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Alabama HS Team Preview: Oak Mountain Eagles

February 7, 2024
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

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: Oak Mountain Eagles
Head Coach: Derek Irons
Classification: AHSAA Class 7A
Area Number: Class 7A, Area 6
2023 Record (Finish): 13-17 (No Postseason)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 9
Team Strengths: Pitching, Athleticism, Experience

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

SS/RHP Nick McCord (3/7/23)

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2025

LHP/OF Owen Edwards (1/6/24)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

SS/RHP Xander Hughes (1/6/24)

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Oak Mountain Eagles may not have reached the playoffs in the last couple of seasons competing in one of the toughest areas of the state, but it looks like this year could be the season where it all comes together with tons of returning talent and a few key additions. The Eagles may be a team in Class 7A not many people are talking about, but have a chance to make some noise in 2024.

The Eagles have consistently churned out next-level prospects over the past few seasons, going back to 3B Davis Gillespie (Southern Miss) and LHP Matthew Heiberger (Alabama) just to name a few. Although Heiberger graduated last season, the Eagles have to be excited with what they have coming back for the 2024 season. Competing in one of the toughest areas in the state against Hewitt-Trussville, Spain Park, and Chelsea, they'll need to be playing their best baseball once the end of the season comes around. SS/RHP Nick McCord (Yale, 2024) is a good place to start, as the senior returns after starting at the shortstop position since his sophomore season. He's expected to once again be their leadoff hitter playing with a high motor and good contact rate at the plate, and should throw significant innings on the mound with a fastball that sits in the upper-80's. 3B/RHP Kevin Jasinski (2024) is another senior returner who possesses the talent to play at the next level. The senior two-way has gap-to-gap pop from the right side of the plate, and should be one of the top-3 arms in the pitching rotation. RHP/SS Bryson Morman (Coastal Alabama-South CC, 2024) and OF Kaleb Hester (2024) are a pair of senior newcomers that have a chance to make a huge impact for the Eagles this spring. Morman is another upper-80's right-handed pitcher who should play one of the infield spots and is very athletic, while Hester has tons of power at the plate and should hit in the middle of their order. C Peyton Parkinson (Gadsden State CC, 2024) and OF Josh Hart (2024) are two more experienced returning seniors that play a vital role on last year's team, as Parkinson was the starting catcher and Hart played outfield and has the speed to impact the game in a variety of ways. 1B Brooks Braswell (2025) returns after logging some quality at-bats as a sophomore last season, and while LHP/OF Owen Edwards (2025) was one of the biggest winners from our preseason events. The two-way left-hander has pitch-ability on the mound with a mid-80's fastball and good speed from the left side of the plate. RHP/INF Gabe Jones (2025) is also coming off a noteworthy performance at one of our preseason events, and possesses electric stuff on the mound with a fastball that has touched 90 mph and a wipeout slider when they're both in the zone. Rounding it out, SS/RHP Xander Hughes (2026), another preseason standout for our staff, is an underclassmen who played a lot as a freshman last season, and has a chance to have a breakout campaign this spring. The right-hander is a top-20 prospect in the 2026 class in AL who should only continue to get better with a live arm on the mound. 

It's easy to see the Eagles have as much returning talent as anyone in the state, and this year is shaping up to be a big step forward for their program. They'll compete in Area 6 against Chelsea, Hewitt-Trussville, and Spain Park for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. While there are some talented teams in Class 7A this spring, especially in the Birmingham area, Oak Mountain should have as good of a shot as anyone to make a potential run in the largest classifications in Alabama in 2024.

Find more information on the 2024 Oak Mountain High School program below:

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

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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