Local teams become area foes
The 2023 high school baseball season is here, and as always, the teams in the greater Birmingham area are expected to be strong. Briarwood competes in Class 6A, while Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park are all part of 7A, Area 6 this spring.
Here is a look at each team’s prospects entering the spring.
Lions possess necessary experience
The Briarwood Christian School baseball team entered last season with plenty of questions that did not yet have answers. But this spring, the Lions have a solid feel for the roster and have several key players back from last year.
“Last year, we had eight new kids playing, but now they’ve got experience,” said head coach Steve Renfroe, entering his 13th year with the program.
Renfroe went so far to say there is legitimate competition at several positions, something Briarwood has not been fortunate enough to have much of in recent years.
Across the infield, Jackson Adams at shortstop, Jake Souders at third base and Sam Hoff at second base provide the Lions with solid known commodities. Renfroe called Adams one of the best defensive shortstops he’s had in his time at Briarwood. Souders has really come on in the preseason, particularly with his bat. Hoff has gotten stronger and quicker as well.
Briarwood will be deep on the mound as well. Jonathan Stevens, Brayden Heaps, Casen Heaps, Souders and Cooper Higgins will all be among a pitching staff with variety and depth.
“There’s a number of other guys that are there and can help us,” Renfroe said.
Briarwood is in Class 6A, Area 7 with Pelham and McAdory this season. The Lions will also play Hewitt-Trussville, Oak Mountain, Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Chelsea and Auburn.
Hornets ready for jump to 7A
The Chelsea High School baseball program has been on quite a run in recent years. The Hornets have gotten to at least the quarterfinals in three of the last four years while competing in Class 6A.
As they move to 7A, they have no plans to alter course now. Chelsea will compete in Area 6 against Oak Mountain, Hewitt-Trussville and Spain Park, three programs that enter each season with championship aspirations.
“We’re going about business as normal,” head coach Michael Stallings said. “Everybody is excited about the upcoming season.”
Chelsea has several players back from last season, including a couple key pitchers. Kaden Heatherly will anchor the pitching staff this spring. He was a starter much of last season, then provided key innings out of the bullpen late in the year. Steven Shelton started several games last spring as well and is back to take on a big role.
Among the position players, senior Chris McNeill is back in center field. He will hit at the top of the order and wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Walker Thomas played a role primarily as a designated hitter last year, but now he will step into a role as the primary catcher. Jackson Morgan is back on the infield as well.
Mississippi State commit Kaleb Hester is back from injury and will be a big factor in the team’s success. Infielder Bryson Mormon could see time at a few infield positions and will likely contribute on the mound as well. Logan Moller and Jason Neal join the varsity team this year expecting to make an impact.
Eagles leaning on returning pitchers
The Oak Mountain High School baseball team has plenty to figure out as the 2023 season gets underway. The Eagles lost several contributors from a team that came up a little shy of the playoffs last season.
Oak Mountain entered the final series of the regular season with a chance to win the area. But the Eagles lost the series and missed the postseason altogether.
“It’s just a reminder to all of us that in our area, how thin the margin for error is,” head coach Derek Irons said. “You could point to 30 different plays over the course of our area games and if one of them changes, we may go from missing the playoffs to area champs.”
Oak Mountain swapped from Class 7A, Area 5, to Area 6 this season. Now, the Eagles will be competing against Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Chelsea. As Irons joked, the area “went from very hard to very hard.”
Matt Heiberger, a University of Alabama commit, is back to anchor the team’s pitching staff. Juniors Nick McCord and Kevin Jasinski pitched some last yea, but will be expected to shoulder a heavy load this year.
When not on the mound, Heiberger plays in the outfield, McCord plays shortstop and Jasinski holds down third base.
Seniors Garrison Kahn and John Romei will be relied upon to bolster the pitching staff, while outfielder Trey Kocks and Carter Kimbrell have a chance to be key players as well. Look for catcher Peyton Parkinson and infielder Matthew Senter to contribute as well.
Jags looking for playoff return
The fine line of missing the state playoffs or making a run to the state championship series is one the Spain Park High School baseball team is all too familiar with.
Such is life in Class 7A baseball in the greater Birmingham area. Last year, the Jags posted a strong season, putting together a record of 25-11. However, the Jags missed the playoffs by losing an area tiebreaker game to Vestavia Hills, which went on to make a run to the semifinals.
“It gives the kids a very good perspective of how close they were and how good those teams were,” Spain Park head coach Will Smith said. “Attention to detail and those small, minute things can be the difference between being in the playoffs or starting your summer.”
Spain Park has reason to believe that another successful season, albeit with a slightly better finish, could be on the horizon. The Jags have a roster with about seven starters back and 12 seniors, three of which will be in their third seasons starting on the varsity team. Cole Edwards, Evan Smallwood and Ryan Cole are experienced and Smith hopes to count on them for big things once again.
Clay Spencer is back as the team’s catcher, while James Battersby, JR Thompson and Jacob Tobias are back as everyday players.
Smith is also excited to see the emergence of Lucas Thornton as the pitching staff’s potential ace. As the team’s No. 2 starter last year, Thornton produced a 6-0 record in nearly 50 innings of work. Thompson threw plenty last year as a reliever and is on the way back from a knee injury. The Jags will also be searching for a few more pitchers to provide quality innings as well.
Some other players that Smith mentioned as possible key contributors are infielders Aiden Berke, Richard Moon, Chapman Blevins and Jackson Bradley. Matthew Widra and Wes Blackmon have potential to bolster the lineup as well.
Spain Park will be in 7A, Area 6 this season with Chelsea, Hewitt-Trussville and Oak Mountain, all three of which have strong track records in recent years.