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AL/MS Border Battle: Alabama Standouts

October 14, 2021
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

The second annual Alabama/Mississippi Border Battle was held at the beautiful complex at Northeast Mississippi Community Complex on October 9-10, 2021. The venue was perfect, the weather was ideal and the talent on the field was equally impressive as several of the top players in the 2022 through 2025 classes from each state battled for state bragging rights.

Before the games began all position players went through a pro-style workout consisting of running the 60 yard dash, on-field batting practice utilizing both Trackman and Blast data and a defensive workout. Pitchers also received data from Trackman during their outing on the mound during gameplay. Team Alabama was filled with plenty of talent throughout all age groups, and today, we're going back to highlight some of those prospects who enjoyed standout performances at the Border Battle this past weekend.

 

Class of 2022

+ RHP Dylan Campbell (Buckhorn, 2022) led the way on the mound for the Alabama 2022's squad, tossing three quality frames in the final game on Sunday. An athletic 5-10, 155-pounder, Campbell has continued to improve from look to look over the past year, and this weekend's performance was the best we've seen him up to this point. Coming out of an easy & effortless high 3/4 slot, he worked at 85-88 mph throughout his outing with good riding life through the zone. His ability to spin a tight, firmer slider in the upper-70's separated himself with multiple strikeouts using it in late counts. Shouldn't be uncommitted for too much longer as he heads into his final year of his high school career.

+ C/OF Thomas Watson (Vestavia Hills, 2022) was one of the talented backstops on Alabama 2022's that enjoyed a solid weekend in multiple facets. Listed at 6-0, 200-pounds, Watson has some unassuming athleticism packed into his strong & durable frame, and it showed up during the workout running a 7.03 60 YD. He was consistently on the barrel throughout the weekend, showing off at quick bat that resulting in a couple of extra base hits during gameplay. Handled all arms well behind the plate and posted a 1.97 pop time during the workout.

+ C/3B Drew McBurnett (Southside, 2022), like Watson, was another catcher on the 2022's squad who impressed in front of our staff this past weekend. A solid, well-built prospect with strength throughout a 5-11, 180-pound frame, McBurnett displayed some gap-to-gap pop during BP using a simple setup from the right side of the box. The uncommitted senior was equally, if not more, impressive defensively, showing off strong wrists & hands allowing him to get the pitch at the bottom part of the zone for strikes. Consistent 2.05-2.07 pop times during the workout with accuracy to the bag.

+ 3B Nick Wilson (Pell City, 2022) is a recent Lawson State CC recruit who logged multiple hits hitting in the middle of the Alabama 2022's lineup. An offensive-minded infielder, Wilson swings a heavy barrel the zone that resulted in multiple low-90 mph EV's during BP with a best at 95 mph. That swing easily translated the gameplay, where he used an accurate barrel through the zone that resulted in multiple hard-hit liners to the power alleys.

 

 

Class of 2023

+ OF Ryan Cole (Spain Park, 2023) continues to show the significant strides that he's made over the course of the past couple of months with the showing playing up with the 2022's this past weekend. Listed at 6-1, 190-pounds, it's easy to see the strength that Cole has added to his frame, and the overall offensive profile has benefitted from it. He showed some intriguing power during his round of BP and could continue to grow into more as he grows and matures. The right-handed hitting outfielder gets good extension out front and uses a strong lower-half to impact the baseball. Should be a follow moving forward in the junior class.

+ OF Tait Nunnally (Pell City, 2023) didn't show up much in the box score during gameplay, but the recent Eastern Kentucky recruit and former Future Gamer got off some quality swings throughout the weekend. He continued to show off the same smooth and repeatable swing from the left side to go along with impressive bat-to-ball skills during his round of BP. Posted a 7.25 60 YD, 85 mph OF velo and a 92 mph EV during the pro-style workout.

+ RHP Garrison Kahn (Oak Mountain, 2023) was one of the more intriguing arms on the Alabama 2023's pitching staff, and showed some signs of being a high level arm in the future. A lean and projectable 6-3, 165-pounds, the right-hander probably didn't have his best stuff on Saturday during his outing, but showcased the type of arsenal that could fit a starter profile. He struggled with the zone some early on, but later found his fastball that worked anywhere from 85-88 mph. The breaking ball showed some sweeping action in the low-70's that got some swing-and-misses when buried down in the zone. It's a quick arm action coming out of a 3/4 slot, and should be a follow for the junior class.

+ OF CJ Bush (Bob Jones, 2023) established himself as a well-rounded prospect with his performance this past weekend for the Alabama 2023's. A well-built, athletic 6-1, 180-pounds showed up near the top of almost all statistical categories in his class, as he posted a 6.84 60 YD, 84 mph OF velo and reached 92 mph during his round of BP. It's a short & simple stroke from the right side with some twitch. Uses all parts of the field with present juice to the pull side in his approach.

+ INF Brady Waugh (Briarwood Christian, 2023) continued to make solid strides to his game and showed well this past weekend for the Alabama 2023's. Uses a wide and balanced setup from the left side with a short path to contact, allowing him to spray hard-hit line drives to all fields. Should continue to get stronger which will result in more power, but is a line drive-type hitter right now that hits for average. Sure-handed infielder defensively that put together a solid weekend.

+ 1B/RHP Brant Stringer (Hartselle, 2023) put on an impressive display of power at the event for the Alabama 2023's, both during BP and in gameplay. A physically imposing 6-4, 205-pounder with raw strength throughout, Stringer blasted a no-doubt home run in his final at-bat of the event and posted a 90 mph EV during BP. He then hopped on the mound on the final day and ran his fastball up to 85 mph, and showed some feel for a sharp breaking ball.

 

Class of 2024

+ RHP/SS Luke Davenport (James Clemens, 2024) has been on our radar for quite some time after seeing him at a scout day earlier this summer, and the current sophomore showed he's well on his way to become one of the more polished arms in the class. Using a long & lean 6-3, 165-pound body, Davenport established a quality three-pitch arsenal from the get-go in his outing. His fastball got up to 84 mph early on before settling into more 81-83 mph for the majority of his outing. His willingness to spin a sharp breaking ball with 2500 rpm's & turn over a fading changeup for strikes made him a tough matchup against any hitter he faced. With more strength & development as he continues move throughout high school, Davenport has a high ceiling and plenty of upside moving forward.

+ MIF Josey Williamson (Hartselle, 2024) showed a lot to like in terms of offensive ability for the Alabama 2024's this past weekend as he continues to solidify himself as one of the top pure hitters in the sophomore class. Using a compact frame at 5-8, 165-pounds, Williamson possesses plenty of quick twitch in his left-handed swing and carries a professional approach to the plate. Direct path to contact with ability to spray to all fields as he showed during BP and in gameplay.

+ SS Cade Miles (Hartselle, 2024) has a chance to grow into one of the more talented middle infielders in his class, and is well on his way to becoming the next high level shortstop coming out of Hartselle, AL. Lean 6-0, 165-pounds with projectable athleticism. Took quality swings from the left side all weekend, showing looseness to the stroke and the ability to create leverage consistently. Drove a triple into the pull side gap during gameplay, and posted a 7.11 60 YD, 80 mph INF velo and an 89 mph EV during BP.

+ C Cameron Palahach (Hartselle, 2024) made it easy to see the progress that he's made over the last year, both physically and in terms of offensive ability. Medium 5-9, 170-pounder with durability, Palahach was an extra base hit machine for the Alabama 2024's this past weekend. He's got strong hands that explode through the zone, which resulted in multiple extra base hits, including a no-doubter that cleared the LF wall by 15 feet. Equally adept behind the plate with quick hips & flexibility to block with 2.02-2.19 pops.

+ OF Riley Miller (Athens, 2024) enjoyed another strong showing this past weekend after jumping on our radar at the beginning of the summer at the FG Trials event. 6-0, 170-pound frame that's added some strength since the last look. Elite whip to his barrel and hand speed from the right side which translated into consistent loud contact to the pull side. Posted the second-best 60 YD of the event at 6.93, second-best arm strength from the OF at 88 mph and an 89 mph EV during BP. High upside with a unique combination of strength and athleticism for his age.

 

 

Class of 2025/2026

+ RHP Bryant Sparkman (Decatur Heritage, 2025) stood out as one of the better underclass arms from the event with plenty of more projection to come. 6-2, 165-pound frame with a long and loose arm action that produced a fastball that reached 84.46 mph with decent command in his lone inning on the mound. Featured a sharp, 12-6 breaking ball (2300 rpm's) with quality depth to it and got numerous swings-and-misses in his outing. His athleticism (7.18 60 YD) & projectable frame should suggest for more velocity down the road as he continues to improve his frame. He's got a chance to be one of the more high profile arms in the class.

+ SS/3B Garrett Blacklock (Grissom, 2025) looks to be well on his way to becoming a good prospect to follow in the unestablished freshman class. Using an advanced frame for his age at 6-2, 165-pound frame, Blacklock continued to show impressive signs this weekend in terms of offensive ability. It's a smooth, balanced setup from the right side with some repeatability, working towards the gaps during his round of BP with multiple upper-80 EV's. There's a lot to like and dream on as he continues to progress as a prospect over the next four years.

+ 3B Cole Miles (Hartselle, 2026) was one of two 2026 players playing up on the Alabama 2025 squad, but Miles easily showed that he belonged with that type of competition. Being one of the more consistent hitters on that team, Miles showed some impressive strength and power potential both during BP and in gameplay. Taking aggressive swings throughout the weekend, the 5-11, 150-pounder was consistently on the barrel with a couple of hits recorded during gameplay.

 

 

Don't miss your chance to get signed up for our final event of the fall, the Alabama Fall Prospect Games at the University of Montevallo on Sunday, October 24 (link below). 

We are also finalizing our Preseason All State events to be held before the high school season begins in January. This event has grown into a heavily attended event so this year we will have two different events with one being in the northern half of the state and the other to be held in the southern part of the state. Keep checking back for details on those events. 

Also, over the next two months we will be sending out team questionnaires to coaches to fill out about their 2022 teams. High school team previews will begin soon after the calendar flips to 2022. 

 

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Upcoming Events

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Alabama Fall Prospect Games (Invite-Only) AL 10/24 University of Montevallo

 

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