The 2024 Texas 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 Texas.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Austin at the UIL State Tournament in 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 Texas. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 30 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. Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week and updating the Power 30 rankings.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Canutillo Eagles
Head Coach: Armando Almanza
UIL Classification: UIL Class 5A (District 1)
Team Strengths: Offense & Defense
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 22-7-2 (5A Bi-District Finalists)
Key Players Lost: Justin Nicks

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

+ INF Derick Cossio (2024; Viterbo) - Second Team All-District
+ OF/LHP Isaac Garza (2024; uncommitted) - First Team All-District
+ C Eriel Fargas (2024; uncommitted) - First Team All-District
+ INF/RHP Enrique Guerra (2024; uncommitted) - Second Team All-District
+ RHP/UTL Jeremiah Alcocer (2024; uncommitted) - First Team All-District
+ INF Ian Melendez (2025; uncommitted) - First Team All-District
+ UTL/RHP Paul Zuniga (2026) - District Newcomer of the Year

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TOP NEWCOMERS

+ INF/RHP Daniel Luna (2025; uncommitted)

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FRESHMEN TO FOLLOW

+ UTL Landon Flores (2027)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Canutillo Eagles bring back seven All-District players from 2023, including the reigning District Newcomer of the Year for 2024. Led by Coach Armando Almanza, the 2024 version of the Eagles expects to be strong on both offense and defense heading into the spring.

Leading the charge will be four players who earned First Team All-District last season in seniors OF/LHP Isaac Garza (uncommitted), C Eriel Fargas (uncommitted), RHP/UTL Jeremiah Alcocer (uncommitted), and junior INF Ian Melendez (uncommitted). Melendez is the younger brother of Arizona Diamondbacks farmhand and the 2022 Golden Spikes Award winner at the University of Texas, Ivan Melendez. A pair of seniors return for 2024 after being awarded Second Team All-District last year in INF Derick Cossio (Viterbo) and INF/RHP Enrique Guerra (uncommitted). Sophomore standout UTL/RHP Paul Zuniga is the District’s reigning Newcomer of the Year and is primed to be a foundational piece of the program for the next three years.

Projected to join the fold in 2024 and factor in different positions on the field is junior INF/RHP Daniel Luna (uncommitted). UTL Landon Flores (2027) is an underclassmen to keep an eye on as he begins his high school career this spring, and potentially cracks the varsity squad at some point in 2024.

With the returning talent all over the diamond, the Canutillo Eagles look primed to build off their 2023 finish that saw them end the year as 5A Bi-District Finalists.

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Find more information on the 2024 Canutillo Eagles program below:
+ Follow Canutillo on X: @CanutBaseball
+ Prep Baseball Texas, Power 30 Homepage

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