Prep Baseball Report

2024 Team Preview: Community Braves


Prep Baseball Texas Staff

The 2024 Texas 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 Texas.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Austin at the UIL State Tournament in 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 Texas. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 30 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. Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week and updating the Power 30 rankings.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Nevada Community Braves
Head Coach: Kyle Onken
UIL Classification: UIL Class 4A (District 13)
Team Strengths: Pitching & Defense
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 20-15 (4A Area Finalists)
Key Players Lost: Ayden Terry

 


TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

+ RHP/OF Donovan Hawkins (2024; uncommitted) - Second Team All-District in 2023
+ RHP/OF Koren Ewing (2025; uncommitted) - District Most Valuable Player in 2023
+ INF Cruze Pettay (2025; uncommitted) - Second Team All-District in 2023
+ RHP/INF Kenton Buse (2025; uncommitted)
+ RHP/INF Jackson Garcia (2025; uncommitted) - Second Team All-District in 2023
+ OF Evan Throgmorton (2025; uncommitted)
+ RHP/INF Cutter Nix (2026) - First Team All-District in 2023


TOP NEWCOMERS

+ UTL Caleb Marrero (2025; uncommitted)


FRESHMEN TO FOLLOW

+ OF/INF Rocky Turner (2027)
+ INF Max Pennock (2027)
+ CIF Hunter Lindsay (2027)
+ INF/RHP Julian Barbosa (2027)
+ RHP Toby Reagan (2027)
+ C/UTL Chase Pettay (2027)
+ INF/RHP Cal Conner (2027)


TEAM OUTLOOK

After finishing last season as 4A Area Finalists, the Community Braves bring back seven key returners that will aim to make a deeper postseason run in 2024. Led by Coach Kyle Onken, the Braves expect their pitching and defense to be the team’s strengths entering this spring while bringing back five players who earned All-District honors last season.

Reigning District MVP, RHP/OF Koren Ewing (2025; uncommitted), will lead this year’s Braves squad as one of many two-way players. Uncommitted senior RHP/OF Donovan Hawkins is another two-way back for 2024 after earning Second Team All-District last year. Joining Hawkins and Ewing as two-way players in 2024 will be juniors RHP/INF Kenton Buse (uncommitted) and RHP/INF Jackson Garcia (uncommitted), and sophomore RHP/INF Cutter Nix. Garcia was a Second Team All-District player from 2023 and Nix was First Team after a stellar freshman season. Joining Hawkins and Garcia as a Second Team All-District player from last season is returning junior INF Cruze Pettay (uncommitted). Rounding out the key returners for the Braves in 2024 is junior OF Evan Throgmorton (uncommitted). Expected to join the Braves’ varsity squad in 2024 is another junior in UTL Caleb Marrero (uncommitted).

Community’s freshmen class is one that excites Coach Onken as he brings in seven guys who should become building blocks for the program over the next few years. These seven freshmen to watch are OF/INF Rocky Turner, INF Max Pennock, CIF Hunter Lindsay, INF/RHP Julian Barbosa, RHP Toby Reagan, C/UTL Chase Pettay, and INF/RHP Cal Conner.

With their returning talent and experience, the Community Braves look primed for another playoff run in 2024 and should be a tough out in the state’s 4A class.


Find more information on the 2024 Community Braves program below:

+ <<2024 Schedule>>
+ Follow Community on X: @brave_baseball
+ Prep Baseball Texas, Power 30 Homepage


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