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: Hackleburg Panthers
Head Coach: Jon McKinney
Classification: AHSAA Class 1A
Area Number: Class 1A, Area 14
2023 Record (Finish): 25-11 (Eliminated in Final Four)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3
Team Strengths: Pitching, Defense, and Experience

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• RHP/INF Aydan Beard (Snead State CC, 2024)
• RHP/INF Blaise Vickery (2025; uncommitted)
• RHP/OF JaQuan Reeder (2025; uncommitted)
• RHP/INF Ross Hudson (2026)
• C Edge Weeks (2025; uncommitted)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Hackleburg Panthers have always seemed to be one of the top programs in Class 1A year in, and year out and once again have high aspirations of making another run throughout the playoffs in 2024. Coming off one of the better seasons in school history last spring, the Panthers amassed 25 wins in 2023 and reached the Final Four before being defeated by the eventual state champions. Now that they have a taste of what it takes to make a run, they'll be eager to make it back this spring.

It seems like you can always count on the Panthers to be one of the most consistent teams coming out of Class 1A each year, as they've won 20+ games over the past three seasons and have reached the playoffs in four of the last five years. This spring, they return multiple players who collected post-season honors last year and should only continue to get better with that experience under their belt. Coming back for his senior season and looking poised for a strong spring, RHP/INF Aydan Beard (Snead State CC, 2024) will certainly anchor this pitching staff as their ace and should also add some vaulable offensive production, as well. Beard, who is signed up for the North AL Preseason All-State, possesses a low-80s fastball and should continue to add more velocity down the road. Two more key players returning to the fold in 2024 are RHP/INF Blaise Vickery (2025) and RHP/OF JaQuan Reeder (2025), both of which earned All-State honors in 2023. Vickery and Reeder will also be relied on to help lead the way both at the plate and on the mound for the Panthers. INF/RHP Ross Hudson (2026) should also help anchor the middle of the order, as he led the team in all hitting categories last spring as a freshman. C Edge Weeks (2025) is another upperclassmen that will also be a strong contributor at the plate and handling the pitching staff behind the plate.

After a Final Four appearance in 2023, the Panthers have their sights set on returning to the semifinals with hopes of breaking the door down and reaching the Class 1A State Championship. Returning to Class 1A, Area 14, the Panthers will compete against Belgreen, Phillips, and Vina for a playoff berth at the end of the season. There is still a lot of work to be done with plenty of baseball to be played, but Coach McKinney knows what it takes to build a successful team and all signs point toward another strong spring in 2024. 

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Find more information on the 2024 Hackleburg program below:

+ Follow them on X: @Hack_Baseball
+ 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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