As he enters his 29th season as head coach of the Houston High School baseball program, Brent Hall feels like there’s one major aspect that stands out about this year’s varsity squad.
“So much potential,” Hall said. “And it’s potential nobody has seen yet, because a lot of them are freshmen, and they don’t play like freshmen. The bulk of them have played a lot of baseball, and that’s why they play a little older than what they are.
“Even though they’re freshmen, a lot of them have played other sports, and they’ve gone through almost a whole school year, so for all intents and purposes, they’re sophomores. Spring sports get to benefit from that.”
Last year, Houston finished with an overall record of 11-13 and went 3-4 in South Central Association conference play. The Tigers won 5 of their last 6 games, falling to Licking in the Class 3 District 9 Tournament semifinals.
The youthful Diamond Tigers have only two seniors: Aaden Scantlin and Elliot Barbagiovanni, who are both in their fourth year in Hall’s program.
Scantlin figures to be the team leader after posting a robust .459 batting average last year (a team-high) and being on the mound for 36.1 innings and compiling a 2.70 ERA. When he’s not pitching, he’ll anchor the defense at shortstop.
There are also some juniors who will play key roles, including Jasper McCloy (who will do the bulk of the catching), Aaron “Tank” McCarthy, Ethan Carter, Oliver Greiner and others. A sophomore or two will likely see some time on the field as well, including Gage Smith.
But several freshmen will be regulars in the lineup, including Stryker Sloan, Tucker Venn, Griffin Aaron, Knox McCloy and Blake Sanders. The amount of their “potential” that’s realized will likely make the difference in whether or not the Tigers achieve their goals of a winning season and a postseason run.
“A couple of seniors, a few juniors, a couple sophomores and a boatload of freshmen,” Hall said.
Another aspect of this season’s HHS roster that Hall appreciates is depth. Going into this week, he still didn’t know who would be in the starting lineup.
“This is the most unsure I’ve ever been about what our starting lineup will be,” Hall said. “Practice has been amazing; they’re so competitive because guys are competing for spots. Everyone is at full speed and the freshmen are wanting to show everybody they belong here.
“We’ve got more guys who can contribute and help us than the field can hold. It has been a lot of fun so far.”
That depth is certainly apparent in the Tigers’ pitching staff. Along with Scantlin, Hall figures he can use several other players on the mound, including freshmen Venn, Sloan, Aaron and Sanders.
“When we do our pitchers’ routines at practice, there are nine guys,” Hall said, “and I would say seven of them are ready to throw varsity right now. I’ve never had that many; I would be glad to roll four, five or six of those guys out there today and take my chances.”
Hall likes the look of the Tigers’ outfield.
“It’s probably one of the best outfields I’ve had in a long time,” he said. “There’s a lot of speed, and guys who are able to go get the ball. That’s a bonus; a lot of times you kind of hide guys out there, and I don’t feel like we’re doing that.”
Hall figures offense shouldn’t be sparse. But with so many newcomers, there might be some bumps in the road.
“There’s going to have to be a lot of tough love and a lot of patience,” he said.
This season, Hall’s assistant coach will be his son, Garyn Hall. Garyn is a 2023 HHS graduate who had a stellar high school baseball career in which he set an all-time state record (all classes) for career stolen bases with 122 and was annually one of the Tigers’ top batters, as well as being the squad’s pitching ace and a top-notch shortstop.
Garyn is also the middle school physical education instructor. He played college ball for two seasons at College of the Ozarks.
“I don’t know if words can describe it,” Brent said. “I figured he would still be playing, but he got an opportunity to apply for the job here and he was willing not to play baseball any longer because this is where he wanted to be. He’s kind of following in my footsteps and it’s been a blast every day.
“It’s really a blessing.”
“In high school, I used to tell everybody there really wasn’t anything like playing for your dad,” Garyn said. “But working with him is at a totally different level for me. You can’t beat it.”
Garyn has seen a lot of baseball teams, and he likes the makeup of this year’s HHS squad.
“We’re an extremely talented group,” he said. “They’ve worked hard all the off-season and they’re a pretty tight-knit group. Every team has a worst player, whether you want to say it or not. But with this team, everyone treats everyone the same and you would never know who the worst player is.”
When he began his tenure with Houston, Brent Hall hoped it would be lasting – as it has.
“It’s what I wanted to do,” he said, “and I’m fortunate enough to have accomplished it. It’s hard to stay at a school this long, especially in your hometown.
“I’ve made it this long – we’ll see if I can do it a little bit more.”
Houston hosted a three-team jamboree on Tuesday of this week, including Cabool and Plato.
The Tigers begin the regular season in the Champs Fitness Wood Bat Tournament, facing Jackson Friday at Liberty (in Mountain View) and taking on Ellington and Alton Saturday at Tiger Field.
Next week, Houston will be in the field at the Stoutland Spring Classic tournament before hosting Seymour on March 30 and beginning South Central Association conference play with a home game against Liberty on March 31.
“We’ve got a lot of speed, a lot of pop and a lot of arms,” Brent Hall said, “and this should be the start to a good four years.”
2026 HHS baseball roster
No., Name, Grade
0. Knox McCloy, 9
1. Gage Smith, 10
2. Jasper McCloy, 11
3. Robert Easley, 9
4. Aaden Scantlin, 12
5. Stryker Sloan, 9
6. Jackson Morgan, 10
7. Kyson Brede, 11
8. Cassius Crawford, 10
10. Aaron McCarthy, 11
11. Thomas Kincaid, 10
12. Ethan Carter, 11
13. Tucker Venn, 9
18. Griffin Aaron, 9
20. Elliot Barbagiovanni, 12
22. Bentley Scantlin, 9
27. Ryan Head, 11
29. Evan Edwards, 11
30. Oliver Greiner, 11
55. Eli Carter, 9
98. Blake Sanders, 9
Head coach: Brent Hall
Assistant coach Garyn Hall
To view a photo gallery from jamboree competition Tuesday (March 17) against Plato, click here.