AL HS Team Preview: Gadsden City Titans
February 11, 2020
High School: Gadsden City Titans
2019 Record: 14-20
Head Coach: Blake Bone
AHSAA Classification: 7A
AHSAA Area: Area 7
2019 Area Finish: 2nd
2019 Playoff Run: Lost in 1st round
RETURNING STARTERS:
’20 MIF Sam Day
OTHERS TO WATCH:
’21 RHP Eoin Hammonds
’22 MIF/RHP Kyle Cline
’22 MIF/RHP Cory Cline
’23 INF/RHP Jordan Nowell
’24 1B/LHP Gabriel Brito
TEAM STRENGTHS:
Solid offense
Strong through the middle
OUTLOOK:
The Gadsden City Titans returned to the state playoffs in 2019 and have their sights set on a return trip in 2020. The Titans will compete with Grissom, Huntsville and Sparkman in 7A Area 7 again this year. Coach Blake Bone feels like his team will score some runs this season and likes how the defense sets up in the middle of the field. The Titans welcome back six positional starters as well as six pitchers from the 2019 season. Senior C Austin Brewer is the backbone of the team. Described as a “grinder” by his coach, Brewer shows nice defensive actions behind the plate and has plenty of power to all fields. The Southern Union signee hit over .350 and led the team in RBI’s last year. ’20 LHP/1B Paden New is another returner that will be counted on even more in 2020. The senior has worked hard to improve his athleticism. He will log a ton of innings on the mound and will provide a big bat in the middle of the lineup for the Titans. The Bethel University signee hit over .320 a year ago. The Titans welcome back senior RHP JJ Gray after he missed last season due to injury. He will be counted on heavily on the mound as he commands four pitches, including a fastball that shows a ton of arm side action. He will join Brewer at Southern Union after this season. Another senior that will be counted on heavily in 2020 is MIF Sam Day. He shows plus defensive actions in the field and is a plus runner, leading the team with 27 stolen bases in 2019. ’22 RHP/INF Jase Gray is also back for his sophomore season after showing nice productivity on the mound and at the plate as a freshman in 2019. He had a phenomenal circuit and has continued to progress as a two-way player. Junior SS Eli Barber is in his first year in the program and shows a high baseball IQ with plenty of skills with the glove at shortstop. Junior RHP Eoin Hammonds will be counted on to get some big outs this year. He shows a mid 80’s fastball and has plus command of all three pitches he throws. A set of sophomore twin brothers (’22 MIF/RHP Kyle and ’22 MIF/RHP Cory) are tremendous infielders that are fun to watch. Both will make an impact this year on the mound and in the field. Another sophomore to keep an eye on is 3B Kyle Haney. He shows solid glove work at the hot corner and handles the bat well on offense. Freshman INF/RHP Jordan Nowell is a very advanced ’23 grad with phenomenal hands and a ton of upside. On the mound he shows a ¾ arm slot with a ton of sink. Eighth grader Gabriel Brito is a high ceiling 1B/LHP that hits for a lot of power from the left side and shows a fastball with plenty of arm side action and command of three pitches, including a well shaped breaking ball. There is a lot of enthusiasm around the Titan program as the 2020 season gets closer.
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