Preseason High School Preview: Glendale
March 8, 2023
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: Glendale
2022 Record: 25-7
Conference: Ozark
Classification: 5A
Head Coach: Jim Julian
X-FACTOR
Sebastian Norman, INF, 2025, Oklahoma State commit: Norman is a star, and his presence within this Glendale lineup gives them a truly elite bat across MSHSAA. An athletic freak with plenty of muscle packed on a 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame, Norman burst onto our radar at the Midwest Mavericks Scout Day last summer. He ran an absurd 6.43 60 there and recorded a peak exit velocity of 99 mph, sitting at 86-88 mph with his fastball later on. Norman committed to Oklahoma State a few months later, and his status as an upper-tier prospect in the state has only solidified over the last calendar year. As a freshman, Norman batted .389 with a .521 on-base percentage, picking up 12 extra-base hits, stealing 14 bags, and driving in 28 runs. He’s primed for a huge year in 2023 and, should Glendale reach the high expectations they’ve set internally, Norman’s certainly going to play a huge role.
STAT RAT
12 - The number of returning players that saw playing time last season. Almost everyone is back, outside of RHP Jacob House (2022; State Fair CC), from a team that won 25 games and finished second in their district.
OUTLOOK
The Falcons finished head coach Jim Julian’s fourth season at the helm with a 25-7 record, dropping a 6-0 contest to Willard in the District championship. Entering year five, Glendale brings back essentially everyone from last spring, and the Falcons believe that 2023 may be their year to clinch a state berth.
Aside from Norman, Glendale has two more high-end contributors in their lineup: SS/RHP Brooks Kettering (2023; SEMO) and INF Mark Ross II (2024; Central Arkansas). Kettering excelled for the Falcons last season, batting .378 while reaching base at a .512 clip. He was the catalyst for this offense, scoring 40 runs and swiping 18 bags, contributing 16 extra-base hits and bringing 20 home on his own. Kettering also operated in a relief role on the mound, striking out 26 batters over 25 ⅔ innings with a 2.18 ERA and three saves. We recently saw Ross at the US Nationals Scout Day, and the 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior came away from that event as one of its biggest winners. He swings an extremely physical right-handed bat with explosive bat speed, repeating hard contact on repeat while peaking at 99.5 mph in BP. He also ran a 6.88 60 and threw 91 mph across the infield, bringing even more tools to a team full of it.
INF Mark Ross II (@GHSBaseballSPS, 2024; @UCABearBaseball) took the day’s loudest round of BP.
— PBR Missouri (@PBRMissouri) February 25, 2023
Aggressive and intentful to the pull-side with bat speed, several 95+ mph batted balls, topped at 99.5 mph.
5-foot-11, 195-pounds. @USNatsNational pic.twitter.com/Yt5kpM6mXC
Aside from that trio, the Falcons return other pieces with experience that deepen this lineup. 1B Carter Lewis (2023; Drury), OF DJ Cofield (2023), INF Camren Stratton (2024), and OF/LHP Kellen Lindstrom (2024) are four left-handed bats that strengthen the versatility of this offense, while the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Lindstrom will chip in on the mound, too. Captaining this staff behind the plate is 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior C Alex Rankin (2024), though C/1B Graham Satterwhite (2025) could also see time behind there, as he earned a spot on varsity as a freshman last year.
BOTTOM LINE
The Falcons return nearly every piece from a team that almost won a district championship last spring. A year older with true star talent and experienced depth pieces around them, Glendale feels that 2023 may be their year, with their eyes set on a trip to Ozark.
Follow along @PBRMissouri for complete coverage of the 2023 high school season.
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