As spring break ends and the weather in Omaha starts to warm up, Prep baseball is preparing for its 2025 season. After falling in the third round in last year’s double-elimination state tournament, the Junior Jays are hoping that their improvements and experience will push them to a state championship.
This year’s roster is extremely well-rounded and possesses many strengths, most notably experience. Every player on the roster is an upperclassman, with most on last year’s roster that made the state tournament.
Having a full roster of upperclassmen has allowed the Junior Jays to form chemistry throughout the school year. Head coach Pat Mooney mentioned that the team has been working out together for multiple months, saying “ “We started conditioning in August, our lifting, and we’ve had a pretty good turnout for that, about 45 guys.”
This state tournament experience and chemistry have created a veteran squad that should excel under pressure.
The Junior Jays return many of their top pitchers from last year’s roster, including three of their top four leaders innings pitched. John Lisec and Braden Caito pitched over 30 innings this past year, while Easton Loucks was fourth with 17. They also return Jack Cosgrove and Josh Kearney, who finished with a 0.54 ERA and 1.95 ERA, respectively.
Coach Mooney has a lot of faith in his rotation.
“We’re pretty heavy with the arms,” Mooney said. “Our top guys are really good and I think that might carry us a long way. We’ve got some guys that can dominate.”
On the offensive side, the Junior Jays return six players with a batting average over .300, including outfielder Cal Anthony, who hit a blazing .406. Along with Anthony, infielder Logan Birchfield, and catcher Tony Coniglio finished second and third in RBIs last year with 21 and 19, respectively.
According to Mooney, the key to making a run in the state will be winning the little things.
“With the talent in Nebraska, we’ve got to be able to figure out how to win the small parts of the game, the little things,” Mooney said.“You’ve got to be able to run the bases well or get a bunt down.”
This year’s Creighton Prep baseball squad is filled with potential. Returning top hitters and pitchers from last year’s season has created an experienced and elite roster without a major weakness. If the Junior Jays can clean up mistakes, this squad has the potential to improve on last year’s finish and take home a state championship.
