2025 Team Preview: Sam Houston High School
January 14, 2025
The 2025 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds 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 Louisiana.
Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Sulphur, LA, home of the LHSAA State Championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes a reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Louisiana. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, followed by our Power 25 Rankings release, and our always popular Game of the Week segment.
Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the Bayou State. Each week, we will be releasing our Player and Pitcher of the Week, updating our Power 25 Rankings, as well as additional content that is focused strictly on high school baseball in Louisiana.
*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches. If you have not received a questionnaire and would like to fill one out, please email State Director Alex Armand at [email protected]
High School Name: Sam Houston High School
Head Coach: Chad Hebert
Classification: Class 5A (Non-Select D-I)
District: 3-5A
2024 Record: 32-5
2024 Playoff Finish: State Semifinalist
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Team Strengths: Experience on Offense & Athleticism
Top Upperclassmen (2025 & 2026 Class): 2025 OF/LHP Cole Flanagan (UL-Lafayette signee), 2025 C Connor Walker (McNeese State signee), 2025 INF/RHP Ashton Bultron (Belhaven College signee), 2025 INF/RHP Wyatt Harvey, 2025 INF Haden Peshoff (Bossier Parish CC signee), 2025 RHP Maddox Ardoin (Bossier Parish CC signee), 2025 RHP Landon Gentry, 2026 INF Carson Christ
Top Underclassmen (2027 & 2028 Class): 2027 RHP/INF Owen Galley, 2027 RHP Brytn Gardner
Team Outlook
The Sam Houston Broncos enter the 2025 season looking to build on an impressive 2024 campaign that saw them finish 32-5 and come up just short of a state championship appearance. Under the leadership of Head Coach Chad Hebert, the Broncos are poised for another deep playoff run thanks to a wealth of experience, athleticism, and a talented roster returning to the fold.
With several key contributors returning, the Broncos’ lineup will be long and dangerous, providing opposing pitchers with few easy outs. The team’s speed and versatility will allow them to excel both at the plate and in the field.
The Broncos will feature a host of reliable high school arms, which, coupled with strong defensive play, could make them a dominant force.
A major boost for Sam Houston will be the return of LHP Cole Flanagan, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery. His presence on the mound should solidify the pitching staff and provide leadership to a promising group of younger pitchers. Flanagan will also hit in the middle of the Broncos order, just as he did as a sophomore.
In addition to Flanagan, there are a trio of seniors in Maddox Ardoin, Landon Gentry, and Brady Foolkes, who will all be relied upon heavily this upcoming season. Ardoin, in particular, was impressive at our Uncommitted Senior Games event back in September, as he tossed two shutout innings with 4 K's, while running his fastball up to 87 mph to go along with a spin-killing knuckleball.
Sophomores Owen Galley and Brytn Gardner both carved out important roles as freshman and will look to do even more in 2025. Galley is a Top-10 player in the state's 2027 class and was stellar for the Broncos as a freshman. On the mound, he went a perfect 4-0 with a 0.86 ERA and posted a .321 AVG at the plate in limited at-bats. Gardner went 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA, while pitching primarily out of the bullpen.
To be in contention at the end of the season, the Broncos will need to focus on playing clean, fundamentally sound baseball throughout the year. Avoiding errors and capitalizing on opportunities will be critical in tight matchups, particularly in the postseason.
The leader and backbone of the Broncos is without a doubt senior Connor Walker, who is known as one of the best defensive backstops in the entire state. The McNeese State recruit was equally as good with the bat last season, as he finished the year hitting .384 with a .504 OBP, to go along with 4 HR, 11 2B, 3 3B, and 32 RBI.
Fellow senior Haden Peshoff returns at shorstop after a breakout junior campaign. The Bossier Parish Community College recruit posted a .406 AVG with 12 XBH adn 17 RBI last spring as a junior.
Senior Ashton Bultron, a Belhaven College recruit, is another middle-of-the-order bat that will be back this spring as well. Bultron has seemed to always come through in clutch moments for Sam Houston over the last couple of years.
Junior Carson Christ started at 2nd base last season and was the team's leadoff hitter. Christ hit at a .327 clip last season with 2 HR, 5 2B, 2 3B, and 19 RBI. He's a quality defender with excellent bat-to-ball skills.
Junior Charlie Donaldson has made some of the biggest strides over the off-season and looks to fill a full-time role in the outfield this spring. Donaldson had an impressive showing at our State Games event back in October, putting together several quality at-bats over the weekend.
The Sam Houston Broncos have all the tools needed to compete for a State Title in 2025. With a deep lineup, experienced leadership, and a pitching staff bolstered by the return of Cole Flanagan, the Broncos are set up to be a tough matchup for any opponent. If they can stay consistent and execute fundamentally, this team has the potential to make another trip to the state semifinals — or even beyond.
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Upcoming Events
SHOWCASE | DATE | LOCATION |
Lake Charles Preseason ID | 1/4/25 | Sam Houston High School (Moss Bluff, LA) |
New Orleans Preseason ID | 1/5/25 | Mike Miley Stadium (Metairie, LA) |
Baton Rouge Preseason ID | 1/12/25 | Central BR High School (Baton Rouge, LA) |
New Orleans Rising Stars ID | 2/16/25 | Mike Miley Stadium (Metairie, LA) |