2024 Team Preview: Celina Bobcats
January 13, 2024
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: Celina Bobcats
Head Coach: Troy McCartney
UIL Classification: UIL Class 4A (District 11)
Team Strengths: Toughness
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 35-5 (4A Regional Finalists)
Key Players Lost: Sean Rabe, RJ Ruais, Noah Bentley, Jackson Rooker, Caden Mitchell
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS
+ INF Major Brignon (2024; Louisiana-Monroe) - First Team All-District in 2023, *2022 Future Games Participant*
*2024 Major Brignon*
+ OF Zack Henderson (2024; Indiana State) - First Team All-District in 2023
+ INF Kingston Hangartner (2024; NOCTONK) - First Team All-District in 2023
+ UTL Connor Rabe (2024; Odessa College) - First Team All-District in 2023
+ INF Spencer Coon (2024; Newman University) - Second Team All-District in 2023
+ INF Ethan Delgado (2024; Ecclesia College)
+ RHP/INF Jacob Henry (2024; uncommitted) - First Team All-District in 2023
+ RHP/CIF Colby Brittain (2026)
TOP NEWCOMERS
+ CIF/RHP Rocco Boyle (2025; uncommitted)
+ C/INF Brady Broeckel (2025; uncommitted)
+ OF/RHP Chase Hoffman (2026)
FRESHMEN TO FOLLOW
TEAM OUTLOOK
Coach Troy McCartney and the Celina Bobcats nearly won 40 games last season that led to a deep 4A postseason run. Despite losing major contributors off of the 2023 team, Celina brings back another very talented squad for 2024. Coach McCartney will have a strong senior-led team that should bring a toughness element that hopes to rub off on the younger guys on the roster.
The senior Bobcat group is headlined by Louisiana-Monroe signee, INF Major Brignon, who was a 2022 Future Games participant. Brignon was also a participant at the Texas State Games this past fall where he had a loud showing, leading to a max exit velocity of 97.6 mph (92.5 mph avg.) and an average bat speed of 72.9 mph. Brignon is currently ranked No. 95 in the state and was a First Team All-District selection last year. Also returning in 2024 for the Bobcats are five seniors who were awarded All-District honors a year ago. This group includes Indiana State signee OF Zack Henderson (1st Team), NOCTONK commit INF Kingston Hangartner (1st Team), Odessa College signee UTL Connor Rabe, Newman University signee INF Spencer Coon (2nd Team), and uncommitted RHP/INF Jacob Henry (1st Team). Like Brignon, Henderson is also ranked in the state, checking in at No. 190. Another senior to note for Celina in 2024 is Ecclesia College signee INF Ethan Delgado.
Sophomore RHP/CIF Colby Brittain is back after playing on varsity last season as a freshman, and will look to lead the way for the underclassmen group for the next few years. He will be joined on varsity this season by juniors CIF/RHP Rocco Boyle (uncommitted) and C/INF Brady Broeckel (uncommitted), and sophomore newcomer OF/RHP Chase Hoffman.
The Bobcats will have to replace the production they lost off of the 2023 team, but with the talent they bring back especially within the senior class, Celina looks primed to get right back into the 4A postseason in 2024.
Find more information on the 2024 Celina Bobcats program below:
+ <<2024 Schedule>>
+ Follow Celina on X: @CBobcatBaseball
+ Prep Baseball Texas, Power 30 Homepage