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: Brookwood Panthers
Head Coach: Jarrod Hughes
Classification: AHSAA Class 6A
Area Number: Class 6A, Area 8
2023 Record (Finish): 13-18 (Eliminated in 1st Round)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Pitching Depth

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• RHP/INF Jacob Nations (2024; Arkansas State-Three Rivers CC)
• SS/RHP Chase Jones (2024; uncommitted)
• OF Matt Hughes (2024; uncommitted)
• 3B/RHP Ryken Wetzel (2024; uncommitted)
• 1B/RHP Ethan Boyd (2024; uncommitted)
• RHP Spencer Cooper (2024; uncommitted)

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TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

• C Brody Smithson (2026)
• RHP/INF Davis Torri (2026)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Brookwood Panthers will look to build off of last season, where they reached the Class 6A playoffs before falling to the hands of a talented Saraland club. With the Panthers bring back some familiar faces on both sides of the ball, they'll look to once again reach the playoffs and look to the possibility of advancing further in 2024.

The Panthers should boast some impressive depth on the mound this spring, as that appears to be one of their team strengths going into this seaosn. They return four positional starters and four pitchers who saw time on the mound last spring, but expectations are those players will continue to get better and lead this team to taking another step within their program. RHP/INF Jacob Nations (Arkansas State-Three Rivers CC, 2024) is a notable returner on both sides of the ball, and will look to lead this team in both facets after a strong junior campaign for the Panthers. SS/RHP Chase Jones (2024) is another quality senior returner who performed well during his junior season. OF Matt Hughes (2024) is also expected to provide valuable contributions on the offensive side of the Panthers this season, while 3B/RHP Ryken Wetzel (2024) and 1B/RHP Ethan Boyd (2024) are a pair of upperclassmen who are expected to help out on both sides of the ball once again this season. RHP Spencer Cooper (2024) should be one of their more quality arms in the rotation, and will look to throw some important innings on the mound. Looking at some underclassmen, C Brody Smithson (2026) and RHP/INF Davis Torri (2026) are two sophomores who could see their roles increase and expand this spring, and hope to break into the lineup and compete for playing time this season for the Panthers.

After playing well enough down the stretch to make the playoffs, the Panthers will look replicate that and have hopes of making a solid run in the playoffs this spring. They'll compete in Area 8 against Bessemer City, Hueytown, and Jackson-Olin for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Expect Brookwood to reach the playoffs once again in Class 6A this spring and be a competitive club in 2024.

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Find more information on the 2024 Brookwood High School program below:

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

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FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

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

 

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