MS HS Team Preview: Oak Grove Warriors

February 5, 2024
Matt Miller
State 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 Mississippi.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Pearl, MS at Trustmark Park as they compete for a state championship, 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 Mississippi. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing other pieces of content covering the Magnolia State.

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 in each MHSAA classification as well as a Power 25.

*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 Grove High School
Head Coach: Chris McCardle
Classification: MHSAA 7A
District Number: 7A, Region 3
2023 Record (Finish): 15-12
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 6
Team Strengths: Starting Rotation, and strong defensively up the middle.

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

OF EJ Booth (2026)
C Coy Clements (2024, Southern Miss)
P/INF Jackson Haden (2024)
INF/C Kaleb Lewis (2024)
RHP Reese Littlejohn (2024, East Mississippi CC)
LHP/1B Maddox Miller (2025, Mississippi State)
OF DJ Temple (2024)
P/INF Gage Thompson (2025)
INF/P Eli Wheat (2025, Jones College)

Eric "EJ Booth (2026, Uncommitted)

Coy Clements (2024, Southern Miss)

Reese Littlejohn (2024, EMCC)

Maddox Miller (2025, Mississippi State)

Gage Thompson (2025, Uncommitted)

Eli Wheat (2025, Jones College)

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

OF JT Easterling (2024)
OF Dillon Friend (2024)
OF Bentley Galloway (2024)
OF Jordan Milsap (2024)

Class of 2025

P/INF Christian Cannon (2025)
INF/OF Bryson Chapman (2025)
LHP Stratton Farmer (2025)
OF Keller Kay (2025)
INF/P Joe Polk (2025)
RHP Aidan Williams (2025)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

LHP Dawson Baum
LHP/OF Coby Caillet
UTL/RHP Alex Pickett
P/INF Ryne Stevens

TEAM OUTLOOK

Oak Grove returns 6 positional starters and 6 pitchers from a team that ended the season 15-12 after a first round loss to Northwest Rankin in the 6A state playoffs. Head Coach Chris McCardle believes strong starting pitching and solid defense up the middle could be the key components to his Warriors having a very successful 2024 season.

Top returners for Oak Grove include seniors Coy Clements (Catcher - former Future Gamer, Southern Miss recruit), Reese Littlejohn (RHP - East Ms CC recruit), Jackson Haden (LHP/1B), Kaleb Lewis (INF/C), DJ Temple (OF), juniors Gage Thompson (RHP/INF - former Future Gamer), Eli Wheat (INF/RHP - former Future Gamer, Jones College recruit), Maddox Miller (LHP/1B - former Future Gamer, Mississippi State recruit), and sophomore EJ Booth (OF - former Future Gamer).

Coy Clements will look to lead the Warrior offense after hitting .339 with 4 home runs and 17 runs batted in. He will receive help Eli Wheat (.327), EJ Booth (.340), Gage Thompson (.316), and Maddox Miller (.294). Miller (5-0, 0.42 ERA, 60 K’s), Thompson (3-1, 1.09 ERA, 43 K’s), and Reese Littlejohn (3-0, 2.62 ERA, 39 K’s) will look to lead the charge on the mound, with Jackson Haden (2-0, 1.58 ERA) providing quality innings as well.

Coach McCardle will also expects production out of seniors JT Easterling (OF), Dillon Friend (OF - hitting .304 before early season ending injury), Bentley Galloway (OF), and Jordan Milsap (OF), juniors Christian Cannon (RHP/INF), Bryson Chapman (INF/OF), Stratton Farmer (LHP), Keller Kay (OF), Aidan Williams (UT/RHP).

Sophomores Dawson Baum (LHP), Coby Caillet (LHP/OF), Alex Pickett (RHP/INF/OF), and Ryne Stevens (RHP/INF) will be looking to step up as well.

Oak Grove begins regular season play on February 13th versus Purvis.

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

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

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