It’s baseball season and MS Coast teams are full of stars. Here are 10 of the brightest

Scott Watkins
·2 min read

Baseball season has finally arrived on the Mississippi Coast.

The region routinely produces next-level talent and, unsurprisingly, a deep crop of athletes turning the heads of college coaches has once again risen across South Mississippi.

The Coast has produced a state champion in five of the last eight complete seasons and has several programs that will be looking to make it six of the last nine.

Those schools are stocked with talent that will toe the rubber, patrol the grass and step into boxes across the Lower Six counties.

Here are some of the top players to watch from the Mississippi Coast in 2024:

  • P/INF Logan Fontenelle, Biloxi: Fontenelle broke out with a .416 batting average from the plate with 36 stolen bases and tossed 91 strikeouts with a 2.67 ERA from the mound a season ago. The Indians are coming off a 22-win season with plenty of experience returning.

  • P Brendan Necaise, Pass Christian: Necaise was the ace behind the ace in 2023, but will be taking on a bigger role after posting a 2.93 ERA with 54 strikeouts.

  • P Tri Gaughf, Harrison Central: The Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. commit is back after striking out 84 batters in just 51.1 innings last year.

  • INF Kyler King, Picayune: King is the shortstop for a deep Maroon Tide club this year and a Pearl River C.C. commit who scored 30 runs a year ago.

  • INF Nate Trochessett, East Central: The Meridian C.C. commit will be relied on to supply some pop in the Hornet lineup after racking up 47 hits in ‘23.

  • P/INF Ethan Surowiec, Gulfport: Surowiec is an athletic two-way threat for a loaded Gulfport team. The senior Ole Miss commit had 47 hits from the plate and 46 strikeouts from the mound.

  • P/INF Jack Jordan, Ocean Springs: The junior is a rising star who posted a .932 OPS as a sophomore and will look to make an impact from the mound, as well, this season.

  • P/INF Hunter Parker, Vancleave: Parker is the ace for a stacked Bulldog clubhouse and is coming off a season in which he posted a 1.32 ERA with 95 strikeouts.

  • OF Chesley Rhodes, St. Stanislaus: The athletic outfielder is back after recording a .441 batting average and a 1.291 OPS.

  • UTIL Luke Schnoor, Resurrection: Schnoor had 43 hits with 32 RBIs while posting a 1.094 OPS a year ago.

More stars to watch

  • INF Tate Murphy, St. Stanislaus

  • P/OF Nico Williams, Gulfport

  • OF Ethan Garner, Gulfport

  • INF Asher Henley, Vancleave

  • P/ING Hunter Harper, Vancleave

  • C Layton Eder, Vancleave

  • Tyler West, Vancleave

  • Robbie Hokamp, Biloxi

  • Anthony Turner, East Central

  • Ellis Newman, D’Iberville

  • P Brady Robertson, Picayune

  • Conner Dyess, Pearl River Central

  • Jesus San Miguel, Resurrection