Prep Baseball Report

2024 Team Preview: Grapevine Faith Christian Lions


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: Grapevine Faith Christian Lions
Head Coach: Robert Vaughn
UIL Classification: TAPPS Div. 2
Team Strengths: Pitching & Defense
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 28-4 (2nd Round)
Key Players Lost: Andy Neal-C, Will Nicholson-SS, Grayson St. Romain-LHP/OF, Brock Roden-1B, Jayden Norris-CF

 


TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

+ OF Owen Gunnip (2024; uncommitted)
+ 1B Owen Jones (2024; uncommitted)
+ OF Scott Sanders (2024; uncommitted)
+ 1B/UTL Hamish Armour (2024; uncommitted)
+ RHP Ryan Romolo (2025; uncommitted)
+ INF Garrison St. Romain (2025; uncommitted)
+ C Caden Anholt (2025; uncommitted)
+ INF John Byler (2025; uncommitted)
+ OF Jake Nicholson (2025; uncommitted)
+ RHP Jack McDonald (2025; uncommitted)
+ INF Cohen Ross (2026)


TOP NEWCOMERS

+ UTL Connor Marley (2025; uncommitted)
+ OF John Duffy (2025; uncommitted)
+ LHP Max Thompson (2026)
+ UTL Luke Little (2026)


FRESHMEN TO FOLLOW

+ INF/RHP Jace Walker (2027)
+ C/RHP Colton Savage (2027)


TEAM OUTLOOK

The Grapevine Faith Lions are coming off a strong 2023 season that saw them win nearly 30 games and make the playoffs, while returning a ton of production for 2024. Coach Robert Vaughn returns 11 guys who all saw varsity action in 2023, as this should give the Lions a solid foundation to work with heading into the spring.

Coach Vaughn expects the strengths of the team in 2024 to be their pitching and defense, and there is plenty coming back on the defensive side of the ball. Starting with the seniors on defense, the Lions will bring back outfielders Owen Gunnip (uncommitted) and Scott Sanders (uncommitted), and utility players Owen Jones (uncommitted) and Hamish Armour (uncommitted). The Lions’ junior class returns infielders Garrison St. Romain (uncommitted) and John Byler (uncommitted), OF Jake Nicholson (uncommitted), and C Caden Anholt (uncommitted). Grapevine Faith will welcome UTL Connor Marley (uncommitted) and OF John Duffy (uncommitted) into the varsity junior class for the 2024 season, and should help provide depth to the Lions. On the sophomore side, the Lions return INF Cohen Ross, who played last season as a freshman, and they welcome UTL Luke Little into the fold for 2024.

On the pitching side of things, the Lions will return a trio of junior arms in RHP Ryan Romolo (uncommitted), RHP Jack McDonald (uncommitted), and P Andrew Savage (uncommitted). Sophomore LHP Max Thompson will join the pitching staff in 2024 and should add to the team’s pitching depth headed into 2024.

A pair of freshmen will begin their high school careers this spring and could potentially make an impact right away to begin their careers in INF/RHP Jace Walker and C/RHP Colton Savage. If these two don’t factor into the varsity season this spring, look for them to be potential building blocks for Coach Vaughn’s program for the next few years.

With how much returning production the Lions have for 2024, look for them to pick up where they left off in 2023 and make a strong postseason push again this season.


Find more information on the 2024 Grapevine Faith Christian Lions program below:

+ <<2024 Schedule>>
+ Follow Grapevine Faith on X: @GFCSBSB
+ Prep Baseball Texas, Power 30 Homepage


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