AL HS Team Preview: Huntsville Panthers
February 12, 2020
High School: Huntsville Panthers
2019 Record: 22-12
Head Coach: Luke Lamm
AHSAA Classification: 7A
AHSAA Area: Area 7
2019 Area Finish: 1st
2019 Playoff Run: Lost in 1st round
RETURNING STARTERS:
’20 MIF Xavier Vaz
OTHERS TO WATCH:
TEAM STRENGTHS:
Senior Leadership
Team speed
Experienced varsity level players return
OUTLOOK:
The Huntsville Panthers won 7A Area 7 in 2019 and advanced to the AHSAA playoffs, losing to Florence in the 1st round. The Panthers will lean on their team speed and experience in hopes of another area title in 2020. The leadership of the seniors has been a positive, but the team will be looking to some pitchers to provide depth on the mound. Coach Luke Lamm welcomes back six positional starters and three pitchers that saw significant time on the mound a year ago. One player that will be counted on in a two-way role is senior SS/RHP Nick Constantine. The Western Kentucky University signee will be a middle of the order hitter for the Panthers and will also be at the top of the pitching rotation this year. Last year Constantine hit .379 with 4 HR’s and the Panthers look for him to replicate that success this year. Senior C Jayce Guyette enters his fourth year as the starter behind the plate and will also see time on the infield and on the mound in 2020. Guyette is a student of the game and shows solid defensive skills behind the plate. A year ago, Guyette hit .319 with 2 HR’s and 27 RBI’s. ’20 SS/2B Xavier Vaz is a speedy infielder that may see time at both MIF spots this year. He hit .311 a year ago with a .462 OBP. Vaz, an LSU Eunice commit, is a terror on the base paths when he gets on. Senior OF Parker Williamson will be counted on to hold down one of the outfield spots as he did in 2019. The speedy senior hit .311 for the Panthers a year ago. The Panthers welcome back ’20 OF Wade Passler after he missed all of the 2019 season due to injury. Passler started a lot the second half of his sophomore season. Another senior, ’20 RHP Nick Sottolano, got off to a good start on the mound last year before he was sidelined with an injury for the remainder of the year. At the time of the injury, Sottolano was 2-1 with 48 K’s in 34 IP and a 2.0 ERA. Junior 1B Jackson West is in his first year in the program and brings a physical bat to the lineup. He could be a big addition to the Panther lineup. ’22 C Michael Pfeiffer is a youngster to keep an eye on. He has progressed physically and shows some pop off the bat while also showing solid skills behind the dish as a catcher. Another sophomore, INF Cade Prestegard is another young player that shows solid skills on the diamond. Prestegard has a solid offensive set up from the left side and shows a nice middle of the field approach. ’23 C/3B Stone Lawless is a very talented player that shows solid receiving skills behind the plate and plenty of arm strength to the bag. The offensive approach is easy and there is big time power in the bat to all fields. Lawless is a University of Tennessee commit.
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