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: McAdory Yellow Jackets
Head Coach: Derik Olvey
Classification: AHSAA Class 6A
Area Number: Class 6A, Area 7
2023 Record (Finish): 18-11 (Eliminated in 1st Round)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Speed, Baserunning, Defense

 

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TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• SS Cooper Walls (2024; Delta State)
• OF Sawyer Pearsall (2026)
• 3B/RHP Aaron Bailey (2026)

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MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

• 1B/C Caleb Johnson (2024; uncommitted)

Class of 2025

• C/RHP Carson Walker (2025; uncommitted)
• OF/LHP Brandon Heard (2025; uncommitted)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The McAdory Yellow Jackets enter the season of 2024 optimistic with a strong core of returning talent back from last year's team that reached the playoffs in Class 6A. While they will need to replace some senior starters that graduated last spring, first-year head coach Derik Olvey has a strong contingent of talent back and they hope they can once again reach the playoffs this spring.

The Yellow Jackets look to have a solid mixture of talent spread out throughout their upperclassmen and underclassmen, all of which bring back experience from last year's season. After finishing as the runner-up behind Briarwood Christian in their area, the Yellow Jackets hit the road for their 1st round matchup against Spanish Fort in the Class 6A playoffs. They ended up pushing the Toros, who ended up finishing as the runner-up in Class 6A, to three games after winning Game 1 by score of 3-2, but dropped Games 2 and 3 by score of 2-1 and 7-5. Looking at some of the notable returners from last season, SS Cooper Walls (Delta State, 2024) is a vaccuum at the shortstop position defensively, and swings it well near the top of their lineup. OF Sawyer Pearsall (2026) and 3B/RHP Aaron Bailey (2026) are a pair of exciting prospects in the 2026 class in AL, both of which are currently ranked inside the top-20 overall. Pearsall is an electric athlete that looks poised for a breakout campaign, while Bailey, who is coming off a standout showing at the South AL Preseason All-State, is a physical prospect who will be looked upon to drive in runs at the plate and serve as one of their top arms on the mound. 1B/C Caleb Johnson (2024) is another player to know for the Yellow Jackets this spring, while C/RHP Carson Walker (2025) and OF/LHP Brandon Heard (2025) should also both have chances to make sizable impacts at the varsity level.

The Yellow Jackets will look to continue their upward trend within the program and build off of last season's success with some key returners back. They'll compete in Area 7, a three-team area, against Briarwood Christian and Pelham for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Expect another strong season for McAdory in Class 6A in 2024.

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Find more information on the 2024 McAdory program below:

+ Follow them on X: @McAdoryBSBL
+ 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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