The 2023 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in the Jacksonville/Oxford/Montgomery area at the AISA or AHSAA state championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Alabama. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing our scheduled podcasts and releasing our preseason Top 10 in each AHSAA classification. 

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state. Each week we will be releasing our players of the week, updating the Top 10 in each AHSAA classification as well as a Power 25. One thing that you especially don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state as well as recaps and previews of big games across the state.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

High School Name: Ardmore Tigers 

Coach’s Name: Andrew Smith 

Classification: AHSAA 5A 

2022 Record: 12-13

Area Number: Class 5A, Area 16 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 6 

Team Strengths: Experience, Defense, Pitching Depth 

Top Returning Players:

• SS Noah Stafford (2026)
• RHP/DH Preston Patterson (2023)
• C Carter Smith (2024)
• LHP/OF Zach Hall (2024)
• 3B Cole Calder (2023)
• LHP/1B Eli Clark (2023)
• LHP/OF Seth Frame (2024)

Top 2024 Prospects:

• INF/RHP Caden Bailes (2024)

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

• UTL Tre Rolin (2025)
• OF Keaton Johns (2025)
• OF/MIF Skyler Jean (2025)

Team Outlook

The Ardmore Tigers come into the 2023 season with aspirations of making it back once again to the Class 5A playoffs like they did a season ago, and will look to make an even further push to the late rounds after being eliminated in the 1st round. The Tigers are placed in Class 5A, Area 16 once again with Madison Academy, East Limestone and Brewer after being in a five-team area for the past few years.

The Tigers bring back a strong group of returning players to the fold in 2023 that includes six positional starters and six pitchers that saw time on the mound last year. Their overall experience should be one of their team strengths this spring while also being a quality defensive club with depth on the mound. After finishing as the runner-up in their area in 2022, the Tigers traveled on the road to face-off against Leeds in the 1st round of the Class 5A playoffs, but were eliminated in two games to close their season at 12-13. They'll look to take another step with their program this year with a talented core of players coming back. SS Noah Stafford (2026) will be a young prospect to follow in the coming years, as he took over the starting job at shortstop as a freshman towards the second-half of the season and never relinquished those duties. Back for his freshman year, Stafford should be one of their leaders offensively after showing some power and athleticism at the plate hitting a pair of doubles and a home run last year. RHP/DH Preston Patterson (2023) returns for his senior season after being the Game 1 starter on the mound in 2022. Expected to anchor the staff once again, Patterson should also hit in the middle of the order and provide some offensive production. C Carter Smith (2024) will handle the pitching staff behind the plate defensively after catching 24/25 games during his junior campaign. He'll also slide back into the middle of the order offensively, as well. On the mound, LHP/OF Zach Hall (2024), LHP/1B Eli Clark (2023) and LHP/OF Seth Frame (2024) are a trio of southpaws who will all look to provide quality innings on the mound and swing it in the lineup offensively after playing big roles on last year's team. Hall and Frame were both starters in the rotation in 2022, while Clark will be one of their top relievers out of the bullpen. Two more upperclassmen to watch for this spring will be 3B Cole Calder (2023) and INF/RHP Caden Bailes (2024). Calder started 23 games at third base during his junior season, and Bailes split time at second base and designated hitter towards the second-half of the season and hit .350 in batting average.

The Tigers will need some younger players, in addition to the upperclassmen mentioned above, to step into bigger roles this spring in order to be successful. Some of those players to watch for will be UTL Tre Rolin (2025), OF Keaton Johns (2025) and OF/MIF Skyler Jean (2025). The Tigers certainly have the returning talent to once again be a competitive ball club in Class 5A this spring. They will look to make it back to the playoffs and advance further in what is expected to be a successful 2023 season.

 

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