Prep Baseball Report

Preseason High School Preview: Blue Springs South


By: Diego Solares
Area Scout, Illinois & Missouri

The Missouri high school baseball season is set to kick off shortly, with ‘Opening Day’ set for March 17th. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2023 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications.

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 2023 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Blue Springs South
2022 Record: 26-11
Conference: KC Suburban Gold
Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Ben Baier

X-FACTOR

RHP Tommy Lapour, 2023, Cincinnati commit
Lapour is a premier arm in the state’s senior class, rising significantly up our 2023 rankings in our update last week, now slotted at seventh overall. A multi-sport standout at Blue Springs South on the football field and as a wrestler, Lapour’s athletic talents are especially proven on the diamond. He really looks the part each time he toes the rubber, filling out a 6-foot-3, 225-pound with physicality, and boasting a traditional starter’s stature capable of shouldering a bulk workload. His fastball has played in the low-90s in the past, though we’ve heard he’s bumped up to 96 mph this winter, and he’s always attacked hitters in the strike zone. Lapour’s bread-and-butter pitch is a devastating splitter - a pitch he comfortably throws to anyone in any count that’s going to miss plenty of bats now and in the future. Perched atop arguably Missouri’s deepest pitching staff, Blue Springs South has a chance to win each game Lapour draws the start.

Tommy Lapour

STAT RAT

15 - The years that head coach Ben Baier has been at the helm of this Blue Springs South program. In the last decade, Baier’s brought the Jaguars to their classifications’ state playoffs eight times, including four consecutive trips from 2016 to 2019. He’s established himself as one of Missouri’s best coaches and this year’s roster may be as talented as ever in the midst of another state tune up.

OUTLOOK

The Jaguars lost in the state championship game last spring, but a huge chunk of Blue Springs South’s core returns this spring, including a dynamic bunch of seniors looking to leave their long lasting mark on this program with a state championship.

We highlighted Lapour above for his prowess on the mound and the impact that one of the state’s top senior arms can bring to this rotation. Aside from the Cincinnati commit, however, the Jaguars have arguably the state’s deepest pitching staff, and there’s no shortage of explosive talent for head coach Ben Baier to trot out there any given inning. Pairing up with Lapour is RHP Trenton Roehler (2023; Missouri commit), who was a first team all-state selection in 2022 and, like his counterpart, is also a top arm in the state’s senior class. He’s an explosive arm with an upper-80s fastball that’ll climb into the low-90s, and he pairs it with a swing-and-miss breaking ball that’ll get plenty of whiffs. It’ll be hard to beat this battle tested and experienced one-two punch, and the Jaguars are more than comfortable with their chances of winning each game that this duo is on the mound.

Trenton Roehler

Moving aside from that pairing, however, are a deeper group of arms, each of them having setting themselves apart on both sides of the ball as likely two-way contributors. Though he’s likely to serve as the team’s primary backstop, C/RHP Cole Chace (2023; Indiana State) has shown us upper-80s heat on the mound in the past and adds even more dynamism to this staff. LHP/OF Liam Bryan (2023; Central Missouri) is another two-way producer here, really looking the part at Creekside this summer. He’ll swing it with consistency, though Bryan also features a strong two-pitch mix, including a big two-plane breaking ball off a mid-to-high-80s heater. Senior OF/RHP Aiden Doll (2023; Angelo State) has also flashed upper-80s heat in the past and a big arm from the outfield, while also swinging a quality right-handed bat that should help the Jaguars’ run production. INF/RHP Collin Dobson (2024) came away from the Rawlings Tigers Scout Day as a huge arrow-up name. He looked hitterish at the plate with consistent line drive feel, showed a steady glove on the infield, and sat 85-88 mph with his fastball, throwing a true swing-and-miss changeup off it in the upper-70s.

Liam Bryan

Leading the charge offensively for Blue Springs South is INF Grant Hollister (2024; Michigan), who’s on our shortlist for the ‘Player of the Year’ award, and is unquestionably one of the state’s best hitters, regardless of class. Hollister was a first team all-state selection last season and regularly impressed our staff in every look last year, nearly taking home MVP honors at the PBR Future Games after performing at the highest level. Pencil him in as an elite offensive threat, sure-handed glove on the infield, and a leader in this clubhouse. Also returning is INF Diego Rodriguez (2023; Missouri Western), an experienced senior bat that’ll log time up the middle, and adds even more experience to a team already full of it.

Grant Hollister

Depth is key and Blue Springs South has it, particularly in their junior class. OF Jackson Stettnisch (2024) swings a fast, physical right-handed bat with arm strength on the mound, and he currently sits inside the top-50 names on our state’s 2024 rankings. OF Ajay Ford (2024) and INF Jackson De Lautour (2024) were two winners from this recent fall circuit, each of which are looking to make an impact on the program this spring. It’s possible we’ll see RHP/1B Ashton Nance (2025) up at the varsity level in some capacity, and the recent Kansas commit was a standout at the MOKAN Preseason All-State, featuring an easy 84-86 mph fastball with feel for his secondaries on a 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame.

Ashton Nance

BOTTOM LINE

It’s hard to find many rosters as complete as Blue Springs South across the state of Missouri. They’re bringing back a huge chunk of last year’s innings, seven starting spots in the lineup, and it’s a team that’s battle tested after falling just short of a state championship in 2022. This senior group is special and eager to leave one lasting mark on the program before beginning their college careers. 

Follow along @PBRMissouri for complete coverage of the 2023 high school season.

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