The Kansas high school baseball season kicks off on March 19, opening day for regular season action under KSHSAA 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 Kansas 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: Atchison
Head Coach: Casey Purdy (17 years experience)
Classification: 4A
League: Meadowlark League
2023 Record: 18 - 2, lost in regional championship game to Paola

 

---

2024 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Starters:

6

Top Returning Players:

Boston Bruce, 3rd/P, Senior, 5'9", 190, R/R, 1st team all State 3rd Base, Meadowlark Player of the year, Hit .581, 36 hits, 7 doubles, 7 triples, 2 HRs. Boston is committed to play baseball at Johnson County Community College next year. Looking for him to have an even bigger year, he puts in a lot of time out of season to continue to improve his craft.

Jeter Purdy, C/P, Senior, 6'4", 210, R/R, All State Honorable Mention pitcher his sophomore year, but was limited during his junior high school season due to a shoulder issue. He was able to pitch over the summer and topped out at 87, needless to say it will be nice to have his arm back. He hit .370 with 20 hits and 4 HRs. Looking for a big year from him. He was an all-state receiver and averaging 20 points a game in basketball for the Phoenix

Yogi Purdy, C/P, Sophomore, 6'3", 215, R/R, All State 2nd Team Pitcher his freshman year. Yogi hit .377 with 20 hits and 2 HRs. He was our ace that went 8 - 0 with a 1.73 ERA and had 49 Ks. He topped out at 85 mphs over the summer and just like his brother, we are looking for another big year from him on the mound and at the plate.

Kolten Bonnel, 2nd/P, Sophomore, 5'8", 150, R/R. Kolten hit .310 as a freshmen and threw 17 innings on the mound for us. He is a true baseball kid and we'll rely on him to have a big year playing middle infield and pitching for us.

Top Newcomers:

Brody Barnes, 1st, Sophomore, 6'4", 275, R/R, Brody is a kid with a big upside, he plays a lot of ball and has a great glove and bat. I'm looking for him to get some opportunities to contribute at the varsity level this year

Coach’s Insight:

“Pitching and catching will be our team strengths. I've got two to three kids that could be considered an all state player at those two positions. That being said we now have to go out and execute. Our leadership will be a strength as well, with Jeter and Boston both being seniors and being major contributors all four years of their high school careers, we will rely on them a lot. We need to continue to get better at the plate, putting together good at bats and putting the ball in play.” – Casey Purdy, head coach

---

Find more information on the 2024 Atchison program below:

+ Visit Prep Baseball Kansas’ 2024 KHSHAA Season Preview page to learn more.

---

Related Content