AL HS Team Preview: Bibb County Choctaws

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: Bibb County Choctaws

Coach’s Name: Kevin May 

Classification: AHSAA 4A 

2022 Record: 21-10

Area Number: Class 4A, Area 5 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 5 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 5 

Team Strengths: Pitching Staff

Top Returning Players:

• SS/RHP Matthew Cash (Jacksonville State, 2024)
• RHP/OF Chris Billingsley (East Central CC, 2023)

Top 2023 Prospects:

• C John Downs (2023) 

Top 2024 Prospects:

• OF Ty Burkes (2024)

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

• 3B Bodie Giddiens (2025) 
• 1B Xavier Rhine (2025)
• UTL Antonious Steele (2025)
• UTL Courtney Morrow (2025)
• RHP/OF Daniel Stringfellow (2025)
• UTL Macain McMillan (2025)

Team Outlook

The Bibb County Choctaws return to Class 4A this spring looking to be one of the top contenders to take this year's state title with a strong group of returners coming back for 2023. After reaching the Elite 8 for the fourth-consecutive year, excluding the 2020 season due to COVID, the Choctaws will finally look to breakthrough and be on the hunt to make it Jacksonville/Oxford for the final week of the season competing for a state championship.

The Choctaws once again won 20+ games last spring, posting a 21-10 record and sweeping through the area en route to another area title. After accumulating some big wins during the regular season, including Dothan, Chilton County, Pelham and others, Bibb County swept through the 1st and 2nd round of the Class 4A playoffs over Jackson and Geneva with relative ease before facing off against No. 1 Mobile Christian in the Elite 8. They were, however, defeated in two games to close their season at 21-10. Expectations are high once again this spring, as the Choctaws look like the have the roster to make another deep run throughout Class 4A. Arguably the two biggest returners to this year's team will both play integral roles both at the plate and on the mound. One of those will be SS/RHP Matthew Cash (Jacksonville State recruit, 2024), who was a member of last summer's PBR Future Games. Cash has been an everyday starter for the Choctaws over the past few years, and had one of his best years yet as a junior last spring, hitting .400 with two HR's, 25 RBI's and 35 R's at the plate. On the mound, Cash will also be one of their top pitchers in the rotation after tossing 28 IP, 4 W, SV and 25 K's with a 1.97 ERA.

‘24 INF Matthew Cash (@MCash_2; @Bibb_Co) with a sharply-hit single back up the middle for #TeamAlabama.

Short & direct path to the ball, stays short throughout the swing w/ quick barrel. Strong frame @ 6-0, 195.#PBRFG22 pic.twitter.com/K69MHvTdO7

— PBR Alabama (@PBR_Alabama) July 29, 2022

SS Matthew Cash (7/29/22)

The next big piece coming back for the Choctaws this spring will be RHP/OF Chris Billingsley (East Central CC signee, 2023). Billingsley is an athletic, high upside prospect with a 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame that will also continue to play a two-way role for Bibb County this spring. The senior is expected to be one of their top pitchers in the rotation using an upper-80's fastball on the mound with swing-and-miss secondary offerings. He accumulated seven W's last spring while tossing 49 IP, 90 K's and a 1.42 ERA on the mound while also hitting .414 with two HR's and 23 RBI's for the Choctaws. He's coming off a standout performance at last weekend's North AL Preseason All-State.

.@ECCCBaseball recruit & ‘23 RHP Chris Billingsley (@JrBillingsley_8; @Bibb_Co) has tons of upside & potential on the mound.

FB: 88-89 w/ late life
BB: 74-76 (2700)
CH: 78-79, kills spin

Athletic 6-4, 185 frame w/ length. Really quick arm w/ likely m2c.#NALPAS23 pic.twitter.com/JDzR9vZN5v

— PBR Alabama (@PBR_Alabama) January 8, 2023

RHP Chris Billingsley (1/8/23)

Another returning senior who was also one of the team leader's last spring will be C John Downs (2023), who will be asked to continue to handle the pitching staff after posted a .996 fielding percentage with 12 CS behind the plate in 2022. Downs also provided some offensive production from the left side of the plate last spring, hitting .290 in batting average and will be asked to do the same in his senior season. OF Ty Burkes (2024) will also help carry the load offensively this spring after hitting .365 as a sophomore last year while driving in 19 runners with two 2B's, 21 R's and five SB's. He's looking for an even bigger junior season hitting in the middle of the order from the left side. 3B Bodie Giddiens (2025) also returns to the fold after starting at the hot corner in his freshman season. The Choctaws will also need some younger players to step into bigger roles this spring in their first year at the varsity level. Some of these young players to watch for this spring will be 1B Xavier Rhine (2025), UTL Antonious Steele (2025), UTL Courtney Morrow (2025), RHP/OF Daniel Stringfellow (2025) and UTL Macain McMillian (2025). Will all of this returning talent, the Choctaws once again look to be major threat to make another deep throughout the Class 4A playoffs. They've reached the Elite 8 in four-consecutive years, and will look to make it five straight years in 2023 with hopes of advancing further.