Charlotte Catholic is No. 1 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 baseball poll

Eddie Hull lays out a school calendar every year. From there, he maps everything out, down to the minute details — weight room plans, throwing plans, daily practice drills.

He began this blueprint five years ago when he joined Charlotte Catholic’s coaching staff, knowing how he wanted to improve the high school’s baseball program.

Playing at Charlotte Catholic in high school, then Division I baseball and coaching at the Division II level, the soon-to-be head coach came with ideas he learned from former coaches, motivated to give back to the program that helped shape his baseball career.

Some ideas he went ahead and implemented, and some he “kept in his back pocket,” deciding what worked and what didn’t.

In 2023, after being named Charlotte Catholic’s head baseball coach, Hull used the opportunity to bring his blueprint to life. In 2026, Catholic starts No. 1 in The Observer’s preseason Sweet 16 baseball poll.

“It took a little while for our players to trust it and understand what was going on because it was a little different,” Hull said. “But over the last year, and heading into this year, everything flows so well. The guys know what to expect. It’s structure that gets you going in the right direction.”

In his third year as the head baseball coach at Charlotte Catholic, Hull doesn’t think he’s transformed the program. Instead, he’s given it a “little TLC,” adding his structure to everything. And that simple, but difficult, change has worked.

Last year, Hull’s team made it to the N.C. Western Regional championship game for the first time in 36 years before falling to T.C. Roberson.

This year, Charlotte Catholic wants to find even more success in the Union County-based Southern Carolina conference — featuring a three-game series every week — after mainly competing against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Right-handed pitcher and Arizona commit Quinn O’Rourke is confident that Charlotte Catholic will perform well this year.

“A lot of it stems from our coaching staff,” O’Rourke, who also serves as a captain, said. “With Coach Hull being in year three, and having two really talented teams in the past two years…it’s really like, ‘All right, we’re a legit program that he’s building. It’s time to go. It’s time to make a name for Charlotte Catholic.’’

Part of Hull’s blueprint includes off-season work, which O’Rourke said “has connected a lot of guys” during weight lifting or running sessions. It’s forced the team to be disciplined while building relationships in the process.

Charlotte Catholic has five pitchers committed to Division I programs and strength up the middle.

“Our club this year is going to be really deep, position player-wise and on the mound,” Hull said. “I think it’s going to start with our pitching staff.”

The bullpen features right-handed Virginia Tech commit Alex Hoffman and O’Rourke, who are both receiving MLB draft attention. Hoffman is the No. 1 returning player in North Carolina, who has a 94 mph fastball.

Right-handed pitcher Ben Bordeaux and left-handed pitchers John Hucko, who also plays centerfield, and Griffin McKain round out Charlotte Catholic’s bullpen.

The team also has two catchers in captain Paul Greeley and Brady Marconi, who transferred from Ardrey Kell and is committed to the College of Charleston. Captain and N.C. State pledge Cooper Gornet, who was a big part of the team’s 2024 playoff run, completes the middle.

“We’ve done something special,” Greeley said. “The last two years, we have gone far in the playoffs, so we understand what it takes to get to that spot, and we have to show up every single day, get our work done and be one percent better every single day. So, at the end of May, we have a shot to win it.”

And while Hull is quick to say his team’s success doesn’t come from him, Greeley — who has been at Charlotte Catholic his entire high school career — recognizes the work Hull has put into the program.

The head coach sets up practice hours before players arrive at the field to ensure his team can have a great practice. If Hull doesn’t like a drill, the team won’t do it. Instead, Hull will craft something more effective. Every day is about improvement to become the best team possible, and Greeley thinks that mindset has increasingly shown in the three years Hull’s been the head coach.

“It just means the world to me to see the success that we’ve had,” Hull said. “But ultimately, we got to back it up this year. It’s an everyday process for us, as long as we’re doing things the right way ... that’s the No. 1 thing ... and hopefully we’ll continue to see good things happen.”

Preseason baseball Sweet 16

Here is the 2026 Charlotte Observer preseason Sweet 16 poll. The poll is compiled by longtime N.C. high school baseball expert Tripp Roakes.

(Rank, School, 2025 record)

1. Charlotte Catholic (22-6-1)

2. Metrolina Christian (28-3)

3. Charlotte Christian (26-6)

4. North Lincoln (23-9)

5. Cuthbertson (26-6)

6. Marvin Ridge (21-8)

7. Providence (23-6)

8. Hough (19-5)

9. Weddington (18-9-1)

10. Myers Park (20-8)

11. Gaston Christian (18-4)

12. North Iredell (20-4)

13. East Lincoln (20-7)

14. Mooresville (20-8)

15. South Mecklenburg (17-11)

16. Hickory Ridge (17-9)

This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM.