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Alabama HS Team Preview: Spain Park Jaguars

February 12, 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: Spain Park Jaguars
Head Coach: Will Smith
Classification: AHSAA Class 7A
Area Number: Class 7A, Area 5
2023 Record (Finish): 28-9 (Eliminated in Elite Eight)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 2
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

OF Matthew Widra (5/31/23)

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

RHP Blake Patrick (5/31/23)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

INF Rhys Jones (1/6/24)

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Spain Park Jaguars have notoriously been known for being one of the top programs throughout the state of Alabama and have consistently churned out Division 1 prospects year-after-year. They did lose a good bit of production from last year's senior class, but with some notable returners and an impressive group of underclassmen, the Jaguars are shaping up to have another strong season in 2024.

Being ranked inside the top-5 for the majority of the season in Class 7A in 2023, the Jaguars were considered one of the teams to beat heading into the playoffs. After winning one of the more difficult areas in the state with Hewitt-Trussville, Chelsea, and Oak Mountain, they were able to host the 1st round of the playoffs, and swept James Clemens to advance to the Elite 8. They matched up with Vestavia Hills, who went on to win the Class 7A State Championship, and were eliminated in two games to close their season with a 28-9 record. Looking at this spring, the Jaguars will need some younger players to step in and compete in larger roles, but they certainly have tons of talent scattered throughout their roster. OF Matthew Widra (South Alabama, 2024) is their top returning bat after bursting onto the scene last spring, while RHP CJ Gross (Wallace-Hanceville CC, 2024) will anchor the pitching rotation as the ace after a breakout junior campaign that saw him throw tons of important innings. RHP Blake Patrick (2024) is another fordmidable option returning to the staff, while INF Aiden Berke (2024), and INF James Battersby (2024) are both solid contributors from last year's team as juniors. Looking at some talented underclassmen, INF Rhys Jones (2026) and INF Brock Bradley (2026) are both ranked inside the top-65 in the sophomore class in AL. Jones is an absolute gamer, while Bradley is a talented athlete and a highly sought-after prospect on the gridirion as a quarterback. In the freshman class, the Jaguars are well-represented with INF Connor Greb (2027), C Evan Taylor (2027), and LHP/OF Brodie Bragg (2027) all being ranked inside the top-35. They'll look to some of these younger players to make an impact at the varsity level this spring.

The Jaguars will look to start out on the right foot playing in the Prep Baseball Alabama Kickoff Classic against some of the top programs in AL in just a few short days. They'll compete in Area 6 against Chelsea, Hewitt-Trussville, and Oak Mountain for a berth in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Spain Park will look to continue their trend of recent success in Class 7A in 2024.

Find more information on the 2024 Spain Park program below:

+ Follow them on X: @SPJagBaseball
+ 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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