A state runner-up finish in 2023 preceded by a state third place showing the year prior has put Columbia on the statewide map as a baseball team to watch out for each spring.

And while many key pieces of those past two state trophy squads have moved on, there are enough returning players in 2024 to make for another competitive Eagles squad come postseason time. 

“We do not have the experience that we had going into last season, but we do have multiple guys who are ready to step into important roles on our team,” Columbia head coach Neal O’Donnell said. “We were a senior-dominant team last year, and we leaned on them up and down our lineup. We return two full-time starters, but multiple players on the infield have varsity experience.”

The obvious strength of the Columbia baseball bunch in 2024 is pitching, with a trio of seniors eager to lead the way. 

Lucas Riebeling, a righthanded Missouri S&T commit, went 7-1 with a 1.25 ERA in 50-plus innings pitched last season.

“His only career loss on the mound came in the state championship last season,” O’Donnell said.

Brady Mathews, a lefthanded Jefferson College commit, went 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 36-plus innings pitched.

“(Brady) really stepped up into some meaningful innings for us late last season, pitching really well in the postseason,” O’Donnell assessed.

Logan Sabo, another righty, struck out 25 in just under 16 innings with a 0.00 ERA last season. 

“Logan was our high-leverage reliever, and he will likely step into a larger role this season,” O’Donnell said.

Another senior pitcher is lefty Aiden Masidonski, who is an East Central Community College commit.

“We feel really good about where we are on the mound coming into the season,” the head coach said.

As for the offense, a key returner is sophomore first baseman Brody Landgraf. He hit .367 last season with 12 extra base hits and 33 RBIs.

Another person to watch in the lineup is junior third baseman Cash Bailey. He .333 last season in limited varsity action.

“We expect him to have a really strong offensive season,” O’Donnell said.

Other juniors ready to step up and shine in 2024, according to O’Donnell, include outfielders Sully Bonaldi, Micah James and Brady Hemminghaus, catcher Logan Bosch, pitcher Sam Donald and utility player Mason Voegele.

Mason is the younger brother of current University of Kansas pitcher Dom Voegele, who led the Eagles in pitching and hitting in 2023.

“Our outfield will be completely new this season. Our senior position players will have the opportunity to impact our season after largely taking a back seat last season. We have a large junior class who has some varsity experience sprinkled in among the 12 players,” O’Donnell assessed. “Overall, we have a mostly inexperienced group but we like the pieces. It will likely take some time, but we expect to be in the conversation at the end of the season.”