Top high school baseball players to watch for from the South Bend area in 2024

The 2024 high school baseball season is just in its infancy, with a handful of teams playing one or two games this past week before spring break for most schools.

Before the year gets going in-full after the break, here’s a look at some of the top players to watch for from the South Bend area. These are in alphabetical order by school.

Preview: Penn Kingsmen baseball looking to join state royalty with third-straight title

Silas Laidig, junior, Bremen

Laidig batted .472 with a team-best 23 runs scored and 21 RBIs in 2023. He also pitched the most innings for the Lions, compiling a 2-1 record with 3.30 ERA in 36 innings on the mound.

More: 99 athletes from the South Bend area to watch for in 2024

Michael Slabaugh, senior, Fairfield

The Falcons return all-but one player from a team that went 24-7 a season ago. Slabaugh is the top returning hitter, posting a .470 average with 20 RBIs as a junior. He was named an honorable mention Class 3A all-state selection for his performance.

Keegan Miller, senior, Fairfield

Miller posted the best record of any starting pitcher on the team, going 8-1. He struck out 76 batters and only allowed 26 runs (19 earned) in 55 1/3rd innings pitched.

Ben McAlister, junior, Jimtown

McAlister was one of the top pitchers in the NIC, going 7-1 with a 2.69 ERA. Three of his wins came against conference foes in Elkhart, South Bend Riley and South Bend Saint Joseph.

Dalton Cook, sophomore, Jimtown

Another solid pitcher for the Jimmies, Cook had the game of his life against Penn last spring, throwing all seven innings while allowing just three hits in a 2-1 win over the eventual 4A state champs. He ended up finishing 3-0 as a starter with a 1.60 ERA in 35 innings pitched.

Joe Chrapliwy, senior, John Glenn

Chrapliwy was named to the Class 3A all-state team last year after batting .488 with 39 hits, 36 runs scored and 28 RBIs. He also stole 12 bases and recorded a 5-1 record pitching in eight appearances with a 4.06 ERA.

Collin Czarnecki, junior, LaVille

The three-sport athlete was good on the diamond as a sophomore, going 3-1 as a pitcher with a 1.20 ERA in 11 appearances. He also took care of business at the plate, batting .405 with 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

Shawn Nowacki, junior, Mishawaka

The Cavemen have to replace its top five hitters from a team that went 23-6-1, including 13-1 in the NLC to win the conference championship. Nowacki is the top returner on offense, as he had 24 hits in 87 at-bats for a .353 average. His 19 RBIs ranked third on the team.

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Trey DeBroka, senior, Mishawaka

DeBroka is the top returning pitcher for Mishawaka, posting a 5-1 record and 2.36 ERA in 26 2/3rd innings pitched.

JJ Oliver, senior, Mishawaka Marian

The Knights return almost its entire team from last year, which went 20-9 and won a 3A sectional title. Oliver was a 3A all-state selection as a second baseman, batting .386, scoring 41 runs, recording 28 RBIs and stealing a team-high 10 bases. He didn’t commit an error in 46 chances as well.

From the fall: Mishawaka Marian boys soccer wins state championship

Bryce LaSane, senior, Mishawaka Marian

LaSane led the team with a .443 batting average, helping him earn an honorable mention all-state selection. He also had the most hits (39) and RBIs (34).

Chase Bays, senior, Mishawaka Marian

Along with batting .330 last year, Bays went 5-2 as a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA. He threw the most innings of anyone on the team with 49, and he’ll be expected to lead the pitching staff again this spring.

Tyson Greenwood, senior, New Prairie

Greenwood made the most pitching appearances last year for the sectional-winning Cougars, compiling a 7-3 record with a 2.70 ERA and 74 strikeouts.

Dawson French, junior, Penn

We are going to limit it to one Penn player on this list, as several others were listed in the team preview story (they will also be listed in the “Others to watch” section below). French had some of the biggest moments on the pitching mound last year, factoring into the final three postseason wins for the Kingsmen. He finished with a 5-2 record with a 1.19 ERA and three saves, including in the state finals.

Aidan Pearson, senior, South Bend Adams

Pearson pitched a team-best 39 1/3rd innings, going 6-1 with a 1.06 ERA. He was named to the first team all-NIC team for his performance on the mound.

Jake Mulvehill, senior, South Bend Adams

Mulvehill batted .443 last season, with 14 of his 31 hits being doubles. He scored 27 runs and had 14 RBIs. He also pitched 34 innings, going 3-3 with a 2.82 ERA.

Jayce Lee, senior, South Bend Saint Joseph

The Notre Dame commit batted .398 last year with 39 RBIs and 32 runs scored. He also had 21 stolen bases and just one fielding error.

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Others to watch

Emmanuel Rosa (Concord junior), Braeden Messenger (Concord senior), Cohen Yoder (Fairfield senior), Chase Miller (John Glenn senior), Ben Dubbs (LaPorte senior), Cody Ryden (LaPorte junior), Reed Robinson (New Prairie sophomore), Jack Urbanski (Northridge senior), Max Horner (Northridge senior), Beau Patterson (NorthWood senior), RJ Cromartie (Penn senior), Hunter Morrett (Penn senior), Joe Trenerry (Penn senior), Chris Pelletier (Penn senior), Casey Finn (Penn senior), Preston Wolfe (Plymouth junior), Gabe Weber (South Bend Washington junior).

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Top high school baseball players to watch for from the South Bend area in 2024