Players in Arizona have been eager to compete for their high school programs and it feels as we are getting close. The Arizona Interscholastic Association has announced that opening day of the 2021 season will commence on Monday, March 1st. Programs will allowed to begin practicing while holding tryouts in an official capacity before moving on to live competition. The PBR Arizona staff will start to begin its 2021 season coverage starting with our Preseason Power 25 rankings. Over the next two months and leading up to opening day, we will be highlighting some of the top programs in state in our team previews. PBR will also be publishing its state Power 25 rankings that will be updated every Monday once the season begins. Throughout the season, PBR will be pumping out coverage, highlighting individual players, games, rankings, scouting reports and nominating a player of the week. PBR looks forward to getting out there this spring to see some great baseball. 

Our Preseason Power 25 rankings coverage starts today.

Team: Liberty

Preseason Rank: No. 2
2020 Record: 7-2
Conference: Desert Valley
AIA Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Chris Raymond
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 6

OUTLOOK:

We have talked about some high school programs having strong senior leadership leading up to the 2021 season. Liberty High School might have some of the most out of all those teams which plays a big part in them landing at No. 2 in our Preseason Power 25 rankings. They should be in for a big year as they have plenty of depth in most areas of the game. Head Coach, Chris Raymond highlights the Lions pitching & defense as a cornerstone of this club in 2021 as he should but they shouldn't be counted out on the offensive side either. The Lions return their top two pitchers from last season. Senior right-hander, Kaden Schiefelbein (Washington State) should lead the Lions on the mound and we could see him running his FB into low 90's this spring with pitchability. Schiefelbein should also see action in the infield and have some success with the bat as well. Another senior, Patrick Steitz (Central Arizona) would be the ace of the staff on most teams and has some big upside in a tall wiry athletic frame. Sophomore right-hander, Traig Oughton who recently committed to Ole Miss should be their guy in the future and see some increased innings this year. He's gaining some momentum of his own in the class. The offense should be led by Senior SS, Braden Lovett who is a career .382 hitter, his toughness plays a big role in this teams make-up. Senior, Brexton Clubb (Northwest Nazarene) could be in for a big year with the bat as he crushed high school pitching throughout the summer & fall seasons. Junior, Kolby Felix (Uncommitted) should also impact this club in a variety of ways and has some strong tools to round out this lineup. Look for the Lions to compete until the the end in 2021.

KEY PLAYERS LOST:

Name	State	School	Class	POS	Commitment
Kyle Lewis	AZ	Liberty	2020	C	South Mountain
Cole Bramhall	AZ	Liberty	2020	OF/RHP	Hood River JC
Tyler McCaughey	AZ	Liberty	2020	OF	Paradise Valley
Jace DeRosier	AZ	Liberty	2020	UT	Paradise Valley
Mitchell Schooler	AZ	Liberty	2020	RHP	Arizona Christian

TOP RETURNERS:

PRESEASON MVP:

Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
Kaden Schiefelbein	AZ	Liberty	2021	RHP	Washington State

TOP NEWCOMERS:

UNDERCLASSMEN WATCHLIST:

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
Gerardo Gonzales	AZ	Liberty	2024	RHP/3B
Sebastian Galvez	AZ	Liberty	2024	RHP/SS
Mason Seibt	AZ	Liberty	2024	UT

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