The Missouri high school baseball season kicks off on Mar. 19, opening day for regular season action under MSHSAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down to the official Prep Baseball Missouri Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.

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2026 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Position Players: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3

Top Returners:

• Brandon Ott (2027) - RHP/1B, 6'4 200, L/R
• Luke McAtee (2027) - C, 6'1 180, R/R
• Nano Mares (2027) - 3B/C, 5'11 170, R/R
  

Top Newcomers: Too early to say

Key Players Lost:

• Charlie Wortham - Mississippi State
• Caynen Patterson - Southeast Missouri State
• Landon Edmonds - Snead State CC
• Syl Tournier - Heartland CC
• Noah Cunningham - Missouri S&T
• Brayden Wakula - Rockhurst

Coach’s Insight: “We return a group of players who understand the tradition of the program and are eager to make their mark. They are coachable, will play hard and will play together. We will have a good deal of youth and inexperience on the field, so there will be a steep learning curve.” – Tim Canavan, head coach

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Find more information on the 2026 De Smet Jesuit program below:

+ Follow them on X: @DeSmet_Baseball
+ Visit Prep Baseball Missouri’s 2026 MSHSAA Team Previews page to learn more.

+ If you are a high school coach and didn’t receive our questionnaire, please click HERE to fill out the form

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