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: Central (BR) High School

-Coach’s Name: Leo McClure

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

-District: 4-5A

-No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4

-No. of Returning Pitchers: 6

-Team Strengths: Pitching and Defense

-Top Returning Players: 2023 LHP Jaxson Burch (Delgado Community College commit), 2023 OF/1B Landen Chustz (Delgado Community College commit), 2023 SS/RHP Cooper Burch (Delgado Community College commit), 2024 LHP Grayden Harris (Southern Mississippi commit), 2024 CF/RHP Cameron Patterson, 2026 INF Cole Guidroz

-Top 2023 Prospects: 2023 LHP Jaxson Burch (Delgado Community College commit), 2023 OF/1B Landen Chustz (Delgado Community College commit), 2023 SS/RHP Cooper Burch (Delgado Community College commit)

-Top 2024 Prospects:  2024 LHP Grayden Harris (Southern Mississippi commit), 2024 CF/RHP Cameron Patterson, 2024 OF BJ Collins

-Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects: 2026 INF Cole Guidroz

 

 

Team Outlook

Central (BR) High School finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 28-9 and were one series win away from advancing to the LHSAA state tournament, as they fell in the quarterfinal round to Dutchtown last spring.  Head Coach Leo McClure will have to replace to big arms that graduated last spring in Jimmie Johnson, who is now at Southeastern Louisiana University and DJ Primeaux, who is now at Louisiana State University.  The good news for the Wildcats is that they return some arms from last year' staff and add a couple of more arms, in seniors Jaxson Burch and Cooper Burch, who were ineligible last spring.  Jaxson Burch, a southpaw and Delgado Community College recruit, is a strike-thrower with a FB in the mid-upper 80's, touching 90 mph, to go along with a solid three-pitch mix.  Cooper Burch, a right-handed hurler, is back this season as well, and is an ultra-competitive guy on the mound with a FB in the mid-80's, and Coach McClure believes he can be a guy that will win some big games for them this spring.  Outside of the Burch brothers, junior LHP Grayden Harris is also back for another year of action, after logging innings the last two years as an underclassman.  The Southern Miss commit is a throwback style southpaw with a FB in the mid-80's to go along with an improved SL and his best secondary offering, which is his late-fading CH.  Junior RHP Cameron Patterson gives the Wildcats a solid 4th starter this season.  The right-handed pitcher, most recently attended our Baton Rouge Preseason ID, where he sat 85-87 mph with his FB and complimented it well with a big "12-6" shaped CB.  Offensively, Central is excited to have Cooper Burch back in the fold as a hitter and as the team's shortstop as well.  Another returner that Coach McClure is excited to have back is senior Landen Chustz.  The Delgado Community College recruit led the Wildcats in home runs last season and Coach McClure is expecting a big spring from him.  Junior Cameron Patterson will also man the centerfield position, when he's not on the mound, and is an excellent defender.  Junior BJ Collins is another physical outfielder who can hit and hit with some power, that should factor into the lineup.  An underclassman to keep an eye on is freshman Cole Guidroz.  He's a "swiss-arm knife" type of player, that can play SS, 2B, or 3B, depending on who's pitching and will likely hit in the middle of the order as well.  Coach McClure and the Wildcats have fell in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, each of the last two seasons, so what will it take for Central (BR) to make that next jump and advance to the state tournament?  Well, they've got the arms to make a deep run this year, so as long as the offense finds ways to scratch across runs and get timely hits, they should be right in the thick of things this coming season.  

 

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