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 Louisiana.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Sulphur, LA, home of the LHSAA State Championships, 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 Louisiana.  We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, followed by our Power 25 Rankings release, and our popular Game of the Week segment. 

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the bayou state.  Each week, we will be releasing our players of the week, updating our Power 25 Rankings, and many more pieces of content.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

 

High School Name: Parkway 

Head Coach: Aaron Wicklund

Classification: Class 5A (Non-Select D-I)

District: 1-5A

2023 Record: 24-10

2023 Playoff Finish: Lost in 2nd round to St. Amant

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4

No. of Returning Pitchers: 4

Team Strengths: Pitching & Defense 

Top Returning Players: 2024 RHP/3B Sean Waits (McLennan CC commit), 2024 RHP/INF Sean Driggers (Baton Rouge CC commit), 2024 RHP/2B Colton Smith (Jones College commit), 2025 MIF/RHP Abel Thetford

Top 2024 & 2025 Prospects: 2024 RHP/3B Sean Waits (McLennan CC commit), 2024 RHP/INF Sean Driggers (Baton Rouge CC commit), 2024 RHP/2B Colton Smith (Jones College commit), 2025 MIF/RHP Abel Thetford, 2025 UTIL/RHP Maddox Cockerham, 2025 RHP/3B Gabe Armond, 2025 UTIL/RHP Trent Howard, 2025 C Kamron Blackshire

Top 2026 & 2027 Prospects: 2026 OF/RHP Cole Snell, 2026 MIF/RHP Colby Donaldson, 2026 C Tristan Sedberry

 

Team Outlook

Parkway High School is known year in and year out as one of the top baseball programs in the northern part of the state.  The Panthers went an impressive 24-10 last year and made it to the second round of the LHSAA Non-Select D-I playoffs, where their season ended at the hands of St. Amant.  First-year Head Coach Aaron Wicklund will have to replace quite a bit from last year's team, as the Panthers lost a core group of seniors that were led by Trenton Lape (LSU), Brandon Levy (Bossier Parish CC), Zach Schoenborn (Northwestern State), and Barrett Newman (Liberty-Football).  The strengths of this year's team is pitching and defense, and the Panthers have three senior arms that Coach Wicklund is excited about.  Senior RHP Sean Waits is a physical 6'3" 215 lbs. right-handed hurler with a FB that will touch 90 mph.  Senior RHP Colton Smith is a long and lean 6'3" right-handed pitcher with a mid-upper 80's FB that comes from a lower 3/4 slot, and senior RHP Sean Driggers owns a mid-80's FB to go along with a solid three-pitch mix for strikes in any count.  All three of those guys have committed to play at the next level with Waits going to McLennan CC, Smith going to Jones College, and Driggers to Baton Rouge CC.  Offensively, Waits, Smith, and Driggers will all play an important role in addition to their duties on the mound.  Junior Abel Thetford is a 6'2" 160 lbs. infielder that will be relied upon as a two-way guy.  There's also a host of other juniors with UTIL/RHP Maddox Cockerham, RHP/3B Gabe Armond, UTIL/RHP Trent Howard, and C Kamron Blackshire who will all play vital roles this spring.  Keep an eye out for some younger guys to make an impact this spring as well.  C Trent Sedberry, SS/RHP Colby Donaldson, and OF/RHP Cole Snell are all underclassman who should see varsity playing time.  We've had the opportunity to see Snell up and close at a couple of our events, and are impressed with his overall athleticism, speed, and various ways that he can impact the game.  There's no denying that Coach Wicklund will have his work cut out for him this season with having to replace so many key pieces from a season ago.  The good news is that this year's Panthers team has a nice stable of arms and quality defense that should help to carry the load early on, while the new faces get caught up to speed.  We fully expect Parkway to be a contender again this spring, and if their offense can catch up to their pitching by season's end, then they just might make some noise in the LHSAA's Non-Select D-I playoff bracket.

 

 

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