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Preseason High School Preview: Oak Park

March 8, 2024
By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Scouting

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: Oak Park High School
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 23-11 (District Semi’s)
Conference: Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference- Red Division
Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Joe Kinder

UPPERCLASSMEN TO KNOW 

UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS 

TEAM OUTLOOK

Oak Park won 23 games last spring and finished first in the Red Division of the Greater KC Suburban Conference before falling in the semi-finals of their District. This year’s bunch is an experienced, veteran group that’s poised to grow on what they did last spring, returning nine position players and five arms in 2024. 

OF/RHP Aiden Hinkle (2024; Missouri Southern signee) has had one of the more successful careers in the school’s history. He broke the all-time hit record as a junior last year, totaling 127 knocks in his career, and he’ll only add to his own mark throughout his senior campaign. Hinkle was the Suburban Conference Red Player of the Year in 2023 for not just his efforts at the plate, but also on the mound, where he’s expected to serve as one of the Northmen’s top arms. 

OF Aidan Bearden (2024) and OF/INF Hawkeye Roberts (2024; St. Charles CC commit) return to roam the outfield for the Northmen after earning second team all-conference honors last year. Both MIF Luke Meredith (2024) and RHP Ethan Olmedo (2024) were honorable mention all-conference selections in 2023. There’s a multitude of upperclassmen to know that are likely to see everyday roles for this team, like C Charles Bedosky (2024), 1B/OF Will Horseman (2024), 2B Chi Smith (2025), OF Anderson Dial (2025), and 3B Alex Chester (2025). 

Though this Oak Park team looks to be upperclass heavy, one sophomore to know as a potential candidate to draw starts is LHP Cole Wells (2026). OF/LHP Kirby Super (2025) and INF/RHP Ryan Oberly (2025) are two more names to watch on the mound for Oak Park this spring. Other options on the hill are the aforementioned Olmedo, RHP Ben Schliesman (2024), and RHP Caiden Bean (2025).

BOTTOM LINE 

Experience, depth, and upperclass leadership are important ingredients to a winning formula - all things that this Northmen club has to offer in 2024. They have a group capable of defending the conference championship they won last year with their eyes set on playing for a District title. 

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