The 2023 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, our staff is excited for the upcoming spring season.  Players and coaches have been working all fall and through December, in preparation for the upcoming season and as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Louisiana.

Programs across the state have goals and aspirations to finish the year in Sulphur, LA at the LHSAA State Tournament, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes a reality.  We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams and players across the state, as we preview many of the great programs from Louisiana.  We will take you right up to the first pitch of this season with these team previews and we'll continue providing coverage throughout the spring. 

Please keep checking back throughout the season, as we strive to be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across Louisiana.  Each week we will release our players of the week, as well as our Power 25 Rankings, which encompasses the top 25 teams in the state, regardless of class.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.  If you did not receive a questionnaire and would like to fill one out, please send an email to [email protected].

-High School Name: Parkway High School

-Coach’s Name: Brian Harvey

-Classification: Class 5A (Non-Select Division I)

-District: 1-5A

-No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7

-No. of Returning Pitchers: 7

-Team Strengths: Offensive Depth and Experience

-Top Returning Players: 2023 RHP/UTIL Brandon Levy (University of Louisiana signee), 2023 RHP/UTIL Trenton Lape (Louisiana State University signee), 2023 C Zach Schoenborn (Northwestern State University signee), 2023 OF Barrett Newman, 2024 INF Shawn Driggers

-Top 2023 Prospects: 2023 RHP/UTIL Brandon Levy (University of Louisiana signee), 2023 RHP/UTIL Trenton Lape (Louisiana State University signee), 2023 C Zach Schoenborn (Northwestern State University signee), 2023 OF Barrett Newman

-Top 2024 Prospects: 2024 INF Shawn Driggers, 2024 RHP/INF Sean Waits

-Top 2025 Prospects: 2025 INF Abel Thetford, 2025 RHP Gabe Armond, 2025 UTIL Maddox Cockerham, 

 

 

Team Outlook

Parkway finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 25-15 and were knocked out in the second round of the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs by Zachary.  The Panthers won game 1 of the series before dropping game 2 by a score of 4-1 and game 3 by a score of 4-3.  In that final series of the season, Parkway was without their top two arms, who are both back this year and healthy, so there is plenty of optimism for first-year Head Coach Brian Harvey.  Offensive depth and experience are two of the strengths of this year's Parkway team and it all starts on the mound with seniors Trenton Lape and Brandon Levy.  Lape, a LSU signee, missed did not see any mound time last spring, as he was recovering from an injury, but everyone across the state knows what he is capable of.  He's got a live arm and was up to 93-94 mph as a sophomore to go along with a sharp breaking ball with really good spin.  Levy also missed considerable time last spring due to an injury, but is back healthy now as well.  The University of Louisiana signee has been up to 91 mph this fall to go along with a big "12-6" shaped breaking ball and a quality change-up.  Along with those two, Coach Harvey is also excited to return junior RHP Sean Waits, who saw a lot of mound time last spring.  The big-bodied 6'2" 220 lbs. hurler works in the mid-80's with his FB to go along with a breaking ball and change up.  Junior Shawn Driggers is another quality arm with a mid-80's FB and a three pitch mix that returns for the Panthers this season.  A young guy to keep an eye on is sophomore Gabe Armond, who also saw valuable mound time last spring.  Offensively, Coach Harvey returns a good group of veterans in that senior class starting with Levy and Lape, who are both athletic guys that can multiple positions on the diamond.  Senior catcher Zach Schoenborn is also back as well.  Schoenborn, a Northwestern State recruit, is an excellent receiver who does a good job of blocking balls.  He'll also likely hit in the middle of the order this spring and led Parkway in nearly every offensive category last year.  Senior OF Barrett Newman, a former Future Gamer, also returns to the fold.  Newman, who was a standout linebacker for the football team, is a physical left-handed hitter and athletic defender.  Driggers and Waits both return on the offensive side of things as well, with Driggers being another super utility type of guy for Coach Harvey, as he can play a lot of positions extremely well.  Sophomore Abel Thetford returns to the mix as well.  Last season, he saw significant playing time at shortstop and second base and is a reliable defender with good plate discipline.  Sophomore Maddox Cockerham is another guy to keep an eye on, as he saw time last spring at first base and left field, and is a trustworthy defender thanks to his speed and the ability to run down balls in the outfield.  As we mentioned above, Parkway has been on the brink of getting back to the state tournament, with their last appearance being in 2019.  The "injury bug" has played a big part in the team getting knocked out in the playoffs the last couple of seasons, but with a healthy Levy and Lape back in the fold, the Panthers look like a sure fire Top 10 team to be feared come this spring.

 

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