The 2024 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 the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Lewisburg High School
Head Coach: Rusty Cagle
Classification: MHSAA 7A
District Number: 7A, District 1
2023 Record (Finish): 29-8
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 6
Team Strengths: Talented, deep pitching staff. Athleticism throughout the lineup. Tons of experience.

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• LF Cooper Bennett (2024, Meridian CC)
• 2B Austin Hannigan (2024, University of Memphis)
• RF Sam Richardson (2024, University of Texas)
• C Trae Cagle (2024, Northeast Mississippi CC)
• CF Easton Fesmire (2024, Northeast Mississippi CC)
• RHP Cayden Baker (2024, Baylor University)
• RHP Matthew Osteen (2024, University of Louisiana)
• RHP/1B Gunner Gilmore (2024, Air Force Academy)
• LHP Talon Haley (2025, Vanderbilt University)
• SS Kody Gilmore (2024, Mississippi Delta CC)
• RHP/OF Stone McCaughey (2024, Ole Miss)

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MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

• RHP Matt Magee (2024, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
• RHP Caleb Staggs (2024, Mississippi Delta CC)
• RHP Logan Churchill (2024, Mississippi Delta CC)

Class of 2025

• RHP/1B Preston Sowell (2025)

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TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

• RHP/OF Cooper Bierman (2026)
• INF/OF Colson Alexander (2026)
• INF Caden Nelson (2026)
• RHP/1B Cade Sanders (2026)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Lewisburg returns 7 positional starters and 6 pitchers from a roster that finished 29-8 in 2023 after capturing the 6A State Championship at Trustmark Park in Pearl. Head Coach Rusty Cagle must be very excited about the possibilities in 2024 as the Patriots return most of the arms that dominated during their championship run. 

Top returners for Lewisburg include seniors Cooper Bennett (LF - Meridian CC recruit), Austin Hannigan (2B - former Future Gamer, Memphis recruit), Sam Richardson (RF - Texas recruit), Trae Cagle (Cacher - Northeast MS CC recruit), Easton Fesmire (CF - Northeast MS CC recruit), Cayden Baker (RHP - former Future Gamer, Baylor recruit), Matthew Osteen (RHP - former Future Gamer, Louisiana Lafayette recruit), and Gunner Gilmore (RHP/1B - former Future Gamer, Air Force recruit), along with juniors Talon Haley (LHP - Vanderbilt recruit) and Kody Gilmore (SS - Mississippi Delta CC recruit).

The Patriot pitching staff is arguably one of the best high school staffs in America and gets the most notoriety but these guys have some thunder in their bats as well. Second baseman Austin Hannigan returns after leading the team in hitting with a .360 batting average. He will look to pace the offense once again with help from Garrett Gilmore (.333), Cooper Bennett (.324), Kody Gilmore (.313), Trae Cagle (.308), Sam Richardson (.301), and Easton Fesmire (.295). On the mound the Patriots have tons of elite depth which probably makes spreading out the innings to all of the arms a bit of a chore for Coach Cagle. Cayden Baker led the staff in innings (72) last year and should be another big arm to go to after finishing 7-1 with a 1.56 ERA and 92 strikeouts. Talon Haley was equally impressive as the lefty went 9-0 with a 1.99 ERA with 103 strikeouts. Cagle can also turn to Garrett Gilmore (5-3.1.59 ERA), Matthew Osteen (5-2, 1.80 ERA), and Super 60 participant Stone McCaughey who is raring to go after an injury kept him out in 2023. 

Other players ready to help are seniors Matt Magee (RHP), Caleb Staggs (RHP), and Logan Churchill (RHP), junior Preston Sowell (RHP/1B), along with sophomores Copper Bierman (RHP/OF), Colton Alexander (INF/OF), Caden Nelson (INF), and Cade Sanders (RHP/1B).

Lewisburg will begin regular season play on February 17th versus Kossuth.

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Find more information on the 2024 Lewisburg High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @TheBurgBball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Mississippi, 2024 HS Team Previews

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL MISSISSIPPI THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on X
+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on Facebook

 

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