The boys of spring are back in the yard. With tryouts, team inter-squad, scrimmages, and the season opener against Mullen approaching fast, we wanted to take a look at some key returning seniors on the Maverick baseball squad who are looking to make an impact in the 2024 season. Coming off a 2023 season where the Mavericks finished fifth in the league, this year’s group of returning seniors is expected to come back and have a huge impact on the program and team’s success.

1: Dalton Berg (‘24)

Coming off his second state championship win in wrestling, the Mavs are looking for Berg to carry that momentum over onto the diamond. In 2023, Berg played 23 games, had a .259 batting average, .420 on base percentage, and slugged .462. After going through a little bit of a slump during last year’s season, Mead is looking for Berg to stay consistent with the bat this year and be a powerhouse at the top of the lineup. As well as continuing to get on base, he is expected to continue to be a great glove in the outfield, which will help minimize runs scored against the Mavericks.

2: Cody McDonald (‘24)

McDonald’s had a strong year in 2023. He played in all 24 games that the Mavericks played, hitting.338 with a.458 on base percentage and slugging.544. The Mavericks are looking to continue to see run production and power out of McDonald’s bat, expecting him to expound on his 18 RBIs (runs batted in) and 2 home runs from his junior year campaign. Along with the bat, McDonald will also be relied on heavily in the Maverick pitching rotation, seeing as he’ll be able to provide solid relief innings.

3: Tyler Reyburn (‘24)

In 2023, Reyburn was solid defensively for the Mavericks. He allowed very few stolen bases and was a brick wall behind the dish, minimizing the extra bases runners were able to take against the Mead defense. The team is looking for Reyburn to continue being a stout defender and leading the younger pitching staff through the 2024 season. While the glove isn’t a question, Reyburn needs to be better offensively to contribute to the team this year.

4: Ike Campbell (‘24)

While Campbell did not see many innings on the bump last year, he is going to be looked to and provide this year. As a leader on the team, his mound presence is going to be imperative to helping the team succeed throughout the year. In eight appearances last year, Campbell gave up 11 earned runs, had a seven ERA (earned run average), and had seven strikeouts. While the time he spent on the field was brief, he was effective and will be expected to continue that through the 2024 season.