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: Southside Panthers
Head Coach: Shane Chappell
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A
Area Number: Class 5A, Area 12
2023 Record (Finish): 19-19 (Eliminated in 1st Round)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 6
Team Strengths: Experience, Leadership, Athleticism, Team Speed, Depth

 

---

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• C/1B Corbin Driskell (2025; uncommitted)
• INF Angelo Alberghina (2025; uncommitted)
• OF/RHP Trey Frachsieur (2024; uncommitted)
• OF Tytan Rich (2024; uncommitted)
• INF/RHP Kutter Johnson (2024; uncommitted)
• INF/RHP Shelby Houston (2027)
• 1B/OF Cayden McMichael (2024; uncommitted)

---

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

• 1B Jordan Wood (2024; uncommitted)

Class of 2025

• 1B/OF Mason Stephens (2025; uncommitted)

---

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

• INF Carson McGraw (2026)
• RHP/C Eli Stewart (2026)
• UTL Will Runyan (2026)
• RHP/INF Ethan Sarratt (2027)

---

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Southside Panthers enter the 2024 season high expectations for this spring with numerous talented returners coming back up and down their roster and on both sides of the ball. They'll be looking to build off of last year's season where they reached the playoffs in Class 5A, but were eliminated in the 1st round.

The Panthers ended the regular season last at the runner-up in their area, meaning they would be traveling on the road in the 1st round. They drew a tough matchup out of the gate, having to go to Russellville, who is consistently one of the perrenial powerhouses in Class 5A in AL. They were, unfortunately defeated in two games and closed their 2023 campaign with a 19-19 record. The Panthers, however, bring in high optimism and excitement this spring, as they return a strong total of seven positional starters and six pitchers who saw time on the mound last spring. Leadership and experience should be two of their main strengths this season, which are both always important for a team's success. C/1B Corbin Driskell (2025) returns as the leader of the offensive after hitting .410 with 12 2B's, 3 3B's, 6 HR's, and 38 RBI's as a sophomore in 2023. Driskell, a standout at numerous events and one of the top uncommitted backstops in the 2025 class in AL, has big pop to all fields and should throw some important innings, as well. INF Angelo Alberghina (2025) is an athletic, versatile prospect who has put on some good weight in the off-season. As a sophomore, the infielder hit .385 with 7 2B's, 21 RBI's, with 26 SB's, and looks poised for another strong season. OF/RHP Trey Frachsieur (2024) is a hard worker and one of the leaders of the team as a senior. He'll once again be one of their top arms after going 4-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 2023, while OF Tytan Rich (2024), INF/RHP Kutter Johnson (2024), and 1B/OF Cayden McMichael (2024) are all three senior leaders who will be counted on contributions in a variety of ways this spring. INF/RHP Shelby Houston (2027), a top-30 prospect in 2027 class in AL, has big upside and got valuable experience under this belt as an eighth-grader last spring. He went 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA last season and should play a bigger role at the plate this spring. 1B Jordan Wood (2024) and 1B/OF Mason Stephens (2025) are a pair of upperclassmen who possess some big power at the plate, while INF Carson McGraw (2026), RHP/C Eli Stewart (2026), UTL Will Runyan (2026), and RHP/INF Ethan Sarratt (2027) are all underclassmen who have a chance to step in and compete for important roles this spring.

The Panthers certainly have a good chunk of last year's roster coming back for this season, and they'll look to lead the way and have this team playing their best baseball once the end of the season comes around. They'll compete in Area 12 against Alexandria and Lincoln for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Expect Southside to once again be in the playoffs with a chance of making a deep push in Class 5A in 2024.

---

Find more information on the 2024 Southside program below:

+ Follow them on X: @SouthsidePanth1
+ 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

 

---

Related Content