AL HS Team Preview: East Limestone Indians
February 12, 2020
High School: East Limestone Indians
2019 Record: 16-17
Head Coach: Bradley Craig
AHSAA Classification: 5A
AHSAA Area: Area 16
2019 Area Finish: 1st
2019 Playoff Run: Lost in Second Round
RETURNING STARTERS:
’20 1B Ben Petty
’20 RHP/OF Weston Phillips
’20 OF/INF/RHP Corey Crouch
’20 RHP/1B/3B Ian Massingill
OTHERS TO WATCH:
’22 RHP/INF Jacob Eslick
’22 C/RHP/3B Roger Tidwell
TEAM STRENGTHS:
Pitching - All area starters return to the mound with multiple relievers with varsity experience
OUTLOOK:
The East Limestone Indians won 5A Area 16 in 2019 and advanced to the second round of the AHSAA state playoffs before falling to eventual state champion Springville. The Indians enter the 2020 season with a great deal of enthusiasm as they welcome back five positional starters and eight pitchers that threw in 2019. Coach Bradley Craig will be looking for some players to make some noise with the bat as 60% of the 2019 run production graduated last year. ’20 RHP/INF Jacob Burgess was the Game 1 area starter a year ago throwing 47 innings and striking out 56 hitters. He is expected to be back in his same role on the mound and will also see time in centerfield and at DH. ’20 RHP/OF Reis Browning was the Game 2 starter in area play a year ago and threw 50 innings with 1 K’s. In addition to pitching, Browning will also see time in the outfield in 2020. Junior Randael Kelley returns as the starting catcher after hitting .261 with 1 HR and 6 RBI’s in 52 plate appearances a year ago. ’20 1B Ben Petty started at 3B last year but will be moving across the diamond to 1B this year. He will be looked on to be a run producer in 2020 after hitting one homerun last season. Senior RHP/OF Weston Phillips returns as the starting right fielder and 2-hole hitter in the lineup. He is a very nice runner and handles the bat very well. A year ago, he had 13 RBI’s and 11 runs scored. ’20 OF/INF/RHP Corey Crouch started 28 games in the outfield last season and will also see time on the infield this year. Crouch will toe the rubber as well, mainly in relief. Another senior is 6’4 RHP/1B/3B Ian Massingill who was used as a relief pitcher last year and worked 19 innings with 15 K’s. He will have a chance to earn playing time at both corner infield positions as well. Junior RHP/SS Ty Scott enters the season with a chance to earn playing time on the infield and has a change to be an area starter on the mound. Another junior is OF/RHP Connor Phillips. He has a chance to earn playing time as an outfielder and at DH. Phillips will also work as a pitcher as well. There are four sophomores to keep an eye on as well. Barrett Brown is a RHP/INF that saw 9 innings on the mound during the Indians playoff run. He has some pop in the bat and will work at the middle infield positions as well. RHP/INF Jacob Eslick saw most of his innings on the mound at the JV level last year but also got some varsity innings as well. His innings pitched should expand this year and he will also be looking for playing time on the infield. Joseph Thallas is an OF/RHP that handles the bat very well and is a very good runner. He shows plus defensive skills in centerfield. Roger Tidwell is a C/RHP/3B that also moves up from the JV team. He is a very versatile player and will be in the mix behind the plate as well as seeing time on the mound at 3B.
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