Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2024 Nebraska Class B State Tournament Preview

May 9, 2024
Pascal Paul
Prep Baseball Nebraska

Starting on Opening Day, our scouts will be out covering the 2024 season, publishing notes on our Scout Blog and additional in-season content along the way, like Power Rankings updates, Player of the Week awards, and weekly top performers included inside Diamond Notes.

NORRIS TITANS  

The number 1 team in the season's last month finished with a Class B best 21-5 record. Led by the #12th ranked player in the county and LSU commit Kale Fountain. He has numerous offensive records in both Class B and the state overall and has as much power as you will see in the country. Norris has been in two of the last three state championships but has come up short in each, giving the Titans plenty of motivation and focus to finish the job this time.

ELKHORN NORTH WOLVES

The Wolves are the current defending back-to-back Class B State Champions. The road has not been as easy as in previous years, but the Wolves have played their best baseball at the end of the season when it matters most. Led by Husker commit Colin Nowaczyk, who has dominated Class B for three years, keep the ball if you beat him while he is on the mound. He hasn't lost a game he has started in over 20 starts.  


At this stage, there is plenty of experience in the lineup and pitching staff to keep Coach Dunn's team primed for the three-peat.

GRETNA EAST GRIFFINS

The first-year Griffins started red hot and never slowed down to a district championship and a 17-7 record. They enter the state tournament as the no. 3 seed with no seniors on the roster. They do it by committee on offense, with 4 players with double-digit RBIs hitting around .300 or better.  Junior Trevor Cox, who has 45 strikeouts in 35 innings, anchors the pitching staff with six arms getting double-digit innings this season.  Depth will be their friend, and team baseball will be the formula that keeps the first-year program continuing its run.

BEATRICE ORANGEMEN

A regular at the state tournament, last winning the title in 2021, the organization has put itself in another position to go on a run. Finished the season with a 15-6 record, the Orangemen have four names leading the offense charge at the plate: senior Tryeon Henning and juniors Noah Jobman, Kale Koch, and sophomore Austin Baldwin. They all have over 70 PA, .300 AVG, and multiple extra-base hits.  The pitching staff consists of three primary arms, each amassing over 25 innings with 30+ strikeouts on the year.  Consistency game to game will be vital for them to get back on top of the mountain.

WAVERLY VIKINGS 

One of the surprise District upsets from last week; the Vikings come into the state tournament with the experience of an underdog making a run and the talent of a top 4 Class B team in the state, having played to that level for most of the season.  Depth on the mound is one of the strongest parts of the Vikings team, with 5 pitchers logging 20+ innings; Brennan Miller tops the list with 40 ks in 32.1 IP.  Hunter Thoms is the straw that stirs the drink offensively and hits in the leadoff position with good speed to give defenses headaches.  Waverly has succeeded as the underdog and has as much talent as the teams above them. They are a dangerous team in the field.

PLATTSMOUTH BLUE DEVILS

The six-seed in the tournament finished 15-5, and the final at-large team made it to the field.  Two seniors are at the heart of the Blue Devil offense: Gage Olson (.533, 10 XBH, 24 RBI, 1.377 OPS) and Eli Horner (.433, 24 RBI, .968 OPS). Both have been dominating pitching all season.  Four arms have logged 17 or more innings, with Gabe Villamonte and Gage Olson providing a potent one-two punch at the top, with a combined 11-1 record and 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in the year. Plattsmouth comes in with a little chip on their shoulder as one of the presumed underdogs in the field.

BLAIR BEARS

It was a down-and-up season for the Bears, who finished 11-11 after starting 0-5. The Cinderella story of Class B won their district over Seward and Platte Valley. A quartet of Seniors leads the way: Brady Brown (South Dakota State), J'Shawn Unger (Nebraska), Nate Wachter (South Dakota State), and Tanner Jacobson (Cloud County CC). All are hitting .320 or better and are the first four hitters in their lineup.  

 

On the mound, they do it with upperclassmen who pound the zone and get good defense behind them. Senior Doane commit Dylan Swanson leads the way with 42 IP and 34 Ks to only 15 BB. Depth will be a factor on the mound, with only four pitchers logging double-digit innings, but the top of their offense will give them a chance against any arm they see.

LINCOLN NORTHWEST FALCONS

Lincoln Northwest is your Class B underdogs after beating Waverly and Plattsmouth in the district to earn their spot -- don't take them too lightly because lately they've got some sharp talons.

The second-year program enters the tournament with an 8-15 overall, led by a sizeable senior contingent. Seven have 50+ ABs: Quinn Waring, Tyler Aldridge, Grant Swanson, and Dylan Kotik leading the way, hitting .318 or above and each with double-digit RBIs. Two arms have the lion's share of innings for the Falcons: Waring and Alex Barry. Both have 30+ innings and are tied for the team lead in wins.

Coach Faulkner's offense has scored 36 runs in their last three games and is playing with nothing to lose; they will need their offense to stay hot to continue their upset role deep into the tournament.

Interested In Attending A Prep Baseball Nebraska Event? Click Here
Interested In Subscribing to Prep Baseball? Click Here

Follow our social account for more high school coverage:
+ X: @PrepBaseballNE
+ Instagram: @pbr_nebraska
+ Podcast: All Beef No Filler