With the high school season quickly approaching, it is time for our first edition of the North Alabama Preseason All-State event. We're doing the Preseason All-State a little different this year, as we've split the state in half and will now be having two of these events. The North Alabama Preseason All-State will be held this Sunday, January 16th at the Hartselle High School Indoor Facility, and the South Alabama Preseason All-State will take place next Sunday, January 23rd at The Performance Lab in Mobile, AL. There are some big names registered for the event and our staff is pumped to get to Hartselle and check out all these players.

This Sunday (January 16th), some of the state's top players from the Class of 2022-2025 graduation classes will roll into Hartselle for this huge event. The past three events of this kind have been nothing but spectacular, with 30 commitments coming from the event in 2019, 39 commitments coming from 2020, and already 43 commitments coming from last year's event. It's easy to see that this event has continued to get better over the course of three years, which is why we've decided to have two in 2022. This event provides the opportunity for players to show the PBR scouts the progress that they have made over the past months in a showcase setting. It is also the last event for players to attend before they begin their respective high school seasons.

Below, you will find important information pertaining to this event, including players in attendance, itinerary, history of the event, and much more.

Headline Names Coming to Hartselle

Taking a glance at this roster, it's not hard to see some of the big names signed up for this event. The Preseason All-State provides a chance for these players to come and show our staff some of the physical gains they've made during the offseason and update their profiles with hopefully improved metrics, statistics, etc. There's no better way to get the year of 2022 started with a tune-up for the high school season that is slated to start in just over a month. 

The Preseason All-State has always attracted some of the best talent this state has to offer in all classes, and 2022 looks to be no different, if not better. This year's roster for the North Alabama Preseason All-State already features 12 players who have already pledged their commitment to college programs. We've talked about how successful this event was in 2021, and there are some players who had big performances from that event who are signed up for this Sunday's event in Hartselle. OF Alex Wade (Auburn, 2022), RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn, 2024), RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn, 2023) & C/3B Cade Carr (Samford, 2023) are a few of those players who will be in attendance this Sunday. Chatterton was arguably the hottest name coming out of that event, where he reached 88 mph as a freshman and eventually committed to Auburn a couple weeks after. MIF RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt, 2023) & OF/3B Peyton Steele (Alabama, 2024) are also a pair of prospects who will be in attendance that are both ranked inside the Top-5 in their respective classes. Other big time names who have given their commitments to college programs include RHP Joseph Garrison (Troy, 2023), SS Mason Perrigo (Duke, 2024), SS Paul Andrzejeweski, Jr. (Army, 2023), SS Javen Hunter (Alabama A&M, 2022), C Lawson Neel (Shelton State CC, 2022) and SS Brexton Taft (Wallace-Dothan CC, 2022).

Uncommitted Juniors to watch

Outside of the names mentioned in the section above, the roster for this event also has some names who may not be committed yet, but are sure to be playing at the next level when it's all said and done. The Class of 2023 in Alabama is as deep of a class as we have seen in a long time, and we've got some talented uncommitted juniors who are still searching for a college program signed up for Sunday. Some of these juniors include OF Jack Buening (Sparkman, 2023), OF Ryan Cole (Spain Park, 2023), OF Max Hanson (Piedmont, 2023), LHP/1B Brayden Heaps (Russellville, 2023), OF Casen Heaps (Russellville, 2023), SS Andrew Lawrence (James Clemens, 2023), SS Evan Smallwood (Spain Park, 2023) and RHP/1B Carter Wells (Sparkman, 2023). 

Underclassmen Looking to Make an Impact

We've talked about how players can use this event to springboard into the spring season with their high school clubs, and this can be the case with the current sophomore class. These players have a chance to slide up into bigger roles as underclassmen this spring and become impact players. The Class of 2024 is well-represented at this event with many players ranked inside the Top-50 signed up. Some of these sophomores to keep an eye on this Sunday are SS Drew Britton (Pike Road, 2024), 1B Chase Cartron (Huntsville, 2024), SS Matthew Cash (Bibb County, 2024) RHP Luke Davenport (James Clemens, 2024), SS James Graphos (Mountain Brook, 2024), C Charles Harbin (New Hope, 2024), SS Cade Miles (Hartselle, 2024), MIF Jacob Pearl (Huntsville, 2024), OF Andrew Pitts (Hoover, 2024), OF John Robicheaux (Mountain Brook, 2024), C/RHP Carson Smith (North Jackson, 2024) and MIF Josey Williamson (Hartselle, 2024). 

There are also some prospects from the Class of 2025 who will look to have standout performances this weekend in Hartselle. 3B Garrett Blacklock (Grissom, 2025) & SS Charlie Cassingham (Grissom, 2025) are a pair of high school teammates who were also at the PBR Jr. Future Games this past summer. 1B Steven Cavaco will also be there this Sunday and will look to build off a strong performance at the Alabama Fall Prospect Games event last fall.

In addition to these players, there are going to be many more players that are sure to make their names known at the North Alabama Preseason All-State. If you want to see the full roster for this event, CLICK HERE.

The History of the Preseason All-State in Alabama

The Preseason All-State Showcase is an invitation-only event that features the top players across the state. Every year the Preseason All-State Showcase highlights the Who’s Who of the state. This event is limited and exclusive to the top prospects in Alabama and serves as a springboard as players enter the high school season. The first-ever Preseason All-State in Alabama was held in 2019 and the event has continued to gain popularity ever since. All events have been held indoors due to the uncertainty of weather this time of year.

This event has certainly been no stranger for college commitments, as the first three years have a combined 112 players committed to college programs. This year should be no different, as there are some extremely talented uncommitted players still on the board. Let's take a look back and check out some of notable committed players that have attended from this event from year to year.

2019 Preseason All-State

• RHP Grayson Bray (Montevallo)
• OF Trey Burrell (Grambling State)
• RHP Luke Davis (Samford)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Reese Morrison (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/OF Will Passeau (Pearl River CC)
• OF Zac Rice (Chipola CC)
• OF/RHP Avery Seaton (Alabama A&M)

2020 Preseason All-State

• INF William Burgreen (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama) 
• 3B Davis Gillespie (Southern Miss)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• OF Jackson Lindsey (Alabama-Huntsville)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Javi Marrero (Troy)
• RHP George Meyers (Auburn)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Thrasher Steed (Chipola CC)
• C Lawson Stricklin (Tennessee Tech)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• SS Peyton Watts (Troy)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

2021 Preseason All-State

• 3B Henry Allen (Mississippi State)
• SS Drey Barrett (Southern Miss)
• C/3B Cade Carr (Samford)
• RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn)
• RHP Jake DeValk (South Alabama)
• 3B Cole Edwards (Auburn)
• SS Cason Eubanks (Georgia Southern)
• OF Seth Farni (Mississippi)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama)
• OF Christopher Johnston (Auburn)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Austin Morris (Alabama)
• SS Jace Norton (Mississippi State)
• SS Sam Robertson (Auburn)
• OF Jake Smith (Troy)
• RHP Zach Stevens (South Alabama)
• RHP Matthew Thompson (Troy)
• 3B Mac Turner (Southeastern Louisiana)
• OF Alex Wade (Auburn)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• OF JD Wilkins (Jacksonville State)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

Event Schedule & Itinerary

+ Check-in Times:

• All Position Players: 9:15 AM

• All Pitchers-only: 1:30 PM

• Catchers will stay for both sessions.

*Times subject to change

+ Registered Infielders, Outfielders, and/or Catchers

• Pre-Event Meeting will begin at 9:40 AM

• Stretch

• Running Times (laser-timed 60-yard dash)

• Offensive Evaluations

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • Live batting practice

  • TrackMan ball flight analysis

  • Blast Motion swing analysis

• Defensive Evaluations

  • Arm strength

  • Agility/range

  • Positional analysis/profile

+ Registered Pitchers & Catchers

• Pitching Evaluations

  • 15-20 pitch bullpen (fastball and secondary pitches from both windup and stretch)

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • ProPlayAI’s ‘PitchAI’ biomechanical analysis

  • TrackMan pitch velocity, movement, spin analysis

• Catcher Evaluations (while receiving bullpen)

  • Receiving/pitch presentation

  • Blocking/mobility

 

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