The calendar has turned to the a new school year and that means the OSSAA high school Fall baseball season will be here soon. The season officially gets underway on August 10, but teams can play games before then if both teams have already started school.
Up until that the beginning of the season, SSBR will be providing previews of as many teams as we can. Recently, SSBR sent out questionnaires to the high school coaches across the state of Oklahoma asking for their top returning players, top newcomers, overall strengths/weaknesses, and their overall assessment where their respective programs are coming into the 2026 Fall season.
What you have below are the responses to those questions in the words of the coaches themselves.
Today’s team: Lookeba-Sickles Panthers
Classification: B
2025 Fall Results: 14-18
2026 Spring Results: 12-13
Head Coach: Dustin Ott
Head coaching experience: First year
Top Returners
- Bryan Leon is a senior utility player who will primarily play shortstop. He’s an outstanding athlete with excellent speed and a dependable glove. As a junior, he hit .271 and stole 19 bases, making him a threat on the bases. Bryan will be a key part of our pitching staff after throwing 22 innings with a 2.84 ERA and 28 strikeouts last spring.
- Jose Arellano is a senior pitcher/utility player who will be a leader on the mound and at the plate. He hit .321 with 17 RBIs last spring and brings plenty of power to the middle of our lineup. On the mound, he logged 38 innings and will once again play a major role in our pitching rotation.
- Braxton Brown is a senior pitcher/utility player who consistently does whatever the team needs. He hit .242 last spring and is poised for a strong senior season at the plate. On the mound, he threw 44 innings with a 3.02 ERA while consistently attacking the strike zone. His ability to throw strikes and compete gives us valuable innings every time he takes the ball.
- Hunter Helmuth is a senior third baseman/utility player. He does the little things well and does what is asked of him. He hit .258 last spring and pitched 11 innings and will once again be a valuable part of the pitching rotation this season.
- Kamryn Taylor is a senior designated hitter/utility player who after hitting .338 last spring will again be a contributor in the lineup and an important part of our offensive production.
- Brooks House is a sophomore catcher/utility that will handle to majority of the duties behind the plate. After hitting .316 as a freshman, he has established himself as an important offensive piece. Brooks will also contribute on the mound when needed giving us additional depth and versatility.
- Jackson House is a sophomore utility player who can play both infield and outfield. He hit .286 as a freshman and gained valuable varsity experience. We expect Jackson to take on a much larger role this season as he continues to develop.
Top Newcomers
- Colton Phillips is a very athletic freshman utility player who has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. He has an outstanding glove and will time in centerfield, at shortstop, and on the mound. Offensively, we expect him to be an important contributor and provide production throughout the lineup.
- Paxton Green is another talented freshman who brings athleticism and defensive versatilty to our team. He has an excellent glove and is expected to be a key offensive contributor. In addition, he’ll be counted on to provide valuable innings on the mound as he contines to develop throughout the season.
Team strengths
- Our biggest strength is our experience and the chemistry we’ve build together. This group has invested in the offseason, fully bought in, and understands the standard that is expected every day.
Team needs to work on
- We want to eliminate free bases, create pressure every inning, and make opponents beat us by executing – not by us giving them opportunities.
Outlook
We’re looking to use our experience to our advantage this season. One of the biggest positives from the offseason was the complete buy-in our players showed during Summer Pride. They put in the work, developed good habits, and build a strong foundation. Now it’s time to put those tools to use. At this point, it’s simply a matter of playing the game as hard as you can. Baseball rewards consistent effort and disciplined execution. Our formula is simple: throw strikes, play solid defense, put the ball in play, and compete on every single pitch. If we commit to doing those things every day, we’ll give ourselves a chance to successful every time we take the field.
Schedule
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