2023 Team Preview: Captain Shreve High School
February 7, 2023
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: Captain Shreve High School
-Coach’s Name: Todd Sharp
-Classification: Class 5A (Non-Select Division I)
-District: 1-5A
-No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
-No. of Returning Pitchers: 3
-Team Strengths: Experience
-Top Returning Players: 2023 1B/LHP Walker Wicklund (Centenary College commit), 2023 OF/RHP Hunter Willis, 2023 LHP/OF Bryce Lopez, 2023 RHP/OF Jackson Bleich, 2024 OF/RHP John Chance, 2024 C/DH Christopher Peyton, 2024 INF/RHP Rhyson Carroway, 2024 INF/RHP William Stout, 2025 RHP/OF Shelton Harville (Louisiana Tech commit)
-Top 2023 Prospects: 2023 1B/LHP Walker Wicklund (Centenary College commit), 2023 OF/RHP Hunter Willis, 2023 LHP/OF Bryce Lopez, 2023 RHP/OF Jackson Bleich, 2023 C/OF Christian Meiki (Central Baptist College commit)
-Top 2024 Prospects: 2024 OF/RHP John Chance, 2024 C/DH Christopher Peyton, 2024 INF/RHP Rhyson Carroway, 2024 INF/RHP William Stout
-Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects: 2025 RHP/OF Shelton Harville (Louisiana Tech commit), 2026 MIF Andrew Sharp
Team Outlook
Captain Shreve finished the 2022 season with a 16-17 overall record and fell in the first round of the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs to Zachary. Despite being one game under .500, there were some bright spots for the Gators last season, as they notched wins over quality programs such as Glenbrook, Ruston, Byrd, and Haughton twice. Head Coach Todd Sharp likes the good mix of experience and talent, across all phases of the game, that his team has heading into 2023. The team has a group of veteran arms with district and playoff experience, as well as several returning position players that gained valuable experience at the varsity level a season ago. When looking at the pitching staff, Coach Sharp is super excited to have senior RHP Jackson Bleich back. Bleich was the team's #1 starter during the 2021 season, as a sophomore, and unfortunately suffered an ACL injury just a month prior to last season. Now healthy, he and fellow senior Bryce Lopez, will form a nice "one-two" punch at the top of the rotation. Lopez is a southpaw who also suffered an injury last season, which kept his innings logged pretty low, however, he did take home 2nd Team All-District honors. A young and talented arm to keep an eye on is sophomore Shelton Harville. The Louisiana Tech commit was a member of our 2021 Jr. Future Games team, and is an athletic mover with a quick arm and a four pitch mix for strikes, that is led by a mid-80's FB with cutting action at times. Coach Sharp believes that Harville will log more innings on the mound this season for the Gators and will also see more time in the outfield as well. When looking at the offense, we'll start with senior OF/RHP Hunter Willis. Willis, another two-way guy for the Gators, battled some injuries last season and Coach Sharp believes he is primed to get back to his form of two years ago, where he took home 1st Team All-District honors as a sophomore. He's a typical leadoff type of hitter with really good speed and bat to ball skills. Coach Sharp is also expecting big things our of senior 1B/LHP Walker Wicklund. The Centenary College recruit is a middle of the order type of hitter and will help shape Captain Shreve's offense, while trying to fill some of the void left from losing Blake Fant from a year ago. Junior INF/RHP John Chance was a first-year varsity starter last season, who is also back for another year of action. He'll see time on the mound and will also be a fixture in the middle of the order. Junior C/DH Christopher Peyton will also likely be in the middle of the order and is a guy that Coach Sharp describes as a "tough out" with a good approach to all fields. Junior Rhyson Carroway played mostly second base last season, but gained a lot of strength this off-season and will contribute more offensively and on the mound this spring. Junior William Stout filled in at shortstop last year and never let go of the position. He is back again at shortstop in 2023 and will anchor a young, but talented Gators infield. Some newcomers to keep an eye on include senior C Christian Meiki and junior INF/RHP Aron Gillum. Meiki, a Central Baptist College recruit, has had to wait his turn to have the opportunity to catch and with Bryce Powell graduating, he will have the opportunity to compete for the spot. Gillum will play in the infield for the Gators this season and has the tools and ability to be an excellent defender and a solid hitter as well. District 1-5A will once again be a super competitive district in north Louisiana with the likes of Airline, Benton, Byrd, Haughton, and Parkway all returning solid teams. The good news for Coach Sharp and company, is that the team is finally healthy this season and they have a good group of young guys that they can put in at certain spots. We fully expect the Gators to improve on their overall record from a season ago, as well as make a deeper run in this year's playoffs.
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Upcoming Events
| SHOWCASE | DATE | LOCATION |
| New Orleans Rising Stars ID |
2/12/23 | Mike Miley Stadium (Metairie, LA) |
| Lake Charles Rising Stars ID | 5/20/23 | Barbe High School (Lake Charles, LA) |
| Lake Charles Summer Open | 5/21/23 | Barbe High School (Lake Charles, LA) |