The 2023 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds 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 Mississippi.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Pearl, MS at Trustmark Park as they compete for a state championship, 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 Mississippi. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing other pieces of content covering the Magnolia State.

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. Each week we will be releasing our players of the week, updating the Top 10 in each MHSAA classification as well as a Power 25. 

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

High School Name: Lewisburg High School

Coach’s Name: Rusty Cagle

Classification: MHSAA 6A

2022 Record: 23-5

District Number: District 2

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6

No. of Returning Pitchers: 6

Team Strengths: Pitching depth, productive lineup 1-9. Returning valuable experience from last season.

Top Returning Players:

• RHP Cayden Baker (Baylor)
• OF Cooper Bennett
• C Trae Cagle
• OF Easton Fesmire
• RHP Gunner Gilmore (Air Force)
• RHP/1B Gage Haley (Mississippi State)
• LHP Talon Haley (Vanderbilt)
• INF Austin Hannigan (Southeastern Louisiana)
• RHP Stone McCaughey (Ole Miss)
• INF Jarrett Morris (Itawamba CC)
• RHP Matthew Osteen (Louisiana-Lafayette)
• OF Samuel Richardson (Missouri)

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

• INF/C Ethan Barnes

Team Outlook:

Lewisburg Head Coach Rusty Cagle is blessed with what could arguably be one of the top high school pitching staffs in America with 6 arms signed or committed to Division 1 schools. Cagle, who’s squad finished 23-5 a year ago, is counting on 2023 as the year it all begins to come together for the Patriots who look to win their first playoff game since 2019. Although the pitching staff catches the eyes of most, a productive lineup from top to bottom and returning players with valuable game experience are also key ingredients to the Patriots hopes of a deep playoff run this spring. 

A couple of players that will be expected to provide senior leadership for Lewisburg will be Gage Haley (1B/RHP - Mississippi State) and Jarrett Morris (INF - Itawamba CC). Both Haley and Morris were big contributors on offense last season with Haley, a former PBR Future Games member, picking up 4 big mound wins as well. 

The junior class is loaded with big time prospects that include pitchers Cayden Baker (RHP - Baylor), Gunner Gilmore (RHP - Air Force), Matthew Osteen (RHP - Louisiana), and Stone McCaughey (RHP - Ole Miss) along with position players Cooper Bennett (OF), Trae Cagle (C), Easton Fesmire (OF), Austin Hannigan (INF - SE Louisiana) and Sam Richardson (OF/INF - Missouri). Baker, Gilmore, Osteen, and Hannigan are also former PBR Future Games participants. Richardson, a transfer from Senatobia, should provide a boost offensively for the Patriots as he registers exit velocities nearing 100 mph consistently. 

Underclassmen that will be counted on heavily will be sophomores Talon Haley (OF/LHP - Vanderbilt) and Ethan Barnes (INF/C). Haley, who works in to the upper 80’s with nasty secondary stuff, could be used as a dual player with Barnes, another former PBR Future Gamer, serving as a very reliable glove no matter where you put him. 

Lewisburg also has an exciting group of junior high players on the way which could create powerhouse status for the Patriots in the very near future. 

 

Follow on Twitter: @PBR_Mississippi
Follow on Instagram: @PBRMississippi
Follow on Facebook: Prep Baseball Report - MS
Follow on SoundCloud: PBR Mississippi

 

 

Related Content: