The high school baseball season begins today and there are two area teams who are hoping to make another lengthy postseason run.

In 2025, Buchholz (33-3) advanced to its second straight state championship game appearance.

The Bobcats won a state-best 33 games last year. They won another district title, region title, and state semifinal game, before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), 8-3, in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game.

A few days after their second straight state runner-up finish, Ron Brooks retired after 15 seasons as Buchholz’s head coach.

But the following week, assistant Chris Malphurs was named the new coach.

He’s got the talent and pieces to be a state title contender, including seven players who signed collegiately last week.

“Those guys are our nucleus, but we’ve just got a great group of kids,” Malphurs said. “The parents have done a great job. The kids all want to be together. They’re the most together group I’ve had in 17 years of coaching, and that means a lot. You need all those little things as you get down the stretch.”

Pitching should be a team strength with the return of what the players are calling, “the four horsemen.”

That’s Jacksonville University signees Aidan Kastensmidt and Dion Wilburn (6’6, 230), along with Reed Thomas (Florida Gulf Coast University) and Cohen Lafler (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University).

“We’re elite on the mound, so that’s going to lead the way for us,” Malphurs said. “But Mike Sopko (hitting coach) has been with me for over 10 years, all of our teams hit and we’re going to hit. If we defend it anywhere near as we did last year, we have all the pieces. It takes a little luck, and we’ve got to stay healthy, but this team has just a good a shot to win a state title as any team that’s ever been here at Buchholz.”

Buchholz has raised the bar, and they have gone from the hunter to the hunted.

With additional college signees Drew Almond (Northwest Florida State College), Blake Brewer (Gulf Coast State College) and Zac Brown (Lake-Sumter State College), this team is talented enough to make it back to Fort Myers.

“I love the high expectations,” Malphurs said. “We talked about having that bullseye on our chest. I accept it. That’s what I want to do. I want to get everybody’s best shot every night, so I’m excited. I think our kids are built for this environment. We’re ready to go play baseball.”

The pressure is not new, as the Bobcats had to navigate their way through a challenging schedule following a state championship game appearance in 2024.

“I thought they handled it (bullseye) great,” Malphurs said. “We had great leadership. Last year, a lot of these guys (7 signees) were in leadership roles. For 16, 17, 18-year-old kids, sometimes it’s hard to teach them how to win, and these guys know how to win. They know how to deal with adversity, so it’s to have a veteran group like this, that no matter what happens, you can be in any ball game.”

Malphurs isn’t the only one embracing the bullseye.

“Oh yeah, we like it,” said Wilburn (6’6, 230), who finished 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA. He had 53 strikeouts in only 35.2 innings pitched (IP). “I mean, we’re going to face the best competition with that on our back, so it’s really going to get us better and that only help us in the future.”

Kastensmidt, who led the Bobcats on the mound with a 12-2 record and a 2.53 earned run average (ERA) with 67 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched (IP), also welcomes the pressure.

“I think we handled it great last year,” said Kastensmidt, who played in all 36 games as a junior and also batted .297 with six doubles, three home runs and 26 runs batted in (RBI). “The year before, we went to states and didn’t win it, so we’ve been there now twice, and I think this year, we’ve got all the experience. We just need to get to that last game…I think the key will be just to come together and play as play as a team, and I think that’ll get us there alone.”

Buchholz, which is ranked No. 2 in the preseason all-classification regional rankings, will open the season at 5A regional semifinalist Chiles (Tallahassee) on Tuesday, followed by the home opener against Columbia (Lake City) at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Trenton, which is ranked sixth in the regional rankings, is seeking its third straight final four.

The Tigers return six starters from last year’s team, which finished 24-5, including four who have been key contributors on the mound for the past two seasons.

“While our team identity has centered on hitting in previous years, I expect our experience on the mound to make pitching a primary strength this season,” said Trenton coach Chris Marlo.

Leading the way will be junior Brant Bivens, who batted .442 with a team-leading 46 hits and 13 doubles. He was second with 27 RBI and also finished 9-1 on the mound with a 3.30 ERA.

“Brant Bivens is a significant two-way threat with a three-pitch mix and great command of the zone,” Marlo said. “At the plate, he shows excellent discipline and power to all fields.”

Other key returnees include juniors Mason VunCannon (.373) and Pierson Weatherilt (.317). All three players are captains.

“Mason is another dual threat featuring a high-80s fastball,” Marlo said. “Additionally, Pierson Weatherilt returns to the four-hole after leading the team in RBIs (31) last year. He has added more power to his swing and remains a standout defender at first base.”

Expectations are high, especially with a talented junior class.

“This team is hungry and arrives at practice every day with a commitment to improvement,” Marlo said. “The leadership transition from Dax Becker to Jordan Marlo, and now to this junior class, has been seamless. The lessons these players learned as freshmen are invaluable, and I see the same championship characteristics in them that defined our leaders over the past two years.”

They’re also getting some recognition on a national stage as MaxPreps ranked them No. 14 in the Preseason Small Town Top 25.

“Being ranked No. 14 nationally reflects the incredible progress our program has made over the last two years,” Marlo said. “It is a testament to the leadership and legacy of our former players, which continues to inspire our current roster. Many of these juniors were freshmen when we defeated Newberry in the regional finals. That victory provided the confidence to know we can compete with anyone, and it continues to drive their pursuit of excellence.”

Trenton will open the season at Dunnellon on Tuesday, followed by the home opener against West Port (Ocala) at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

In addition to Buchholz and Trenton, other area team looking to defend a district title is Saint Francis Catholic Academy, which had a school-record 21 wins, and claimed its first district title and first regional playoff win.

Then sophomore Cyrus Faribozian’s walk off single gave the Wolves (21-9) their first district title in program history. They have a new coach this season in Chris Santamarina.

Other district champions last year include Keystone Heights (2A-District 4), Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A-District 3), and Columbia (Lake City) (5A-District 3), which won its third title in the last four years.

Santa Fe (Alachua), which finished 11-15, just missed a district title when Palatka scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to defeat the Raiders, 9-4, in the 3A-District 5 title game.

2026 Baseball District Assignments

(Teams in bold in Mainstreet coverage area)

*2025 district champion

Class Rural – Region R3 – District D6
Branford
Fort White
Hawthorne
Hilliard
*Lafayette (Mayo)
Taylor County (Perry)
Union County (Lake Butler)

Class Rural – Region R4 – District D7
Bell
Bronson
Chiefland
Dixie County (Cross City)
*Trenton
Wildwood
Williston

Class 1A – Region R2 – District D5
Countryside Christian
Oak Hall School
Peniel Baptist (Palatka)
*Saint Francis Catholic Academy

Class 2A – Region R1 – District D4
Crescent City
Interlachen
*Keystone Heights
Newberry
P. K. Yonge 
Trinity Catholic (Ocala)

Class 3A – Region R1 – District D3
Baldwin
Paxon (Jacksonville)
Stanton (Jacksonville)
*Suwannee (Live Oak)
Wolfson (Jacksonville)

Class 3A – Region R2 – District D5
Bradford (Starke)
Eastside (Gainesville)
*Palatka
Santa Fe (Alachua)

Class 5A – Region R1 – District D3
*Columbia (Lake City)
Fleming Island (Orange Park)
Middleburg
Ridgeview (Orange Park)

Class 5A – Region R2 – District D5
Belleview
Gainesville
Mainland (Daytona Beach)
Matanzas (Palm Coast)
*Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)

Class 6A – Region R1 – District D2
Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
*Buchholz 
Forest (Ocala)
Oakleaf (Orange Park)
Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)