The 2024 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in the Jacksonville/Oxford/Montgomery area at the AISA or AHSAA state championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Alabama. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing our scheduled podcasts and releasing our preseason top-10 rankings in each AHSAA classification.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state.

Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week, updating the top-10 ranks in each AHSAA classification, as well updating our Power 25 overall rankings. One thing, especially, you don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state, as well as the recaps and previews of the big games we’re covering.

*Please note the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Ardmore Tigers
Head Coach: Andrew Smith
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A
Area Number: Class 5A, Area 16
2023 Record (Finish): 16-21 (Eliminated in Sweet Sixteen)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Experience, Good Leadership, Athletic, Defense

 

---

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• LHP Zach Hall (2024; uncommitted)
• OF/LHP Seth Frame (2024; uncommitted)
• OF Keaton Johns (2025; uncommitted)
• SS Noah Stafford (2026)
• C Carter Smith (2024; uncommitted)
• OF Skyler Jean (2025; uncommitted)
• INF Peyton Hargrove (2024; uncommitted)
• RHP/1B Caden Bailes (2024; uncommitted)
• LHP/OF Tavien Cannon (2025; uncommitted)

---

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2025

• RHP/INF Tre Rolin (2025; uncommitted)

---

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Ardmore Tigers reached the Sweet 16 in Class 5A in 2023, and bring back tons of production from that offensive lineup with seven positional starters returning. The Tigers hope that those players returning and some of the depth that comes back on the mound can build off of last season's success, where they finished as the runner-up in their area and won their 1st round playoff matchup. 

The Tigers should be a very experienced team in 2024 and the staff believes that could be one of their main team strengths this spring. They should also have some athleticism throughout their roster with different players being able to impact the game in a various ways with their skill set. With numerous upperclassmen returning with varsity experience, leadership should also play a big part in this team's potential success this season. LHP Zach Hall (2024) is one of the more notable returners this spring, as the southpaw should be on of their top arms in the rotation. The senior is a great competitor and knows how to get opposing hitters out. OF/LHP Seth Frame (2025) an OF Keaton Johns (2025) are two returning juniors who should have big roles in their offensive success. Frame returns to the outfield and the mound after hitting .336 at the top of the order all season long, while Johns also hit .336 and stole 29 bases in 31 attempts. SS Noah Stafford (2026) is one of the few notable returning underclassmen players, but even he brings back multiple years of expereince after serving as the starting shortstop since his eighth-grade year. The sophomore is another top-of-the-order bat who is a great competitor and extremely athletic. Speaking of multi-year starters, C Carter Smith (2024) is another senior who has started since his freshman season and does a great job of handling pitchers and controlling the opposing team's running game. OF Skyler Jean (2025) and INF Peyton Hargrove (2024) are two more upperclassmen returners who should see their roles increase this spring. Jean is extremely athletic with some pop, while Hargrove has great range on the infield defensively. Rounding out the notable returners, RHP/1B Caden Bailes (2024) and LHP/OF Tavien Cannon (2025) should both make a sizable impact at the plate and on the mound. Bailes should see his workload increase this spring, while Cannon is a long and athletic southpaw who continues to develop and became their Game 3 starter down the stretch last season as a sophomore. RHP/INF Tre Rolin (2025) should provide another boost to this team, as he returns this spring after missing most of season due to an injury.

After reaching the Class 5A playoffs in 2023, the Tigers have plenty to be excited about heading into the spring with many returners back on the roster. They'll once again compete in Area 16 against Madison Academy, East Limestone, and Brewer at the end of the regular season for a berth in the playoffs. Ardmore once again looks poised for a strong season in Class 5A and should be right back in the thick of it in their area at the end of the season.

---

Find more information on the 2024 [email protected] program below:

+ Follow them on X: @AHSBaseballAL
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2024 HS Team Previews

---

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Facebook

 

---

Related Content