2026 CENLA Baseball Season Previews
by Marshall Loeffler
ALEXANDRIA – The Jena Giants are off to a good start in the 2026 high school baseball season under first-year head coach Joe Hammett, who is instilling a “play the right way” philosophy after losing significant experience from last year’s squad. Hammett, taking over after the Giants’ solid regular-season in 2025 that ended with a 7 seed and a big senior class, is encouraged by the early results and the competitive fire in practice. “We’re not an old team. We’re sort of in between old and young,” Hammett said. “We lost a lot of depth… but we’ve got a lot of young guys competing for playing time. So that makes practice better, because each kid’s working hard, either trying to keep their spot or to get a spot.” The Giants have shown resilience early with a week one comeback: “Friday night we were down seven to one in the sixth. And we got their starting pitcher out of the game and we had six or seven hits in the sixth inning to come back and go ahead nine to seven and ended up winning 10 to seven.” Most wins so far featured double-digit run support, which bodes well for the pitching staff as they find their way.
Returning talent is led by senior Carson Willis, the primary catcher who underwent labrum surgery in October and is currently DHing and playing first base while remaining one of the team’s top bats. “Carson is one of our leading hitters,” Hammett noted and added that Junior Logan Thompson has stepped up behind the plate: “He hadn’t caught much on the varsity level, but he’s been a catcher all his life and he’s getting better every game.” Hammett stressed the importance of depth at catcher—”a tough position and you got to have at least two that can actually play that position well.” On the mound, the rotation is still taking shape: “We’re still trying to figure out our rotation far as pitchers, who can start, who’s throwing strikes.” Senior Colin Jensen anchors the staff as the clear ace: “Colin Jensen was the ace last year and he’s definitely our ace this year. If we can make just the routine plays and throw strikes, we’re in the game.”
Offensively and defensively, he feels that versatility is key in Class 3A, where players handle multiple roles. His “play the right way” philosophy is straightforward: play the game correctly, build belief through process, and earn respect—”I want other people to look as, hey, Jena Giants have got it going on.” The schedule continues to ramp up with big non-district tests ahead: matchups against ASH and Grant, followed by a home tournament later this month. The early record is a promising sign—the emphasis remains on daily improvement, playing the right way, and positioning for a competitive run in Class 3A this spring. As Hammett puts it, it’s about turning effort into results and making Jena baseball a point of pride.
