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Preseason High School Preview: Blue Springs

March 10, 2024
By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Scouting

The 2024 Missouri 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 Missouri. 

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Ozark come early 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 Missouri. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason team 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, and we’ll be releasing daily content to ensure our top-tier coverage of the ‘Show Me’ state. 

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Blue Springs
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 25-14 (District Champions)
Conference: Greater KC Suburban - Gold
Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Tim McElligott

UPPERCLASSMEN TO KNOW

UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS

OUTLOOK

Blue Springs is going to be a really competitive bunch in 2024. They won 25 games last season and won one of the toughest Districts in the state before losing by a run in the state quarterfinals. As always, key pieces from last year’s group have departed by graduation, but the Wildcats do return six position players and seven arms from a team that nearly found themselves playing in Ozark. 

You won’t find many pitching staffs in the state as deep as talented as what the Wildcats will roll out on a game-to-game basis. It’s the unquestioned strength of the team as a whole and nearly all of the arms Blue Springs will rely on this spring are seniors committed to play baseball at the next level. 

It starts at the top with LHP Cole Gibler (2024; Arkansas), who’s one of the top left-handed arms in the country for his respective class. A first team All-State selection last spring, Gibler has always been known for his ability to flat-out dominate on the mound and highly advanced pitchability. He’s taken a tick up in stuff, however, reportedly pumping his fastball in the mid-to-upper-90s now with his usual changeup/slider mix. When he’s not on the mound, expect Gibler to roam around center field for the Wildcats as an important part of their offense, too. Gibler is an ace in every sense of the word and Blue Springs will have a heavy advantage each time he’s set to start. 

Cole Gibler

Pairing with his twin brother atop this rotation is RHP Nick Gibler (2024; Central Missouri), another high pitchability arm that consistently gets it done in game. We’ve seen him run his fastball up to 90 mph, pitching in the upper-80s, with feel for two quality secondaries; a changeup and slider, both in the mid-70s. 

Nick Gibler

Three more power arms to know are RHP Ronin Vicenti (2024), RHP/3B Gabe Rogers (2024; Central Missouri), and RHP/OF Lincoln Stephenson (2024; Central Missouri): 

+ We haven’t seen Vicenti in some time, but we’ve heard plenty of positives surrounding the power-armed senior, including that his fastball has reportedly ticked up into the low-90s this winter. 

+ You’ll see Rogers play a role on both sides of the ball for Blue Springs this spring. The 6-foot-3, 172-pound right-hander pitched in the mid-to-upper-80s at Creekside last summer and consistently landed a low-70s breaking ball for strikes in our brief look. He’s an upside right-handed bat too that’ll play the infield when he’s not on the mound. 

Gabe Rogers

+ Like Rogers, Stephenson should see consistent time on each side of the ball for the Wildcats. He really looks the part at 6-foot-4, 195-pounds with strength in all areas of his game, starting on the mound. His fastball plays in the upper-80s and he’s able to snap off a mid-to-high-70s breaking ball that consistently plays in the strike zone. Stephenson’s strong right-handed swing should play well in the Wildcats’ lineup, too. 

Lincoln Stephenson

This depth extends throughout the staff, with names like RHP Trenton Mitchell (2024; Pratt CC), RHP Sebastian Udland (2024; Kansas City Kansas CC), RHP Brannock Blankenship (2024), RHP Josh Pilege (2024) and UTL Jackson Trueblood (2026) all candidates to see innings this upcoming season. 

Positionally, the engine of this Blue Springs team should be MIF Drew McConnell (2024; Evansville), one of the top seniors in the state. A left-handed bat, McConnell is a do-it-all type of athlete that’ll be an important offensive piece while also serving as the everyday shortstop. OF Alex Biermaier (2024; Missouri - West Plains) adds another productive left-handed bat to the lineup and returns after a strong junior year. Vicenti, Rogers, Gibler, and Stephenson are all seniors expected to contribute at the plate this spring. 

Expected to catch that crop of power arms is C Logan Craft (2025), an uncommitted junior backstop who’s performance behind the plate could be one of the most important aspects of the Wildcats’ success. OF Carson Bushman (2025) and OF Barrett Jones (2025) are two upperclassmen that could factor into the outfield mix for this club. Look for INF Cameron Sporing (2024; John Wood CC) and INF Connor McElligott (2026) as two names that could join the aforementioned McConnell on the infield throughout the spring. 

BOTTOM LINE

The experience, chemistry, and talent that this Blue Springs team has make them a real contender at the Class 6 level. They’re loaded on the mound with a multitude of power arms and several quality depth pieces behind them. If the Wildcats’ offense can support what they have on the mound, Blue Springs could absolutely find themselves playing in Ozark at the tail end of the 2024 season. 

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