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: Nixa
2023 Record (Playoff Finish): 32-8 (Final Four)
Conference: Central Ozarks
Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Logan Hughes

UPPERCLASSMEN TO KNOW

+ OF Rylan Michel (2024; Crowder JC)
+ C/1B Jackson Edwards (2024; Drury)
+ C/INF Gehrig Eoff (2024; Missouri S&T)
+ 1B/RHP Nate Uber (2024
+ OF/RHP Alex Thomason (2024)
+ CF Wyatt Vincent (2025; Missouri State)
+ INF Caeden Cloud (2025; Kentucky)
+ RHP/1B Jackson Gamble (2025)
+ OF/INF Parker Mann (2025)
+ OF/RHP Drew Creed (2025)
+ RHP Colin Kelley (2025)

UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS

+ OF Adam McKnight (2027)
+ UTL Jalen Gipson (2027)
+ INF/RHP Grady Eoff (2027)
+ INF/RHP Cameron Miller (2027)

OUTLOOK

Last year was plenty positive for Nixa, as the Eagles won 32 games, captured a District championship, and finished fourth in Class 6 after a trip to the state playoffs. This year’s Nixa club will be without a handful of integral parts of last year’s group, but a large core of the Eagles’ success is back in 2024. 

The top half of this Nixa lineup matches up with anyone in the state. They’re an experienced bunch with supreme talent that starts with two juniors in CF Wyatt Vincent (2025; Missouri State) and INF Caeden Cloud (2025; Kentucky): 

+ Vincent sets the table as a true top-of-the-order offensive threat. He can really run (6.73 60) and swings a fast, physical right-handed barrel capable of doing gap-to-gap damage in any given at-bat. Vincent’s athleticism translates to the outfield, where one of the state’s top juniors brings value defensively back up the middle. 

Wyatt Vincent

+ Cloud has exploded over the last calendar year, going from a virtual unknown to our staff to one of the top 2025s in the entire country. The polish and strength in the 6-foot-1, 182-pound Kentucky commits bat each standout, while his advanced glovework at shortstop boosts the value he brings to the field even moreso. Look for Cloud to be a real anchor for this club as he continues to bolster his status as an elite name in the state of Missouri. 

Caeden Cloud

OF Rylan Michel (2024; Crowder JC) and C/1B Jackson Edwards (2024; Drury) are both coming off really strong junior years. Now seniors, both should once again be real assets in the middle of this Eagles’ lineup: 

+ Michel was a first team All-State selection last spring and the strong, compact right-handed hitting Crowder signee is one of the biggest assets to this team. Michel does a little bit of everything; his feel to hit offensively is obvious, but he can also really run, and the defensive versatility he brings to the table can’t go unnoticed, either. 

Rylan Michel

+ Edwards swings one of the loudest right-handed bats in the class and the 6-foot-1, 205-pound backstop pairs it with advanced feel to hit. He was a first team All-Conference selection in 2023 and should once again be a staple run producer for the Eagles. 

C Jackson Edwards (Nixa, 2024; Drury signee) swings a polished, physical RH barrel with middle-of-the-order juice:

▫️6-foot-1, 205-pounds
▫️101.7 mph max EV
▫️96.1 mph avg EV

👤: https://t.co/bPh0ilSPnu pic.twitter.com/ZG82e5CXi6

— Prep Baseball Missouri (@PrepBaseballMO) February 23, 2024

Around that core, Nixa’s experience and team speed throughout the lineup is an obvious strength. C/INF Gehrig Eoff (2024; Missouri S&T) and 1B/RHP Nate Uber (2024) are two strong seniors that deepen this lineup even moreso. RHP/1B Jackson Gamble (2025) swings a loud right-handed bat, and both OF/INF Parker Mann (2025) and OF/RHP Drew Creed (2025) can really run. 

Parker Mann

Replacing the value that Ethan Taylor (2023) gave the Eagles on the mound last year won’t be easy, but the aforementioned Gamble and RHP Colin Kelley (2025) are two talented arms capable of doing so. Gamble can really pitch, showing three-pitch feel at one of our events this winter with a mid-80s fastball. Kelley’s fastball also plays in the mid-80s and he’ll throw a low-70s slider and mid-to-high-70s changeup to complement it. Creed and OF/RHP Alex Thomason (2024) are two other names to watch as potential impact arms for Nixa. 

Jackson Gamble

The Eagles are an upperclass heavy group but they do have some youngsters that’ll look to leave their mark on varsity in year one. OF Adam McKnight (2027) and UTL Jalen Gipson (2027) are two of the top prospects in the state’s freshman class, both of them slotting within the top-15 on our Class of 2027 rankings. INF/RHP Grady Eoff (2027) and INF/RHP Cameron Miller (2027) will be two other names to know on this roster. 

BOTTOM LINE

Just like last year, Nixa has a complete roster with strengths on both sides of the ball. A strong core of their offense returns and they have ample talent on the mound to replace the production that left by graduation. Expect the Eagles to be one of the state’s top teams yet again and a club that could certainly find themselves making a repeat trip to Ozark come late May. 

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