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: Staley
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 23-14 (District Runner-Ups)
Conference: KC Suburban Conference - Silver
Classification: 6A
Head Coach: David Wilson

UPPERCLASSMEN TO KNOW

+ MIF Lukas Wilson (2024; Johnson County CC)
+ 1B/LHP Jackson Glueck (2024; Pima CC)
+ OF Kenton Unruh (2024; Bradley)
+ OF Gage Maddox (2024; Crowder JC)
+ RHP Jacob Allinder (2024; Crowder JC)
+ LHP Hunter Hampshire (2024; Johnson County CC)
+ RHP Aidan Bahn (2024; Crowder JC)
+ OF Jakob Zahabi (2024; Northwest Missouri State)
+ MIF Aidan Paul (2024)
+ MIF Carson Sapp (2024)
+ C Brandon Moore (2024; St. Charles CC)
+ 3B/RHP Adam Miller (2024; Central Methodist)
+ OF Johnny Mcgowan (2024; Baker)
+ LHP/OF Kale Lawrence (2024; Missouri State West Plains CC) 
+ RHP Lane Kirtley (2024; Doane University)
+ LHP Austin Pare (2024)
+ RHP Joe Klebenstone (2024)
+ LHP/OF Brody Irlbeck (2025; Iowa)
+ C Easton Philippe (2025; Wichita State)
+ RHP Jake Thomas (2025; Butler)
+ RHP Jacob Garcia (2025)
+ RHP Kyle Pearcy (2025)
+ MIF Grant Madrid (2025
+ OF Evan Abbott (2025)
+ OF Brock Fowler (2025) 

OUTLOOK

The Falcons are another program that, consistently, are one of the most competitive teams in all of Class 6. There’s an enormous amount of talent in their school district and this 2024 club is no different - from top to bottom, this Staley team is amongst the strongest you’ll find in the state of Missouri. 

Staley fell in the District championship to eventual state champion Liberty North last year with a large part of that deep playoff run backed by their 2024 group. It’s a deep, experienced bunch that has the firepower to push the Falcons even further in their final year of high school baseball. 

Take a look at the top of this lineup and you’ll see three staples for this Staley program in MIF Lukas Wilson (2024; Johnson County CC), 1B/LHP Jackson Glueck (2024; Pima CC), and OF Kenton Unruh (2024; Bradley). All three of them represented Missouri at the PBR Future Games in 2022 and are all impact talents in their own regard: 

+ Wilson is a complete do-it-all player that’s able to provide positive value in all aspects of the game. He’s a switch-hitter that’ll set the table for this lineup at the top and can also take the extra-base at any time, adding an extra dynamic to this offense. On the dirt, Wilson’s glovework brings a veteran, experienced presence at the infield’s most important defensive position as well, boosting the value he brings even moreso. 

Lukas Wilson

+ Glueck swings a physical left-handed bat that can drive any pitch in any count to the deepest parts of the park, serving as a main run producer right in the heart of this lineup. He’ll also hop on the mound and throw four pitches for strikes from the left side as one of the more consistent arms on this team. 

Jackson Glueck

+ Unruh really looks the part in a uniform, stepping between the lines with a strong, physical frame. He’s an athlete with tools (6.77 60, 88 mph OF, 98 mph max EV) that you can find hitting in the middle of this lineup on a game-to-game basis and he’ll also likely serve as the team’s starting center fielder. 

There’s senior talent that extends throughout the rest of this offense, as well as on the mound. OF Gage Maddox (2024; Crowder JC) had ridiculous athleticism and tools to go along with a 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame, and he also hits left-handed. OF Jakob Zahabi (2024; Northwest Missouri State), MIF Aidan Paul (2024), MIF Carson Sapp (2024), and C Brandon Moore (2024; St. Charles CC) are three more seniors to watch as potential regular contributors for Staley this spring. 

Turning to the mound, the Falcons have three seniors that are all capable of winning them a game when they’re called upon. RHP Jacob Allinder (2024; Crowder JC) has a power fastball that plays in the upper-80s and will creep into the low-90s on occasion. He’ll complement it with a slider/changeup mix and he should be one of their top arms in 2024. 

LHP Hunter Hampshire (2024; Johnson County CC) makes for a tough look in any at-bat, especially for left-handed hitters. Nothing’s straight in his arsenal and he’ll throw three pitches around the zone with consistency. RHP Aidan Bahn (2024; Crowder JC) holds considerable upside within a 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame and can really spin a potential swing-and-miss slider with a mid-to-upper-80s fastball. 

Hunter Hampshire

Though a lot of their regular contributors will be seniors, Staley’s junior class is really talented as well, starting with LHP/OF Brody Irlbeck (2025; Iowa). One of the top prospects in Missouri’s 2025 class, the 6-foot, 175-pound Irlbeck’s traits allow him to be a real impact on both sides of the ball. His fastball sat 88-91, touching 92.1 mph at one of our events this winter while showing his usual feel for a changeup and curveball, both of which are above-average pitches. As if that weren’t enough, Irlbeck is also a dynamic left-handed bat that should provide value and lineup versatility when he’s not on the mound. Expect him to serve as one of the rotation’s main anchors and be one of the top left-handed arms in the state this spring. 

Brody Irlbeck

Behind Irlbeck, RHP Jake Thomas (2025; Butler) and RHP Jacob Garcia (2025) are two more junior right-handers of note on this pitching staff. Thomas’ patented breaking ball is one of the best in the state; he rips off a power breaking ball at 73-76 mph that’s eclipsed the 2800 RPM mark with 16+ inches of horizontal movement on average and grabs whiffs on the regular. It makes his mid-to-upper-80s fastball play up even more so and he should be a dynamic weapon out of the ‘pen for Staley. Garcia’s fastball plays in the mid-to-upper-80s, and the strong-bodied uncommitted junior’s arsenal also features a mid-to-upper-70s slider and upper-70s changeup.

Jake Thomas

When you have arms as talented as Staley does, it’s important to have a catcher behind the plate adequate enough to handle a high-octane staff. The Falcons do in junior backstop Easton Philippe (2025; Wichita State), who’s blossomed into one of the more advanced defenders behind the dish in the state. He’s a quiet, calm receiver with soft hands and his arm keeps trending up towards being an asset in controlling the running game. Also a left-handed hitter, Phillippe should be a key factor to this offense, making him one of the more valuable assets to Staley this spring. 

Easton Phillippe

Two more juniors worth highlighting are RHP Kyle Pearcy (2025) and MIF Grant Madrid (2025). Pearcy’s physicality stands out and we’ve heard reports that the 6-foot-3 right-hander has started to run his fastball into the upper-80s. Madrid can pick it on the infield and has a short, simple right-handed swing that showed well at the Prodigy Scout Day this winter. 

BOTTOM LINE 

Staley looks every bit the part of a ‘Final Four’ contender in 2024. They almost won their District last year and return several key contributors from that team. Their schedule is amongst the toughest in the entire state, but expect this group to be battle tested and ready to roll once the playoffs roll around in late May. 

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