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: West Monroe

Head Coach: Wade Simoneaux

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

District: 2-5A

2023 Record: 34-5

2023 Playoff Finish: State Finalist

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 5

No. of Returning Pitchers: 2

Team Strengths: Experience

Top Returning Players: 2024 3B/OF John Pearson (LSU signee), 2024 MIF Hayden Federico (Ole Miss signee), 2024 1B/OF Trey Hawsey (Louisiana Tech signee), 2024 LHP Brennan Eager (Louisiana-Monroe signee), 2025 C/RHP Tyler Roark, 2025 RHP Andrew Ferguson (Louisiana Tech commit), 2026 LHP/1B Bradyn Garner (LSU commit)

Top Newcomers: 2024 OF Isaiah Shivers (Louisiana-Monroe signee), 2025 OF/RHP Garrett Frye, 2025 C Lytton Arledge, 2025 RHP Dalton Richardson, 2025 MIF Drew Anderson, 2026 RHP/INF Gage Carr 

 

Team Outlook

West Monroe finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 34-5.  The Rebels entered the LHSAA Non-Select D-I playoffs as the #1 seed and defeated #17 Fontainebleau and #8 St. Amant to advance to the state tournament for the fourth straight season.  West Monroe then met up with #4 Sam Houston in the semifinals, in what turned out to be one of the better games of last year's state tournament.  The Rebels entered the bottom of the 7th, down 3-1, and after a couple of singles, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch, John Pearson would hit a walk-off single to seal the 4-3 win.  West Monroe advanced to the state title game, for the third straight year, where they would run into a familiar foe in Barbe.  They dominated the majority of the game and took a 4-1 lead into the 7th inning, but Barbe would score 9 runs in the top of the 7th to end the Rebels season.  Head Coach Wade Simoneaux and this year's West Monroe team are hungry and eager to get back on the field spring, and they'll do so with five returning position players and two pitchers from a season ago.  This year's team is one of the more experienced groups that the Rebels have ever had, as the majority of this team was on the 2022 team that won the Class 5A state title.  There will be plenty of offensive firepower with the Rebels this season, as they return their three big senior bats in John Pearson, Hayden Federico, and Trey Hawsey.  Pearson, a LSU recruit, hit at a .424 clip last season with 7 HR, 15 2B, 7 3B, and 35 RBI.  He's primarily played outfield throughout his career, but could be seeing a move to third base this spring.  Pearson's move to third base is largely in part because we expect to see Federico move over to shortstop this season.  The Ole Miss recruit is one of the best defenders in the state and he finished last year with a .420 avg. to go along with 3 HR, 8 2B, 3 3B, and 40 RBI.  Hawsey, a Louisiana Tech recruit, has some of the best left-handed power in the state, as evidenced by his numbers last year, where he hit at a .375 clip with 11 HR, 11 2B, and 43 RBI.  Outside of those "Big 3", West Monroe also returns junior Tyler Roark.  The physical left-handed hitter finished last season with a .361 avg. to go along with 2 HR, 6 2B, 3 3B, and 30 RBI.  The offense doesn't stop there either, as the Rebels welcome several talented newcomers this season.  Senior Isaiah Shivers is a transfer from the state of New York, and will likely play in the oufield this spring.  The Louisiana-Monroe recruit is a physical left-handed hitter that has the potential to be a big middle of the order bat.  Junior Drew Anderson projects to start at second base this season and is a sure-handed defender who takes quality at-bats.  Moving on to the pitching staff, Coach Simoneaux and company have the good fortune of returning two big arms from last season in junior RHP Andrew Ferguson and sophomore LHP Bradyn Garner.  Ferguson has been one of the most successful pitchers during his young career, as he's won 19 games over the last two seasons.  Last year, the Louisiana Tech recruit went 10-1 with a 1.31 ERA.  Garner came into his freshman season last year with a lot of expectations, thanks to a FB that reaches into the low-90's and he proved that he belonged at the varsity level.  The LSU recruit compiled a perfect 6-0 record last season as a freshman with a 1.96 ERA and and absurd 61 K's over 39 1/3 IP.  Senior LHP Brennan Eager is still recovering from surgery last year and it's still up in the air if he'll throw this season for the Rebels.  Last year, the Louisiana-Monroe recruit finished with a 4-1 record and 2.20 ERA.  Ever since the Rebels 2024 class stepped foot on campus, they've had high expectations, and they've definitely delivered, as they've been to three straight state title games and have claimed one state title, which was West Monroe's first since 1999.  We along with many others are bullish on the 2024 Rebels and believe that they are the Non-Select D-I favorites with a chance to win their second state title in the last three seasons.  

 

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