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: Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles
Head Coach: Lee Yeager
UIL Classification: UIL Class 5A (District 29)
Team Strengths: Pitching Depth and Defense
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 27-8-1 (5A Area Finalists)
Key Players Lost: Homar Barerra, Alejandro Guererro, Sean Philpotts

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

+ INF Damon Hernandez (2024; Texas A&M Corpus Christi) - Second Team All-District in 2023

*2024 Damon Hernandez*

+ C/UTL Lukas Luna (2024; uncommitted)
+ RHP/INF Zakory Garcia (2025; uncommitted) - First Team All-District in 2023
+ INF/RHP Zach Hampton (2025; uncommitted)
+ OF/RHP DJ Garcia (2026) - District Newcomer of the Year in 2023

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TOP NEWCOMERS

+ RHP/OF Adin Ruiz (2024; uncommitted)
+ RHP/UTL Isaiah Cerda (2025; uncommitted)
+ RHP/CIF Joaquin Montes (2025; uncommitted)
+ C/RHP Jordan Garza (2026)

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FRESHMEN TO FOLLOW

+ C/INF Ryan Morgan (2027)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

After finishing 2023 as 5A Area Finalists, the Veterans Memorial Eagles look to build off of that finish in 2024. Coach Lee Yeager will have interesting pieces on the pitching staff, as well as throughout the defense, with those two areas being the team’s biggest strengths in 2024.

The Eagles will be led by recent Texas A&M Corpus Christi signee, INF Damon Hernandez, who was awarded Second Team All-District last season. Hernandez is currently ranked No. 294 within his class for the state. Joining Hernandez in the senior class will be returning C/UTL Lukas Luna (uncommitted), as well as newcomer by way of transferring in from Santa Gertrudis Academy, RHP/OF Adin Ruiz (uncommitted).

Junior RHP/INF Zakory Garcia (uncommitted) will lead the returning Eagles’ junior class in 2024 after earning First Team All-District honors last year. INF/RHP Zach Hampton (uncommitted) will join Garcia in the junior class as well as newcomers RHP/UTL Isaiah Cerda (uncommitted) and RHP/CIF Joaquin Montes (uncommitted).

Returning district Newcomer of the Year OF/RHP DJ Garcia, will lead the underclassmen crop for the Eagles as he is expected to contribute as a two-way player this season. Another sophomore expected to play on varsity this season is newcomer C/RHP Jordan Garza. A freshman to keep an eye on for the Eagles will be C/INF Ryan Morgan, who hopes to see time on varsity to begin his high school career.

Coach Yeager has a lot to be excited about with the 2024 squad as well as what his team could look like in future years with the underclassmen they have coming up through the program. With their returners on defense and their deep pitching staff, the Eagles should be a tough out come 5A playoff time as they look to make a deeper run this season.

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Find more information on the 2024 Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial Eagles program below:
+ Follow Veterans Memorial on X: @CCVetsBaseball
+ Prep Baseball Texas, Power 30 Homepage

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