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: Pacific
2022 Record: 18-3
Conference: Four Rivers
Classification: 5A
Head Coach: Jeff Reed

X-FACTOR

Jake Collier, LHP, 2025: Collier was excellent as a freshman for Pacific, failing to allow an earned run over 22 innings of work in his first taste of varsity action. He walked just four batters, striking out 38, and allowed only 10 hits, none of them going for extra bases. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound southpaw improved this winter, upping his arsenal as a whole and stringing together one of the more polished ‘pens we saw in February. He touched 88, sitting 86-87 mph with his fastball, regularly spinning a 72-73 mph curveball around the zone and throwing a 71-72 mph changeup with true swing-and-miss fade. He recorded only one at-bat for Pacific last season, but Collier can also swing it, wielding a fast left-handed barrel with more strength than you’d think at first glance. A budding ace, Collier can be a true difference maker for the Indians in 2023 and beyond.

Jake Collier

STAT RAT

6 - The number of first team or second team all-conference players that Pacific returns from last season, including the Four Rivers Conference ‘Player of the Year’.

OUTLOOK

Pacific went 18-3 in 2022, earning a four seed in their district and dropping their first game against Chaminade College Prep. Though disappointed from last year’s results, the Indians bring back eight starters this spring from a team that won 86% of their games.

The reigning ‘Conference Player of the Year’, RHP/INF Jack Meyer (2023; East Central College) will look to build off his past success in his senior year. Meyer walked only five batters in 41 innings of work, striking out 41 and pitching to a 1.20 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP. He dominated on the mound and contributed offensively too, batting .302 with a .373 on-base percentage over 53 at-bats.

Aside from Meyer, the Indians had multiple first team all-conference honorees put up loud numbers in 2022. OF Ethan Broser (2024) raked, slashing .526/.578/.649 with 10 stolen bases and 30 hits total, striking out just once across 64 plate appearances. MIF Ethan Simpson (2023; East Central College) also excelled on offense, batting .426 and reaching base 53.3% of the time across his 76 plate appearances, while also playing up the middle on defense. OF/C Trevor Klund (2024) was the catalyst for Pacific, scoring a team-high 32 runs with more walks (9) than strikeouts (5) to pair with a .424 batting average and .537 on-base percentage. RHP/INF Weston Kulick (2024) threw an excellent 33 ⅓ innings last season, pitching to a 6-1 record with a 1.89 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Kulick walked nine batters in total and allowed 27 hits, only one of them going for extra bases. RHP/INF Mason Snider (2023; East Central College) and 1B Matt Reincke (2023) are two more returns who earned all-conference honors last year.

BOTTOM LINE

Pacific has proven performers littered across this roster, as six players with all-conference accolades and eight in total return from a team that went 18-3. The Indians will look to compete for the Four Rivers Conference title again and make some noise in the playoffs once districts rolls around. 

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

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