2022 Team Preview - Live Oak High School
December 16, 2021
High School: Live Oak High School
Classification: LHSAA Class 5A (District 4)
Head Coach: Jesse Cassard
Team Strengths: Starting Pitching and Team Speed
Team Weaknesses: Lack of Experience on Defense
Top Returning Players
-2022 OF Reid Broussard (Northwest Florida State College)
-2022 LHP Tanner Roberts (University of Louisiana-Monroe)
-2023 UTIL Cameran Christ (Mississippi State Commit)
Names to Know
Live Oak High School finished the 2021 season with a 30-4 overall record and went a perfect 10-0 in a tough district 4-5A. The Eagles had an unfortunate ending to their season, however, losing in the first round of the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs. Head Coach Jesse Cassard has been very open to his team and specifically, his pitching staff, that the key to this year's success is throwing strikes, and he believes that his his pitching staff is ready to answer the call. The Eagles starting rotation is the team's biggest strength heading into the 2022 season, as they'll have a "3 Headed Monster" of southpaws at their disposal. 2022 LHP Tanner Roberts, a University of Louisiana-Monroe signee, has established himself as the team's #1 starter through the fall. Roberts will sit 86-89 mph with his heavy, sinking FB and has already been up to 90-91 mph this fall, to go along with a big, sweeping SL and a firm CH. 2022 LHP Dawson Curtin will also be in the rotation for Live Oak this spring and is another LHP with a mid-80's FB. Live Oak's third starter, 2023 LHP Hunter Owens, may have the most upside of the trio and Coach Cassard believes he may also have the most "swing and miss" stuff. Owens boasts a low-mid 80's FB with a sharp, tight spinning SL that he can locate to both sides of the plate. The rest of the Eagles staff includes 2023 Cameran Christ, 2024 Michael Stephens, and 2025 Jude Weller, just to name a few. Weller is a two-time PBR Junior Future Gamer, who has been up to 84 mph this fall with a quality CB and plus CH. Offensively, Live Oak lost a couple of their power bats from last season, in 2021 1B Brant Smith and 2021 C Blaise Priester, who both spent the fall with the LSU Tigers. This year's offense will feature more speed and it all starts with 2022 CF Reid Broussard, a Northwest Florida State College signee. Broussard posted a 6.64 at our All-State Games in October, on what turned out to be a slower track. Other guys who saw playing time last year and will be in the lineup for the Eagles season include 2023 UTIL Cameran Christ, 2023 OF Lane Lusk and 2022 1B Renton Childers. Youth will be evident throughout the rest of Live Oak's lineup this spring. In addition to Weller, fans can expect to see 2025 C Cooper Smith and 2025 SS Brock Davis in the lineup this season. Both Smith and Davis are currently ranked in the Top 10 of our 2025 state rankings, as is Weller. Other prospects we expect to see in the lineup include: 2022 INF Jacob Delaughter, 2022 OF Jeffrey Swearingen, and 2023 1B Logan Coley. District 4-5A will again be a super tough district with the likes of Central BR, Zachary, Denham Springs, and Walker, who made it all the way to the state tournament last year. The Eagles are young, offensively, so there will be some growing pains along the way. The pitching staff is as solid as any team's and should be the backbone of this team through the regular season. The Eagles seem hungry to show people that they are as good, if not better, than last year's team, and we fully expect them to be right in the thick of things come playoff time in May.
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 |