Menu
Five teams to watch in 2024 baseball season
As the book of basketball closes, the blank canvas that is the 2024 baseball season unfurls, yearning to be written.
The 2023 season saw two teams reach the final four and return home with third-place trophies but there may be more to come this year.
With that said, here are five teams to keep an eye on in the Southeast Missourian coverage area as the baseball season begins on Friday, March 15.
St. Vincent
The 2023-24 school year has been a historical year for St. Vincent athletics. The football team won its first district title since 2009 and the boys' basketball team reached the state tournament for the first time since 2007.
The baseball team doesn't have as long of a wait. The Indians won their last district championship in 2017 and finished in fourth place. St. Vincent finished 15-9 last year and entered the spring with only two seniors this year in Christain Schaaf and Simon Barber, both of whom have played a key role in leading the football team to the Class 1 semifinals.
Chaffee
The Chaffee Red Devils went 22-10 last year and went to the final four for the first time since 1992. They return all but two seniors and will once again be led by Semoball Award finalist Levi McKinnie, who struck out 100 batters on the mound and was the catcher for the rest of the pitching staff in between outings.
Among the senior class are Kade Atkins and Peyton Vaughn, who tag-teamed on the mound to shut down Maysville in the third-place game. Leyton Hanback, who drove in the winning run, returns as a sophomore.
Scott City
Scott City won its second straight district tournament and 20 games for the first time since 2017. The Rams are going for the district three-peat for the first time since winning four in a row including two final four trips from 2013-16.
The Rams bring back seven seniors including much of the pitching staff and catcher Levi Senn. Blake Wilburn was one of the Rams' top pitchers and was on the mound during the district title game. Mark Panagos, Luke Umfleet, and Kobe Watson are also back to lead the lineup. Lawson Graff is coming off a Babe Ruth World Series appearance as a member of the Charleston Fighting Squirrels.
Notre Dame
After closing the book on the Jeff Graviett era, the Notre Dame baseball team begins its first season under Dave Lawson as skipper.
Dawson will have a young team to work with but will have senior Jack Evans to lead on the mound and battery mate Brycen Clark to lead the lineup. Evans played summer ball for the Charleston Fighting Squirrels and competed in the Babe Ruth World Series at Capaha Field.
The Bulldogs will be looking to win their first district title since 2018.
Jackson
The Jackson Indians will face the challenge of returning to the Class 6 final four in head coach Josh Roach's second season. Roach was named Coach of the Year at the Semoball Awards after leading a talent-rich squad to the school's first-ever 3rd place finish and record 33 wins.
The Indians don't have eight college-bound players like last year but they do have future Tulane pitcher John-Paul Sauer as their senior ace. Sauer was named to the Class 6 All-State First Team last year but is still recovering from a football injury that may keep him off the mound at the start of the season. Cooper Rhodes was First Team Class 6 All-State last year while under the shadow of Caden Bogenpohl, Baden Hackworth, and Quinton Borders. Now it will be his turn to lead the lineup.