It’s hard to believe that the 2024 Fall Baseball Season is almost upon us, but that is the case as August 12 is the official start of the regular season.

Here at Sooner State Baseball Report it is our goal to provide as much coverage as we can. One way we are trying to do that is preview as many teams as we can before the start of the season.

We’ve sent out a questionnaire to many of the teams that play fall ball in hope that they will give us an honest outlook on their upcoming season. We’ve had a few responses so far.

Today’s team: Canute Trojans

---

Team Facts

Class: A

Fall 2023 Record: 20-14

Spring 2023 Record: 23-5 (Class A State Tournament Qualifier)

Head Coach: Bobby Blackburn

Head Coaching Experience: 37 years (2nd at Canute)

---

Returning Starters and Top Players

The Trojans return 8 starters from a team that went to the Class A State Tournament in the Spring. It was a turn around from the team in the fall that struggled out of the gate and got placed in a tough regional where they didn’t make the Fall State Tournament.

Jake Beutler leads the way for the returners. He is a LHP/CF who has “outstanding skills in every phase of the game.” He batted over .400 in both the Fall and Spring and for the both the Fall and Spring, Beutler had an ERA of 1.88 with 88 Ks on the mound.

Other returning players:

• Jake Knutson (SS/P): .398 AVG (Spring ’24)
• Brance Simpson (C/OF): .342 AVG (Spring ‘ 24)
• Nate Bryant (3B/P): .324 AVG (Spring ’24)
• Clay Randall (2B/P): .288 AVG (Spring ’24)
• Luke Spitz (1B): .273 AVG (Spring ’24)
• Trayton Hines (OF/C/P): .250 AVG (Spring ’24)
• Dillon Lucas (RF/LHP): .242 AVG (Spring ’24)

Teague Farris is an incoming transfer that Coach Blackburn lists as a RHP/3B that “can play anywhere with (an) outstanding bat on the left side.”

---

Team Outlook

The Trojans were a program in transition during the 2023-2024 school year. Gone were a number of seniors from the year before and it was Coach Blackburn’s first year in Canute. After going 2-7 in their first 9 games of the Fall ’23 season, the Trojans went 18-7 the rest of the way and 23-5 in the Spring qualifying for the Spring State Tournament.

With a lot of returning players and the addition of transfer, Teague Farris, as well as incoming freshman, Boston Baker, who Coach Blackburn says has “great potential to be a special player,” the Trojans look to continue that momentum.

Combine all of that with Canute’s pitching and overall versatility, the Trojans look to compete for their first state championship since the Fall of 2020.

---

Schedule

---

Like this post? Don’t miss any posts. Enter your email in the box below and have Sooner State Baseball Report content delivered right to your inbox.