2024 Preseason Preview: Clovis

January 26, 2024
By: Isaiah Glidden
Staff Writer

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The 2024 California high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound 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 California.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in their respective CIF Section Championship Game, 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 California. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 25 rankings that’ll carry us into the opening week of action and the Third Annual Prep Baseball California Spring Invitational.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across California. Each week we will be releasing our Power 25, Players of the Week, Diamond Notes, Podcasts and much more.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Clovis Cougars
Head Coach: J.D. Salles
CIF Section: CIF-CS, Division 1
Conference League: Tri River Athletic Conference
2023 Record: 17-12-1
Team X Handle: @CloHighBaseball

Team Strengths: Our pitching staff is deep and has some next level guys across the board. Baseball IQ and work ethic is a large part of our team as well.
No. of Returning Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Areas of Improvement: Our offense has improved vastly and this comes from increased strength and commitment to our offensive game plan.

COMMITTED PLAYERS

+ ‘25 RHP/C John Kasten - North Carolina - 6’3 205 lbs.

+ ‘26 RHP Logan Georges - Texas Christian - 6’5 210 lbs.

TOP UNCOMMITTED SENIORS

+ ‘24 2B Marcel Leal - 5’10 175 lbs.
+ ‘24 SS/RHP Arturo Becerra - 6’0 175 lbs.
+ ‘24 OF Tyler Cheney - 6’1 175 lbs.

TOP UNCOMMITTED JUNIORS

+ ‘25 UTIL Gilbert Sierra - 6’0 190 lbs.
+ ‘25 INF Nick Caballero - 5’8 170 lbs.
+ ‘25 1B/OF Cash Scharton - 5’11 180 lbs.
+ ‘25 C/1B Drake Davis - 6’1 205 lbs.

TOP UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2026

+ ‘26 C/3B Deagan Rose - 6’2 200 lbs.
+ ‘26 OF/INF Maddox Merrill - 5’9 200 lbs.
+ ‘26 LHP/OF Jackson Efird - 5’10 180 lbs.
+ ‘26 RHP Reece Day - 6’0 190 lbs.

Class of 2027

+ ‘27 OF Jett Lewis - 5’10 170 lbs.
+ ‘27 C Dayne Williams - 6’1 200 lbs.

TEAM OUTLOOK

Coach Salles and his Clovis Cougars squad have their eyes set on the prize in 2024, and they certainly have the talent to do so in 2024. Leading the way on the mound will be a pair of Division 1 commits in ‘25 John Kasten and ‘26 Logan Georges, who will both provide firepower at the top of the Cougars’ rotation. A trio of seniors are set to lead the Cougars, too. ‘24 Marcel Leal will bat leadoff for Clovis this year, and he brings back three years of starting varsity experience. ‘24 Arturo Becerra will be making some two-way contributions this year, as he could possibly see his name in the starting rotation or one of the main relievers out of the ‘pen and he also offers raw power at the plate, too. ‘24 Tyler Cheney is another senior to note on this squad, who has improved offensively according to Coach Salles while also being a lockdown defender in the outfield.

A number of juniors will also be relied on over the course of the season. ‘25 Gilbert Sierra provides defensive flexibility for the Cougars as Coach Salles called him the “ultimate utility guy” and also pointed to him having the chance to hit in the middle of the lineup. ‘25 Nick Caballero, ‘25 Cash Scharton, and ‘25 Drake Davis are three other juniors who Coach Salles said have all made vast improvements to their games, so expect them to be big contributors and leaders on the field.

Not only does this team have a number of upperclassmen set to make their presence felt, there are also a handful of underclassmen who have the opportunity to make contributions. ‘26 Deagan Rose, who is also a standout for Clovis on the gridiron, was a starter on varsity during his freshman campaign where he hit over .300 and will look to do more of the same during his sophomore year. Another expected offensive threat is ‘26 Maddox Merrill, who earned a spot in the starting lineup halfway through last year and looks to be an everyday player this year, too. Two sophomore arms that Coach Salle expects to earn either spots in the rotation or top bullpen arms are ‘26 Jackson Efird and ‘26 Reece Day. ‘27 Jett Lewis and ‘27 Dayne Williams are a pair of freshmen that Coach Salle is excited to see progress throughout their prep careers.

Coach J.D. Salles’ Expectations: “We expect to compete for a TRAC, Section, and NorCal Regional Championship. We return a lot from last year and we have gained strength in the weight room that we feel will translate to the on-field performance. We are very excited about this group.”