep talent throughout their 2021 and 2022 classes. Senior and PG All-American Braden Montgomery will lead the way as he’s likely to see a lot of scouting attention thanks to his smooth stroke from both sides. He’ll also pitch for the Jaguars as he can run his fastball into the mid-90s. He’ll be flanked in the lineup by fellow Division-I seniors in Hunter Hines and Creek Robertson, both of which are in store for big seasons offensively. In addition to Montgomery on the staff, junior lefthander Beau Bryans should also factor in to seeing major innings. This is a well-rounded group of athletes who come in tops in the state and find themselves well-positioned to compete for a state title.
32. Calvary Christian Warriors (Fla.)
2020 Record: 9-2
Notable Standout(s): RHP Tyler Dietz (South Florida), RHP Jack Cebert (South Florida), OF/LHP Charles Stevens (Butler), RHP Ethan Phillips, SS Matthew Rose (South Florida), 3B Miles Curley, RHP/IF Landen Maroudis (North Carolina State)
A former undefeated state champion, Calvary has been a mainstay in the high school rankings for the better part of the last half-decade as the Warriors once again look well-positioned in the state. They’ll be led by a duo of senior righthanders in Tyler Dietz and Jack Cebert. Both are committed to USF and Dietz has been the de facto ace for the better part of the last two seasons. The lineup has good depth to it as though they lose a number of key contributors, there’s a lengthy set of Division-I caliber players. Charles Stevens is a physical two-way player with two-way sophomore Landen Maroudis should expect to be one of the more important players on the roster. The Warriors once went 60-1 over the course of two straight seasons and the national power has a talented roster heading into the 2021 season.
33. Charlotte Christian Knights (N.C.)
2020 Record: 5-0
Notable Standout(s): LHP Philip Abner (Florida), SS JD Suarez (Charlotte), 3B Will Farrell, OF/RHP Calvert Clark (Clemson), 3B Judd Utermark (Ole Miss), RHP Everette Harris (North Carolina State)
There’s some star power on the Knights roster as they’ll be led by a pair of top-100 prospects in the 2021 and 2022 classes, respectively. Philip Abner will be the ace of the staff, and likely offer some juice from the left side in the middle of the lineup, as the Florida commit has electric stuff that includes mid-90s heat and a power breaking ball. Calvert Clark is one of the top 2022s in the country and he’ll both suit up in center field along with touching the low-90s on the mound with two-way upside. JD Suarez was all over the national circuit last summer and his athleticism is a game-changer, while fellow Division-I commits Judd Utermark and Everette Harris add to an already talented team. They enter as the top-ranked team in the state of North Carolina and have an excellent shot at capturing a state title.
34. Reagan Rattlers (Tex.)
2020 Record: 11-2-1
Notable Standout(s): RHP Ryan Beaird (UTSA), SS Stayton Ankrom, C Hogan Heller, RHP Cohen Feser (TCU)
The Rattlers have long been one of the powers of the Lone Star state and they’ll head into 2021 led by a strong senior class. Ryan Beaird is the staff ace who was off to a dominant start in 2020 with an ERA under 1.00 and a perfect record to his name. He’ll lead the staff and be joined by fellow Division-I recruit Cohen Feser who makes a formidable duo with Beaird. Stayton Ankrom is likely the team’s top returning hitter and he was also off to a hot start with a mid-.300 batting average before the shutdown. Seniors are going to dictate how far the Rattlers make it in an ever difficult 6A field, but expect Reagan to once again be in the thick of things as they jockey for the top spot in the state of Texas in 2021.
35. Lakeland Christian Vikings (Fla.)
2020 Record: 7-3
Notable Standout(s): OF Ty Evans (Florida), SS Jake Fox (Florida), RHP Sawyer Toney (Auburn), 2B Ryan Jenkins (Florida Southern), OF Reese Collins (Oklahoma), C Brody Donay (Virginia Tech)
Seniors Ty Evans and Jake Fox, both going to the University of Florida, make for one of the better position player duos in the state as both performed very well over the summer circuit. Fox is the team’s top returning hitter as he hit close to .400 in four games and has excellent hands over at short. Evans is a speed-power combo prospect who oozes potential. Brody Donay will suit up behind the plate as the junior had a monster summer and was one of the bigger risers in the class. The senior class is very deep as Ryan Jenkins is one of the more reliable bats along with Reese Collins. Sawyer Toney leads the pitching staff to add more SEC flavor to a talented roster but make no mistake the depth of talent on the offensive and defensive side of the ball makes the Vikings one of the more talented teams in the state.
36. Bergen Catholic Crusaders (N.J.)
2020 Record: N/A
Notable Standout(s): 1B Tywone Malone, 3B Orlando Pena (Coastal Carolina), C Luis Dela Cruz (Felician College), RHP DJ Chatrnuck, SS Juan Carlos De La Cruz (Virginia), 1B Carsten Sabathia, C Lukas Tsai, OF Luca Reyes (Miami)
Pouring over the roster what stands out about the Crusaders is the depth of offensive talent. They’re led by some big power hitters in the middle of the order in Orlando Pena and two-sport star Tywone Malone. Both of those righthanded hitters are extremely physical and have the potential to go deep at any time. Talented underclassmen Juan Carlos De La Cruz, Carsten Sabathia, Lukas Tsai, and Luca Reyes also provide length to this lineup and all four also have burgeoning power potential. There are some questions about the stability of the pitching staff but they’ll have DJ Chatrnuck delivering some big innings throughout the spring. The Crusaders are going to hit and hit the ball hard and this offense should be able to compete with anyone else in the state.
37. Bainbridge Spartans (Wash.)
2020 Record: N/A
Notable Standout(s): RHP Nathan Deschryver (Gonzaga), RHP Kai Francis (Gonzaga), OF Owen McWilliam (Pacific), RHP Ian Ritchie Jr (UCLA)
At least on paper, the Spartans boast what should be the top pitching staff in the state and one of the best in the country. They didn’t get a chance to kick off their season in 2020 due to the pandemic but there’s no doubting the talent on the roster. Nathan Deschryver should attract plenty of draft attention by himself but when you add in Kai Francis along with junior Ian Ritchie Jr, you’re sure to have packed crowds into the ballpark. Deschryver and Francis are lean and projectable arms who work into the low-90s. Ian Ritchie is one of the top juniors in the country and works up to 96 mph already as Bainbridge could not only compete for a state title but might be talking about housing a first-rounder next year.
38. College Station Cougars (Tex.)
2020 Record: 1-0
Notable Standout(s): SS Ty Hodge (Texas A&M), RHP Garrett Williams, C Chanden Scamardo (Texas A&M), RHP Josh Alexander (Houston), RHP Blake Binderup (Texas A&M), RHP Ryland Urbanczyk (Rice), 2B Maxwell Childress
The Cougars roster is chock full of senior-laden talent with some very impressive juniors as well that should balance the pitching staff out nicely. Ty Hodge and Chanden Scamardo will lead the way from an offensive perspective as the Texas A&M commits are exciting talents. Hodge is an excellent athlete and runner who combines his speed with strength while Scamardo will be a team leader suiting up behind the dish. Garrett Williams and Josh Alexander will lead the pitching staff while juniors Blake Binderup and Ryland Urbanczyk will also help out. Binderup is a nationally-ranked junior who has substantial upside on the bump and looks to be next in line in terms of big, hard-throwing Texas right-handers. The talent is here for a deep run and though they didn’t get off to much of a start in 2020, the 2021 season promises to be much more exciting.
39. Spruce Creek Hawks (Fla.)
2020 Record: 9-0
Notable Standout(s): RHP Brandon Neely (Florida), OF Corey Robinson (Florida), RHP Preston Wetherell (Florida State), SS Evan Mastromauro (Stetson), RHP Jarrett Maresco (St. Johns River CC), RHP Brooks Byers (Wallace-Dothan CC), OF Chase Dunlap (Massachusetts), SS Dalton Hurst (Florida International)
Losing a first-round pick is undoubtedly going to hurt a team, but despite the loss of Zac Veen to the draft the Hawks still have one of the best rosters in the state. They should once again be the class of central Florida as they’ll be led by a pair of Florida commits in Brandon Neely and Corey Robinson. Neely can both hit and pitch but he’ll draw lots of scouts when he’s on the mound as he impressed them last year while scouts were watching Veen. He’ll work into the mid-90s at times with a hard slider and Robinson is a dynamic athlete who can really run and has strength in his bat. There’s a ton of senior talent on this ball club, like Preston Wetherell and a pair of junior college commits in Jarrett Maresco and Brooks Byers to deliver innings. Evan Mastromauro, Chase Dunlap, and Dalton Hurst will lengthen the lineup too, and the Hawks are in store for a big 2021.
40. Bob Jones Patriots (Ala.)
2020 Record: 15-7
Notable Standout(s): C Max Soliz (Arkansas), 3B Slate Alford (Mississippi State), RHP Thomas Ballard (UAB), SS Gracin Wilson, OF Brycen Hammonds
The Patriots are another team on this list who loses a bit to graduation but still returns a strong core and an especially strong lineup. Max Soliz and Slate Alford look to be two of the top players in the state and both possess massive right-handed power in the batter’s box. They were off to a strong start in 2020 as we saw them at the PG HS Showdown in Hoover, and returning Soliz and Alford should allow for them to knock in a ton of runs. They’ll also get contributions from Gracin Wilson and Brycen Hammonds to lengthen the lineup while Thomas Ballard will serve as the de facto staff ace. They have established themselves as one of the better programs in the state but 2021 will be a big test for the Patriots as a lot of young faces and new talents will have to step up and be the new core moving forward.