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: Cottonwood Bears
Head Coach: Danny Coachman
Classification: AHSAA Class 2A
Area Number: Class 2A, Area 3
2023 Record (Finish): 15-11 (Eliminated in 1st Round)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 5
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2
Team Strengths: Defense, Pitching

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• RHP/3B Braylon Morris (2025; uncommitted)
• RHP/1B Austyn Miller (2025; uncommitted)
• OF Klete Meadows (2025; uncommitted)

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TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

• SS Ethan Simmons (2026)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Cottonwood Bears enter the 2024 season with high hopes of continuing the success they've created over the past decade, which more often than not features an appearance in the Class 2A playoffs. The Bears, coming off another winning season last spring, will look to have another strong spring and be competitive once again in 2024.

The Bears lost a good bit from last year's team with five positional starters and two pitchers returning, but expectations are high once again inside this program and they'll look to advance even further throughout the playoffs if they play good enough baseball to get there. Finishing as the runner-up in their area, the Bears traveled on the road to a talented Pike Liberal Arts squad in the 1st round and were unfortunately eliminated in a three-game series. Shifting the focus to this spring, the Bears have some notable returners who provided a large chunk of production both at the plate and on the mound. Some of those returners who are expected to have big seasons are RHP/3B Braylon Morris (2025), RHP/1B Austyn Miller (2025), and OF Klete Meadows (2025). SS Ethan Simmons (2026) is also an underclassmen who is expected to his role increase this spring and be an important part of their success.

The Bears are no stranger to making the playoffs in Class 2A, and they'll rely on some others played in addition to the returners mentioned above to help lead the way this spring. They'll compete in Area 3 against Wicksburg, Geneva County, and Samson for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Expect Cottonwood to once again be a formidable opponent in Class 2A in 2024.

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Find more information on the 2024 Cottonwood program below:

+ Follow them on X: @CHSBears_BSBL
+ 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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