The 2024 Missouri high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound 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 Missouri. 

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Ozark come early June, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Missouri. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason team rankings that’ll carry us into the opening week of action.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state, and we’ll be releasing daily content to ensure our top-tier coverage of the ‘Show Me’ state. 

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Miller
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 16-11 (District Semi-Finals)
Conference: Southwest Conference
Classification: 2A
Head Coach: Justin Snider

UPPERCLASSMEN TO KNOW 

• INF Bodie Gubser (2024)
• UTL Gavin Burton (2024)
• SS Jarod Lung (2025)
• CF/P Gavin Hendricks (2025)
• 1B/3B Colton Brown (2025)
• UT/P Caden Calvin (2025)
• OF/P Nate Hill (2025)

UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS 

• LHP/OF/1B Paul Nunez (2026) 
• DH/3B Eli Woods (2026)
• UT Brayden Williams (2026)
• LHP Owen Weiss (2026) 
• RHP/MIF Hayden Schnake (2027)
• + C Sam Ferguson (2027)

OUTLOOK

A 2A program, Miller returns a large chunk of a group that won 16 games last season and made a run to their District semi-finals, falling just a game short of playing for a spot in the state playoffs. 

Experience and run prevention figure to be the strength of this club, starting on the mound with a pair of arms that return after strong seasons last year. INF/RHP Jarod Lung (2025) has started every game since his freshman year for the Cardinals and is primed for another strong showing on both sides of the ball this spring. As a sophomore, Lung punched out 24 across 30 innings of work and hit .286 with a .471 on-base percentage on his way to All-Conference and All-District honors. 

Behind Lung are a trio of underclassmen who will be called upon to log innings for Miller this year. LHP Paul Nunez (2026), a 6-foot-2 southpaw, hurled 23 ⅔ innings as a freshman last year, fanning 29 with a 3.85 ERA. RHP Hayden Schnake (2027) is another youngster that should slot into a role this spring for the Cardinals as a 6-foot, 155-pound athlete with feel to spin. Another southpaw, LHP Owen Weiss (2026), should see time on the bump for this team in 2024. 

Positionally, the Cardinals have a handful of names returning to their lineup from last season. OF Gavin Hendricks (2025) was a full time starter during his sophomore campaign, earning All-Conference and All-District honors for his efforts. He figures to be a middle-of-the-order type bat with budding power that slashed .284/.425/.463 last season and drove in 21 runs. 

Another name-to-know in the heart of this lineup is Colton Brown (2025), who brings back a .276 batting average while reaching base at a .475 clip. UTL Caden Calvin (2025) can play almost every position on the field at an above-average rate and profiles as a table-setter offensively. OF Nate Hill (2025) had a strong finish to last season and will look to ride that momentum this year while a pair of seniors, INF Bodie Gubser (2024) and UTL Gavin Burton (2024), deepen this group even more so with their experience. 

Handling the bulk duties behind the plate for this club is freshman C Sam Ferguson (2027), who’ll be thrown to the fire quickly in his first year of high school baseball. He’s an agile backstop with above-average athleticism behind the dish and this group is confident he’ll be an asset for them defensively. Two other potential impacts for this team are CIF Eli Woods (2026) and RHP Brayden Williams (2026). 

BOTTOM LINE 

Head coach Justin Snider’s club set the foundation for success last year, gaining needed experience throughout the season with a core group made up largely of underclassmen at the time. Now older, this Miller group will look to make some noise in the Southwest Conference, as well as their District once the playoffs roll around. 

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