High school baseball: Bingham, Cottonwood, Snow Canyon, Richfield, Kanab begin as preseason No. 1s in coaches rankings

SALT LAKE CITY — Snow on the ground in Salt Lake City in March can only mean one thing — it must be baseball season.

Despite brisk weather around much of the state, the 2020 season officially gets underway this week, with many teams flocking to the warmer weather in St. George this weekend to participate in four tournaments hosted by Region 9 teams.

As the season gets underway, Bingham, Cottonwood, Desert Hills, Richfield and Kanab begin the season ranked No. 1 in their respective classifications in the Deseret News baseball preseason coaches rankings.

Only two of last year’s five preseason No. 1s backed up the early hype with a state title.

Here’s a closer look at each classification heading into the season:

Class 6A

6A team capsules

For the second straight season, Bingham begins the season as the preseason No. 1 in the Deseret News, and this year it could easily back it up.

After last year’s top billing, the Miners endured an up-and-down season with a 13-14 record and a loss in the 6A first round to Kearns.

“Hoping to rebound and have a better 2020 season. Pitching should be a strength, hoping to do a better job catching it and throwing it when it’s hit. Also hoping to have a better offensive season than in 2019. Should be interesting year with the new RPI and tournament format,” said Bingham coach Joey Sato.

Bingham will lean heavily on returning first team all-stater Joey Dixon, along with other key contributors Owen Mortensen, Justis Reiser and Jackson Wheeler.

Top returning 6A all-staters

• Joey Dixon, Bingham
• Brayden Taylor, Copper Hills
• Brayden Clark, Fremont
• Parker Applegate, Riverton
• Trey Gambill, Lone Peak

Rounding out the top five in the preseason rankings are Lone Peak, American Fork, Pleasant Grove and Davis.

Pleasant Grove is the defending 6A champ after tying for the Region 4 title and then putting together a perfect 5-0 record in the state tournament, which included two wins over Lone Peak.

Several of last year’s key contributors are gone, but there is still some great returning talent led by senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and BYU junior commit Kyler Lester.

“We are looking forward to competing this season with some new position players eager to make their mark, and four experienced pitchers from last year’s state championship team,” Pleasant Grove coach Darrin Henry said.

Lone Peak was the 6A runners-up last year, and Jeremy Berg said his team is excited about trying to take the next step as a program this year led by returning all-stater Trey Gambill.

“We have a team with a lot of experience coming back from last year. There are no cupcakes on our schedule, especially when we are in region play,” Berg said. “Every game will be a battle and every win will be earned. We are looking to take this challenge head on and become a better team as a result.”

Overall, 6A will even be tougher this season as quality programs Jordan, Skyridge and Corner Canyon were all bumped up from 5A.

It’s baseball’s turn to see how the UHSAA’s adoption of RPI rankings to seed the state tournament plays out this spring. Success in region doesn’t guarantee a higher seed and easier draw at state, but regardless, the four region favorites based on coaches votes this year are Fremont, Cyprus, Bingham and American Fork.

Other returning first team all-staters from last year to watch are Copper Hills’ Brayden Taylor, Fremont’s Brayden Clark, Riverton’s Parker Applegate and Skyridge’s Kai Roberts.

Class 5A

5A team capsules

There are a whole lot of question marks in 5A heading into the 2020 season.

Last year’s top two teams, Cottonwood and Timpanogos, both graduated most of their top players a year ago, while three of the other top six teams at state all bumped up to 6A this season.

A lot of those questions will be answered in the early portion of the season as the newcomers get thrown into the varsity mix.

For defending champion Cottonwood, it has the early bull’s-eye after being tabbed the preseason No. 1 in the Deseret News coaches rankings.

Rounding out the top five are Timpanogos, Salem Hills, Spanish Fork and Maple Mountain.

Top returning 5A all-staters

• Ross Dunn, Cottonwood
• Tyler Nelson, Maple Mountain
• Walker Moore, Provo
• Karson Bodily, Woods Cross
• Hudson Manwaring, Skyline

“We have a bunch of players that are looking forward to their chance at proving themselves. We are excited for the new season and seeing how our team can come together,” said Cottonwood coach Jason Crawford, whose team went 5-0 in last year’s state tournament, including back-to-back one-run victories to clinch the title.

Cottonwood’s top returners from a year ago are Ross Dunn and Andy Okamoto. Dunn was a first-team all-stater after posting a 5-0 record with a 1.22 ERA.

Timpanogos was the runner-up to Cottonwood a year ago, and even though all of its all-staters graduated coach Kim Nelson is expecting big things from returning contributors Davis Kirby, Paxton Richards, Ky Decker, Carson Hawkes and Jackson Bird.

“We lost the biggest contributors to our second-place finish from last year but are optimistic because of the return of five players who played significant time. We are hopeful that a few more can step up to a new level and compete,” said Nelson.

Salem Hills checks in at No. 3 in the preseason rankings after a third-place finish in 4A last year. That team was led by 13 seniors, and coach Scott Haney says one of the keys to duplicating last year’s success is pitching depth and team speed.

Kyle Coburn is Salem Hills’ top returning player after he batted .378 and was named a first team all-stater.

Class 4A

4A team capsules

Seven of the past eight state champs in this classification have hailed from Region 9, so it’s no surprise that teams from Southern Utah headline the preseason coaches rankings again 2020.

Leading the way is defending state champion No. 1 Desert Hills, with Dixie, Snow Canyon, Mountain Crest and Juan Diego rounding out the top five.

The overall depth took a big hit with realignment as Spanish Fork, Orem, Lehi and Salem Hills were all bumped up to 5A this season. Salem Hills and Spanish Fork were among the final four teams standing in last year’s 4A tournament.

Top returning 4A all-staters

• Cooper Vest, Dixie
• Lance Welch, Mountain Crest
• Tadon Burbank, Mountain Crest
• Hunter Knighton, Dixie
• Mason Bowler, Ridgeline

Desert Hills graduated six all-staters (MVP through honorable mention) from last year, but coach Chris Allred is excited about his returning talent led by senior Bryker Hurdsman, and underclassmen Chandler Reber, Payton Gubler, Dillon Gubler and Reggie Newby.

Dixie edged out Desert Hills for the Region 9 title last year, but was the runner-up to the Thunder at state. Led by returning first team all-stater Cooper Vest and second teamer Hunter Knighton, the Flyers might have the most returning experience down south this year.

“Our focus this year will continue to be on pitching and defense. We have some opportunities in our lineup for some of our underclassman to step up and fill. We think they are in a good position to do that, and look forward to the internal competition for those spots and opportunities,” said Dixie coach Danny Ipson.

Snow Canyon checks in at No. 3 in the overall 4A preseason rankings — even though the Region 9 coaches believe the Warriors are the front-runner in Region 9.

Mason Strong and Landon Frei are Snow Canyon’s top returning players.

“We’ll be young, but this team works hard. They are fun to coach and will be ready to compete in a tough region,” said Snow Canyon coach Reed Secrist.

Class 3A

3A team capsules

A year ago, Richfield’s big bats and pitching depth were too much for 3A teams to deal with, and that could very well be the case again in 2020.

Even though the Wildcats graduated some key seniors from last year, seven juniors from last year are back along with seven sophomores — which includes every starting pitcher but one.

“The seniors and juniors still have explosive power and we should put up the same amount of numbers as we did last year with our offense. We keep developing outstanding infielders that has a ton of depth for our defensive needs,” said Richfield coach Faron Reed. “We expect to be in the run of things for the 2020 3A season.”

Top returning 3A all-staters

• Lincoln Labrum, Union
• Parker Thomas, Grantsville
• Morgan Albrecht, Richfield
• Raidyn Steele, Juab
• Josh Stroud, Summit Academy

Richfield’s top returning player from last year is first-team all-state catcher Morgan Albrecht.

Josh Thalman, Marshall Pallesen, Jake Shepherd and Brittyn Riddle are fellow seniors who will make big contributions.

Rounding out the top five in 3A are Juab, Grantsville, Union and Summit Academy.

Leading the way for Juab is Raidyn Steele, one of seven returning starters for the Wasps.

“With a full year of playing together and the work in the offseason, this group expects to be in the hunt this year,” said Juab coach Brett Ludlow.

Grantsville underachieved at state last year after winning the Region 13 title in the regular season, but it’s hard to imagine that happening again with a senior-laden squad led by returning all-stater Parker Thomas and fellow seniors Jackson Sandberg, Taylor Wood and Chace Gipson.

“Players have worked hard in the offseason to create depth at every position and prepare for the challenges ahead. We look forward to a tough preseason schedule and competing against the teams in Region 13,” said Grantsville coach Aaron Perkins.

Other returning 3A first team all-staters from last year to watch are Union’s Lincoln Labrum and Summit Academy’s Josh Stroud.

Class 2A

2A team capsules

There hasn’t been a repeat champion in 2A for the past five years, a trend Milford will have a tough time changing after graduating six outstanding seniors from last year’s state title team.

Milford begins the season outside the top five in the Deseret News preseason coaches rankings, which is led by Kanab, Beaver, Enterprise, Parowan and Gunnison Valley.

Preseason No. 1 Kanab is led by returning first team all-staters Sam Orton and Derek Houston, along with fellow returning seniors Hoss Houston, Carter Jackman and Trey Chatterley.

“Kanab has some proven and tested seniors and juniors returning and we are excited to work on having another great year,” said Kanab coach Mason Fox.

Top returning 2A all-staters

• Bryson Barnes, Milford
• Derek Houston, Kanab
• Janzen Keisel, Gunnison Valley
• Levi Randall, Enterprise
• Shaydon Benson, Parowan

No. 2 Enterprise was the 2A runner-up to Milford last year, and with returning all-staters Levi Randall and Mathew Bowler back it should be in the hunt again.

Enterprise coach Kyle Bundy expects 2A to be wide open this year.

“The southern region will be packed and tight and 1-5 could make a lot of noise in the end. As always, it will be a dogfight, every game. With a bunch of good, solid pitchers from every southern region school, and North Sevier and Gunnison, nothing will be easy for anyone. Let the fun begin,” said Bundy.

Milford is one of those five schools in the stacked southern region, and led by reigning MVP Bryson Barnes it could still make some noise in the end.

“We’ve got some underclassmen from last year’s team that were able to get some varsity experience last year and hopefully that helps them transition into full-time varsity starters. We will be working on building more depth in our pitching staff all season. Also, it will be interesting to see how the RPI affects the baseball season this year,” said coach Tyler McMullin.