The Arkansas high school baseball season kicks off on Feb. 26, opening day for regular season action under AAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Arkansas Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Benton
Head Coach: Mark Balisterri (33)
Classification: 5A
2023 Record: 18-9

 

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2024 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Starters:

4

Top Returning Players:

Elias Payne CF/P Junior, 5'9 170 L/L. Good speed very athletic All-Conf

Mason McDaniel C Junior 5'11 175 Solid defensive catcher All- Conf

Dalton Adair P Senior 6'0 210 velo 86-88 good command

Marcus Bates SS Sophomore 6'0 180 smooth athletic, can hit gap to gap with power.

Top Newcomers:

Gavin Kelley P/OF 6'3 175 good speed with gap to gap power. Velo 88-90 with movment

Sawyer Wilson INF/P freshman 5'10 165 good speed can play anywhere 82-84 with 3 pitches

Coach’s Insight:

“Defense and depth on the mound [will be our strengths]. [Some areas of concern will be] inexperience offensively and on the mound” – Mark Balisterri, head coach

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Find more information on the 2024 Benton program below:

+ Visit Prep Baseball Arkansas’ 2024 AAA Season Preview page to learn more.

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