Alabama HS Team Preview: North Sand Mountain Bison
January 24, 2024
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: North Sand Mountain Bison
Head Coach: Dylan Barbee
Classification: AHSAA Class 2A
Area Number: Class 2A, Area 15
2023 Record (Finish): 19-10 (Eliminated in Sweet Sixteen)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Team Strengths: Experience, Energy, Mental Fortitude
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS
- OF/RHP Kaden Moore (2024; uncommitted)
- UTL/RHP Kolten Cooper (2024; uncommitted)
- LHP/1B Mikey Poss (2025; uncommitted)
- LHP/OF Luke Reed (2026)
- C/OF Jackson Burgess (2026)
C/OF Jackson Burgess (1/6/24)
MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS
Class of 2024
- 1B/RHP Hayden Neill (2024; uncommitted)
Class of 2025
- SS/RHP Landon Keller (2025; uncommitted)
- UTL Jaxson Stiles (2025; uncommitted)
- INF/RHP Brayton Johnson (2025; uncommitted)
TOP UNDERCLASSMEN
Class of 2026
- INF/RHP Carson Harvey (2026)
TEAM OUTLOOK
The North Sand Mountain Bison are coming off one of the best seasons in school history in 2023, reaching the 2nd round of the playoffs for just the third time and recording their first playoff series win in the history of their program. Coach Barbee & co. certainly has this program headed in the right direction, but this spring, they set their sights even further with many returners back from last year's team.
The Bison were ranked inside the top-10 in Class 2A for a good bit of the spring last year, and reached the Sweet 16 with a two-game sweep over Cold Springs on the road in the 1st round. They did, however, fall to the hands of Lindsay Lane Christian in the next round, who went on to reach the Final Four. There's plenty of optimism inside this program in 2024, as the Bison return seven positional starters and five pitchers who saw time on the mound in 2023. OF/RHP Kaden Moore (2024) and UTL/RHP Kolten Cooper (2024) are a pair of senior returners who are expected to help lead the way both at the plate and on the mound, while LHP/1B Mikey Poss (2025) is another upperclassmen who should provide valuable contributions as a two-way, as well. LHP/OF Luke Reed (2026) and C/OF Jackson Burgess (2026) are two underclassmen who are coming off solid freshman campaigns, and are expected to see their roles increase this spring. Burgess, a top-80 prospect in 2026 class in AL, is coming off a strong showing at the North AL Preseason All-State. 1B/RHP Hayden Neill (2024), SS/RHP Landon Keller (2025), UTL Jaxson Stiles (2025), and INF/RHP Brayton Johnson (2025) are a few more upperclassmen to follow this spring, while INF/RHP Carson Harvey (2026) is a physical player who should compete for significant playing time this spring.
It was a very successful season for the Bison in 2023, but this spring, they'll not only want to replicate that success, but create even more history by advancing even further throughout the Class 2A playoffs. They'll compete in Area 15 against Ider, Pisgah, Section, and Fyffe at the end of the regular season for a berth in the playoffs. North Sand Mountain looks poised once again for a strong season in Class 2A in 2024.
Find more information on the 2024 North Sand Mountain Bison program below:
+ Follow them on X: @NSM_Baseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2024 HS Team Previews
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+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
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