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: Derby
Head Coach: Todd Olmstead (11 years experience)
Classification: 6A
League: AVCTL Division 1
2023 Record: 16-10 (Fourth place finish, 6A; AVCTL D1 champs)

 

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2024 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Starters:

6

Top Returning Players:

Colton Ruedy - OF/1B-SR-6'0 185- L/L- 1st team AVCTL DIV 1 1B, Honorable mention 6A All State, .407 avg w/ .995 fld % at 1B. Colton played 1B out of necessity, but could be found patrolling the OF again this year.

Caden Riojas - CF- SR- 6'0 180- R/R- 1st Team AVCTL DIV 1 OF, .326 avg, 10 SB. Caden can go get a ball anywhere on the field, he will hit leadoff and put pressure on defenses with his speed.

Colby Morgan - RHP/ SS- SR- 6'2 177- R/R- Colby was hitting .304 before injury took him away from us last year. Colby will be a top of the rotation guy and middle of the order hitter.

Max White - LHP- SR- 5'11 160- L/L- Max will be a top of the rotation guy, he had a good season last year with 39 K in 42 innings. 1.72 ERA

Hudson Halstead - RHP- SO- 6'2 200- Hudson will be a tough starting pitcher again this year. He threw 28 innings with a 1.28 ERA as a Freshman. Year 2 should be exciting!!

Players to Watch:

Ethan Crawford- C- SR- 6'0 212- Ethan hit .400 in limited varsity action. Ethan will give us some stability again behind the plate.

Nick Martinez - RHP- SR- 6'0 211- R/R- Nick threw 17 innings with a 3.70 ERA Nick's velo took off over the summer. He will be expected to be an inning eating guy this year.

Rowan Foster- INF- SO- 6'2 174- S/R- Rowan will be counted on to be an offensive leader this year. His defense was superior, committing only 6 errors. Rowan will have a chance to be an elite player in the area this year

Calvin Pryor- INF/RHP- JR- 6'0 182- R/R- Calvin saw some varsity time last year, this year he will be counted on to fill some of the openings we have in the infield and innings on the mound. Calvin brings a lot of athleticism to the team.

Top Newcomers:

Gavin Pfannenstiel - OF- JR- 5'10 193 R/R
Cooper Williams - OF- SO- 5'11 171- R/R

Coach’s Insight:

“We are going to be a very athletic team, with good speed and baseball IQs. Pitching should be a strength, with 3 of 4 starting pitchers returning. Pitching depth will be a concern, as will lack of varsity game experience at several key positions. We could be very young in several positions. ” – Todd Olmstead, head coach

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Find more information on the 2024 Derby program below:

+ Follow them on X: @PanthersBasBall
+ Visit Prep Baseball Kansas’ 2024 KHSHAA Season Preview page to learn more.

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