VYPE's Preseason Baseball Top 20 -- No. 16 The Magnolia Bulldogs

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No. 16

The Magnolia Bulldogs

Greene the Man in Magnolia

Reached the Regional Finals

By Matt Malatesta

Magnolia fell to district-nemesis Brenham in a three-game series in the regional finals a year ago, just falling short of the state tournament. After the season, coach Dale Westmoreland announced his departure to Concordia Lutheran with buddy Rick Lynch of Tomball fame.

So what's left at the north Houston school? Plenty. Coach Jason Fojt takes over the program, which has some nice pieces in place for 2012. The bell cow for Magnolia is 6-foot-3 pitcher/first baseman Jarred Greene, who is an Arkansas-commit. While he is raw and powerful on the mound, he also carries a big stick at the plate. Also crushing the ball in the middle of the lineup is Garrett Luna, while Noah McGowan adds a dimension of speed on the base paths.

Kyle Thornell (McClellan Junior College-Commit) has battled cancer and returns for some inspiration, while Kyle Black and Connor Lee have played a lot of playoff baseball. Lefty Weston Wernecke, who has signed with Texas Lutheran, will tie opposing batters in knots with his repertoire of pitches.