2021 Team Preview - Live Oak High School
January 5, 2021
2021 is finally here and high school players, coaches, and fans across the state are ready to get going this spring. There is definitely a lot of momentum and "buzz" surrounding high school baseball this season, and maybe, that is due in large part to the 2020 season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, we are excited for the season as well. Today, we begin our series of High School Team previews for the 2021 season. We hope to give you, our readers, insight to many of the teams across state, as well as prospects to know for each program. First up is Live Oak High School.
High School: Live Oak
Classification: LHSAA 5A (District 4)
Head Coach: Jesse Cassard
Team Strengths: Physicality on Offense, Pitching Depth, and Defense
Team Weaknesses: Lack of Playoff Experience (due to cancellation of 2020 season)
Top Returning Players:
2021 1B Brant Smith (LSU Signee)
2021 C Blaise Priester (Merdian Community College Signee)
2021 LHP Ethan Prescott (Baton Rouge Community College Signee)
2021 SS/RHP Kade Dupont (Baton Rouge Community College Signee)
2022 CF Reid Broussard (Texas A&M Commit)
Players to Know (2022 Class)
Players to Know (2023 Class)
2023 C/UTIL Cameran Christ (Mississippi State Commit)
2023 INF Gabe Ellison
Players to Know (2024 Class)
2024 Kenneth Berard
Team Summary
After losing their 2020 season, playoff experience may be considered a weakness by some for the 2021 Live Oak High School baseball team. The good news for the Eagles is their head coach, Jesse Cassard, has won four state championships during his career, and this may be his most well rounded roster that he's ever had. Pitching will definitely be a strength of the team's coming into 2021. Ethan Prescott and Branson McCoy have toed the rubber for big games, specifically McCoy, who in 2019 beat the eventual 5A State Champion Barbe Bucs by a score of 3-1. Add Junior Southpaw's Tanner Roberts and Dawson Curtin into the mix and you've got a bonified four man pitching rotation that looks tough to beat. Curtin was super impressive at our All-State Games this past November, running his heavy, sinking fastball up to 87 mph. Offensively, the Eagles look to have plenty of weapons and they will be physical. Senior 1B Brant Smith is one of the most feared LHH in the state. Senior C Blaise Priester had an excellent summer and fall, and has started to gain the interest of professional scouts ahead of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. Defensively, the Eagles committed only 6 errors in 2020 and return 7 of their starters. Speedy CF Reid Broussard will anchor down the defense in the outfield. Broussard is another guy who saw his stock rise this summer after posting a 6.50 time in the 60, flashing an 89 mph positional velocity, and the ability to hit to all fields. Again, some may consider "playoff experience", as a weakness for the 2021 Live Oak Eagles, but with Jesse Cassard at the helm and this loaded roster, we expect Live Oak to make a lot of noise in 2021.