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: Danbury Panthers
Head Coach: Rusty Sample
UIL Classification: UIL Class 3A (District 24)
Team Strengths: Pitching Depth & Returning Roster
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 21-11 (3A Area Finalists)
Key Players Lost: Max Kroschel, JT Cappadona, Ashton Casas

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

+ RHP/3B Gavin Lambert (2024; uncommitted)
+ INF/RHP Mason Mitchell (2024; uncommitted)
+ OF/UTL Trent Peltier (2024; uncommitted)
+ OF/RHP Aidan Fiala (2025; uncommitted)
+ C Maverick Parrack (2025; uncommitted)
+ UTL/RHP Peyton Hodge (2026)
+ UTL Alex Casas (2026)

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TOP NEWCOMERS

+ INF Larson Hathcock (2025; uncommitted)
+ UTL/RHP Cooper Bang (2025; uncommitted)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Danbury Panthers and Coach Rusty Sample return a good mix of upper and underclassmen for the 2024 season. In 2023 the Panthers finished as 3A Area Finalists, and with their pitching depth and returning roster, they should be a postseason contender again in 2024.

Leading the Panthers will be a Senior trio of RHP/3B Gavin Lambert, INF/RHP Mason Mitchell, and OF/UTL Trent Peltier, who all remain uncommitted. Lambert and Mitchell will be relied upon heavily to lead the returning pitching staff in 2024 as well, as both are two-way standouts for the Panthers. Another two-way player returning in 2024 is Junior OF/RHP Aidan Fiala (uncommitted), who will be joined by C Maverick Parrack (uncommitted) as leaders of the returning 2025 class. INF Larson Hathcock (uncommitted) and UTL/RHP Cooper Bang (uncommitted) are another pair of Juniors to monitor as they look to make a big impact on varsity for the first time in 2024. Danbury also brings back a Sophomore duo that is just getting started in their high school careers after seeing time on varsity as Freshmen last season in UTL/RHP Peyton Hodge and UTL Alex Casas.

The Panthers will have a good mix of each grad class on the field in 2024 that should allow for continued development of the younger players as the season progresses with Lambert, Mitchell, and Peltier serving as leaders to the group. With their pitching depth and abundance of returning players, look for Danbury to be a factor again come 3A playoff time.

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Find more information on the 2024 Danbury Panthers program below:
+ 2024 Schedule
+ Follow Danbury on X: @coach_R_Sample
+ Prep Baseball Texas, 2024 HS Team Previews

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