2022 Team Preview - Catholic Baton Rouge

Catholic BR High School is considered by many to have one of the top baseball programs in the state year in and year out. The Bears have won four state championships and have appeared in the state tournament each of the last six seasons, not counting the 2020 season, which was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head Coach Brad Bass has seen his fair share of stars go through the program and this year's team looks to be as loaded as ever, especially on the mound, where the Bears have arguably the deepest pitching staff in the state. 2022 C.J. Sturiale (Louisiana Tech Signee), 2022 William Boneno (Johns Hopkins Signee), 2022 William Riley (Spring Hill College Signee), 2023 Alex Ainsworth (Tulane Commit), and 2023 Cole Cranford (Tulane Commit) all logged significant innings in 2021 and give Catholic a good returning nucleus of arms. The talent on the mound doesn't stop there for the Bears. 2022 RHP Kyle Hertel and 2023 LHP Michael Sutton are two upperclassmen that Catholic is excited about heading into this year, as well as a slew of underclassmen. 2023 LHP Harrison Waghalter, 2024 Trip Dobson, 2024 Grant Breaux (LSU Commit), 2024 RHP William Schmidt, and 2025 Jack Ruckert (LSU Commit) are all uber-talented arms that the Bears will have at their disposal. How does the rotation and bullpen look come spring time? Only time will tell, but we do know that Pitching Coach Tyler Naquin has plenty of tools in his pitching toolbox to choose from. On the offensive side of things, the Bears will have to replace two big left-handed bats, as seniors Addison Ainsworth and Mason Zambo have moved on to the college ranks. Catholic does return a good chunk of their offensive lineup, starting with seniors Matthew Reinholtz and Benjamin Robichaux on the infield. Reinholtz should start the season at SS, while Robichaux could play 3B or 2B, depending on who's on the mound. Cranford, Dobson, and Ruckert should round out the the rest of the infield depth for the Bears. In the outfield, the Bears return Sturiale, one of the best pure left-handed hitters in the state, as well as 2022 Dalton Wilson (Spring Hill College Signee) and 2023 Daniel Harden. Sturiale will be relied upon on the mound, as he was last year, so don't be surprised to see Waghalter mix in the lineup as the possible 4th outfielder. As good as the Bears are on the mound, they are equally as good behind the plate, with returning starter 2023 Clayton Pourciau (University of Louisiana Commit) returning this season. Coach Bass described his catcher as a "throwback type of player" and a "leader". Dutchtown, St. Amant, and East Ascension look to be Catholic's biggest challengers in District 5-5A, but we believe the Bears have too much firepower, especially on the mound, and should come out as district champions this spring. Catholic took a tough 4-2 loss to C.E. Byrd at last year's state tournament. High school fans should fully expect to see the Bears back in Sulphur this May, as the favorite to win the LHSAA Division I State Championship.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Southeast Louisiana Preseason ID	LA	01/08	Mandeville High School
Southwest Louisiana Preseason ID	LA	01/15	McNeese State University - Lake Charles, LA
Northern Louisiana Preseason ID	LA	01/22	Sterlington Sports Complex
Central Louisiana Preseason ID	LA	01/23	LSU - Alexandria

2022 Team Preview - Catholic Baton Rouge

UPCOMING EVENTS

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