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: Westlake

Head Coach: Blake Reed

Classification: Class 3A (Non-Select D-III)

District: 3-3A

2023 Record: 21-18

2023 Playoff Finish: State Quarterfinalist

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4

No. of Returning Pitchers: 3

Team Strengths: Athleticism, Offensive Production, & Pitching

Top Returning Players: 2025 MIF Kash Martin, 2025 UTIL Gunnar Robertson, 2026 INF/RHP Hadley Hardesty, 2026 C Brody Boudreaux

Top 2024 & 2025 Prospects: 2024 INF Peyton Benoit, 2025 MIF Kash Martin, 2025 UTIL Gunnar Robertson, 2026 INF/RHP Hadley Hardesty, 2026 C Brody Boudreaux

Top 2026 & 2027 Prospects: 2026 INF/RHP Hadley Hardesty, 2026 C Brody Boudreaux, 2026 UTIL Grayden Ross, 2027 OF/LHP Brody Anderson

 

Team Outlook

After finished the 2022 season just below .500, Westlake got things turned around in 2023, as the team finished with a 21-18 overall record.  On top of that, the Rams advanced all the way to the quarterfinal round of the LHSAA Non-Select D-III playoffs, where they fell at the hands of Kinder.  Head Coach Blake Reed is certainly excited to keep the momentum going from a year ago, and he'll have four position players and three pitchers back from last year's team.  Junior Kash Martin returns at shortstop for the Rams, after a fantastic sophomore campaign that earned him a spot on the All-Southwest Louisiana Big Schools Team.  Martin hit at a .481 clip last spring with 9 2B and 29 RBI, while scoring 40 R and swiping 25 bases.  Senior Peyton Benoit will be another upperclassman on the infield with Martin and is a tough, dirtbag type of player with a high baseball IQ.  Junior Gunnar Robertson is a long, rangy athlete that can really run and Coach Reed told us that he's started to find some pop in his bat over the off-season.  Robertson will also be a key piece of the Rams pitching staff with a low-mid 80's FB to go along with a sharp CB.  Sophomore Hadley Hardesty is a physical 6'4" 250 lbs. underclassman that moves well down the mound with three pitches for strikes.  Hardesty also has big-game experience, as he won two playoff games for the Rams last season as a freshman.  Fellow sophomore Brody Boudreaux will be the team's starting catcher and is as tough as they come.  Boudreaux manages the staff extremely well and also hit right at .300 last year as a freshman.  A couple of other young guys to keep an eye on are sophomore Grayden Ross and freshman Brody Anderson.  Ross is a really athletic player that can run well and play multiple positions, and will likely see varsity innings on the mound.  Anderson is another good looking prospect with a projectable 6'2" 175 lbs. frame.  He takes really good at-bats and has electric stuff on the mound.  To put in perspective the type of athlete that Anderson is, he won the starting quarterback job at Westlake as a freshman this past fall.  District 3-3A is always a really fun and competitive district year in and year out with the likes of St. Louis Catholic, Kinder, Iowa, and South Beauregard always having well-coached clubs.  Coach Reed and company turned the tide last year, and nearly reached the LHSAA State Tournament.  We believe that if they catch fire at the right time, they have a chance to deliver one of the best seasons in their program's history.  

 

 

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