The 2024 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state.  Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Louisiana.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Sulphur, LA, home of the LHSAA State Championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality.  We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Louisiana.  We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, followed by our Power 25 Rankings release, and our popular Game of the Week segment. 

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the bayou state.  Each week, we will be releasing our players of the week, updating our Power 25 Rankings, and many more pieces of content.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

 

High School Name: Brusly High School

Head Coach: Jason Lemoine

Classification: Class 4A (Non-Select D-II)

District: 6-4A

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6

No. of Returning Pitchers: 3

Team Strengths: Pitching 

Top Returning Players: 2024 C Nick Bardwell, 2024 RHP Luke Patrick, 2025 SS/RHP Drew Daigle (Louisana-Monroe commit), 2025 OF Aiden Washington, 2025 INF Josiah Hogan, 2026 RHP/INF Aubrey St. Angelo, 2026 UTIL Coy Purpera

Top Newcomers: 2024 DH Bryce Schexnayder, 2026 OF/C Sam Mellion

 

Team Outlook

Brusly finished the 2023 season with a 20-9 overall record and won a district title.  Unfortunately, the Panthers were unable to compete in the LHSAA Non-Select D-II playoffs due to a recruiting violation.  There's reason for optimism in 2024 for Head Coach Jason Lemoine and company, as the team returns six position players and three pitchers from last year's team.  The Panthers will be really good on the mound, especially at the top of their rotation, and it all starts with junior Drew Daigle.  The University of Louisiana-Monroe recruit was a 1st-Team All-District selection and the District MVP last season, after going 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA.  Sophomore Aubrey St. Angelo looks to build on a fantastic freshman campaign that saw him go 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA.  Senior Luke Patrick is another veteran returning on the mound that posted a 3-0 record in 2023.  Offensively, Coach Lemoine believes that his team will be able to score runs in a variety of ways, as they have the ability to hit the "long ball" and play "small ball" as need as well.  Daigle will be an important part of the offense, in addition to his duties on the mound, after hitting at a .470 clip last spring.  St. Angelo should also factor in the offense and will likely see time at third base.  Senior Nick Bardwell was another 1st Team All-District selection last spring, after finishing with a .286 avg, as was junior Josiah Hogan who hit right at a .300 clip in 2023.  Junior Aiden Washington is a good-looking left-handed hitting prospect, who returns in the outfield and hit right at a .368 clip last spring.  Sophomore Coy Purpera will likely see time in both the outfield and the infield and is another 1st Team All-District selection, as he hit right at .326 last season.  A couple of newcomers to the lineup this spring will be senior Bryce Schexnayder and sophomore Sam Mellion.  We had the opportunity to see Mellion this past fall and were impressed with his athleticism behind the plate.  Coach Lemoine told us that the Panthers expectations are to be a champion in everything that they do and that their goal is to compete with everything that they have, everyday, and to represent the team, school, and community to the best of their abilities.  This year's team wants to bring a state title back to Brusly and the players understand the journey and mountain that they'll have to climb to get there.  Coach Lemoine said that the players have bought into the team motto of "Embrace the Process", which means that they will embrace and love each step of the journey towards accomplishing their ultimate goal.  The Panthers have the front-line pitching and a versatile offense, so we fully expect them to defend their district title and to be ultra-motivated come playoff time.  Brusly will definitely be a state tournament and state title contender come late-April and early-May this spring.

 

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