Faith Academy baseball Season Preview

TEAM NAME: Faith Academy 2026 baseball team

HEAD COACH: Robert Ellis

LAST SEASON RECORD: 3-11 (2-6 in District)

SCHEDULE: Subject to change; additional games may be added.

Home Location: YMCA Burnet

• Feb. 16, 4:30 p.m. – Away vs. Manor New Tech
• Feb. 27–28, TBD – Away tournament at San Marcos Academy
• Mar. 5, 1 p.m. – Home vs. Central Texas Christian School 

• Mar. 13, 4 p.m. – Away at Central Texas Christian School
• Mar. 23, 1 p.m. – Home
• Mar. 27, 5 p.m. – Away at San Marcos Academy
• Apr. 6, 1 p.m. – Home vs. Lutheran
• Apr. 10, 5 p.m. – Away at Lutheran High School, San Antonio
• Apr. 13, 1 p.m. – Home vs. Live Oak
• Apr. 16, 5 p.m. – Away at Live Oak

TEAM ROSTER:

#1 – Kosoglow, Benjamin Mathew (Junior)

#2 – Little, Nixon Keith (Junior)

#4 – Blair, Braxton Lane (Junior)

#6 – Schore, Chase Samuel (Sophomore)

#7 – Andrews, Austin Lee (Junior)

#8 – Ellis, Austin Cole (Junior)

#9 – Jones, Sawyer Thomas (Senior)

#10 – Frazier, Knox Hutchins (Junior)

#11 – Hansard, Cooper Thomas (Junior)

#12 – Dillard, William Wade (Junior)

#16 – Spence, Joseph Austin (Freshman)

#22 – Zarob, Nicholas Andrew (Sophomore)

#24 – Wetzel, Michael David (Junior)

#28 – Pyle, Coye Scott (Freshman)

#34 – Norton, Logan Michael (Junior)

#35 – Kenney, Spencer Radcliffe (Junior)

#44 – Glenn, Khalil Garrett (Freshman)

#44 – Burns, Ronin Coyer (Junior)

#88 – Russell, Hudson Reid (Junior)

Coming off a difficult 2025 season, Faith Academy’s baseball team enters the spring with renewed confidence.

Last year’s struggles were largely the result of youth, as the roster featured 11 sophomores and just two upperclassmen, making it one of the youngest teams in the district. This season, that same group returns more seasoned and better equipped for varsity competition, with several additional players joining the mix.

“I didn’t really change my approach or try to do anything differently per se,” head coach Robert Ellis told DailyTrib. “We just needed to get older.”

That maturity has shown early. Ellis said the team is far ahead of where it was a year ago and better prepared to handle the demands of district play, which ultimately determines postseason opportunities.

“We’re way ahead of where we were last season,” he said. “We’re not the youngest team in the district anymore.”

The focus this season is steady improvement and consistency throughout the lineup. Ellis plans to use non-district games to give younger players valuable experience and experiment with rotations, while sharpening the team for games that matter most.

“The district games are 10 times more important than non-district games,” Ellis said. “That’s what gets you to the playoffs.”

Sawyer Jones, William Dillard, Spencer Kenney, Knox Frazier and Austin Ellis are among the players expected to lead the team this season, providing stability and setting the tone for a more competitive lineup.

The long-term outlook is just as encouraging. With the majority of the team returning as seniors next season, Ellis believes the foundation is being laid now for sustained success.

“We expect to kill everybody,” Ellis said of his team next season. 

maci@thepicayune.com