Marcus: No. 6 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason Baseball Rankings

Video: Marcus slideshow
See multiple images from our pro photo shoot with the Marcus High baseball team

If not for a pair of losses to their crosstown rival at the end of the season, it might have been a different Flower Mound team celebrating a state championship in 2014.

Marcus (Flower Mound), which had defeated rival Flower Mound twice during the regular season, fell to Flower Mound 11-0 and 4-1 in the regional finals last year and missed out on a chance to go to the state tournament. Flower Mound advanced and won both of its games at the state tournament to claim the 5A state title.

This year could be Marcus' turn. The Marauders are loaded with talent, with up to seven returning starters and five of the team's top six pitchers from last year. Among those players, seven earned all-district honors last year and five have committed to play at the next level next year.

Marcus has already been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Class 6A preseason rankings by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association and begins the season ranked No. 6 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason National Baseball Rankings.

Over the next week, MaxPreps will continue counting down the top 10 teams in the preseason national rankings. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 24 with the announcement of the preseason Top 100.

See the Top 10 teams landing page here

View the gallery from the Marcus preseason photo shoot by photographer Jim Redman

School size: Texas Class 6A


Enrollment: 3,224


2014 finish: 32-10


Head coach: Jeff Sherman


Career record: 65-18 (at Marcus)


Years at school: 3


Notable MLB players:

Ryan Pressley (drafted in 2007 by Red Sox)



No. of starters returning: 7


Top losses:

Connor Dotson, P, all-district

Tyler Boertje, 2B, all-district

Romero Greer, SS, all-district


Key returners:

Brendan Venter, 3B, .378 batting average, 14 doubles, District MVP, Stephen F. Austin

Jack Cushing, P, 8-1 record, 1.12 ERA, all-district, Georgetown

Ethan Nichols, P, 9-1 record, 1.21 ERA, all-district, Air Force

Matt Bernstein, C, .258 batting average, all-district, Texas Tech

Josh Ringsdorf, 1B, .351 batting average, all-district

Ashton Easley, OF, .331 batting average, 4-0 record, all-district

Drew Jackson, DH, .367 batting average, all-district

Nick Minor, P, Kansas State

Bryce Verplank, OF, Oklahoma State


Key newcomers:

Cooper Rentfro, OF, Junior

Scott Hastings, IF, Junior

Michael Van Gundy, C, Sophomore

Toughest game: Redistricting has put Marcus in District 6-6A with Plano, Plano West and Plano East, along with Allen. However, the toughest game is still crosstown rival Flower Mound, which won the Class 5A state title in Texas last year. Marcus defeated Flower Mound twice during the regular season.

Local outlook: The new district figures to be much tougher with the Plano teams all regularly fielding competitive teams. Meanwhile, Allen will have football All-American Kyler Murray in the lineup. He is also considered a high draft pick in Major League Baseball.

Overall outlook: The Marauders begin the season ranked No. 1 in the newly formed Class 6A by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. The coaches' rankings list Pearland and Atascocita as the next two teams in the state.

Pitching: The pitching staff is loaded, starting with Jack Cushing and Ethan Nichols, each of whom earned all-district honors last year. Cushing posted an 8-1 record while Nichols was 9-1. Both will play in college next year with Cushing at Georgetown and Nichols at Air Force. Another pitcher, Nick Minor, has committed to Kansas State.

Defense: The Marauders return most of the players in the field, led by district MVP Brendan Venter at third base. He batted .378 last year with a team-high 14 doubles. The defense also includes all-district catcher Matt Bernstein along with outfielder Ashton Easley and first baseman Josh Ringsdorf.

Coach quote: "We are returning 7-9 starters and 5 of our top 6 pitchers back."
- Jeffrey Sherman