2026 CENLA Baseball Season Previews
by Marshall Loeffler
ALEXANDRIA – The Natchitoches Central Chiefs are ready and waiting to see who they are as they head into the 2026 high school baseball season. District 1-5A—one of Louisiana’s toughest groups top to bottom—will see the Chiefs with a new coaching staff, a new starting lineup, and a recent focus on growth and culture. Matthew Danna, who returns to the program after serving as a NCHS assistant in years past, spent the time between years in North Carolina working under a renowned staff, and he is thrilled to be back leading a team in Natchitoches. Last season, the Chiefs earned a No. 7 seed in the playoffs, but graduated 13 seniors from that squad, most of whom signed Division I scholarships or continued their playing careers.
The current varsity roster features just six seniors (who were freshmen when Danna previously coached them), bolstered by 12 freshmen added in June. Returning varsity experience is minimal—players like Owen Smith (headed to play football at Kansas Wesleyan), Jace Hale, Zach Jordan, and Kaden Kuykendall are all returners who did not combine for a lot of innings pitched last year.”We’re not there. That’s not who we are right now,” Danna acknowledged. “The goal this year is we’ve been hammering growth and achieving excellence.” The emphasis is on acclimating young talent to high-pressure situations early through scrimmages (including against Northwood-Shreveport) to establish the lineup and pitching rotation. “Putting Jace Hale, Owen Smith, Zach Jordan and those older guys in pressure situations in big games early is going to be important, so that when we get into March, beginning of April, it’s not pressure anymore. It’s just another day at the ballpark.”
Danna’s philosophy since taking the reigns last spring has been prioritizing intense, fast-paced practices, and hands-on involvement. His staff has loaded up the JV workload for a large group of underclassmen, and plans to have everyone adapt a “next man up” mentality. “My practices are very intense. They’re fast. We demand a lot out of them at practice because if I make it hard at practice, then we’re ready.” The culture is established there, Danna still speaking often to former coach Kaufman—and the fan base has supported this new staff well .
The schedule is deliberately tough, which the Chiefs welcome as preparation for District 1-5A battles against perennial powers like Haughton,Captain Shreve, Byrd, Benton, Airline, and Parkway. Other early highlights include the Tioga Jamboree, opening night vs. Lakeview (coached by a Natchitoches Central alumnus), and a road matchup against defending 4A state champion North Desoto. NCHS also travels to ASH (where Danna will face his former head coach) and the Trey Altick Tournament. NCHS will also be at the Red River Classic in Alexandria.
“I don’t schedule easy. I go after the best of the best… it’s only getting us ready for district,” Danna stressed. “I truly believe it is one of the best districts in the state.”With opening day just days away, Danna sees a hungry group finally stepping into the spotlight after years on the fringes. “They’re chomping at the bit… it’s their time now. They’re ready to go.” While experience is thin, the Chiefs’ investment in development, tough opponents, and the passionate fan support has them in a spot to compete for another single-digit playoff seed in Division I Non-Select, and make noise in a loaded district.
