The Oklahoma high school baseball season kicks off on March 2nd, opening day for regular season action under Ossaa regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2021 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Oklahoma Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

If you would like your team covered, please have your head coach email us at [email protected]

Our 2021 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Elgin High School
OSSAA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Levi Garrett
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 4

TOP PLAYERS

Braeden Moreland, RHP, 2021

Headlining this pitching staff, Moreland is a 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander that is the presumed ace for this squad. He’s an impact senior arm with experience under his belt that head coach Levi Garrett feels comfortable handing the ball to in order to secure a victory.

Gage McElhaney, RHP, 2021 

Forming the second part of Elgin’s one-two punch on the bump is McElhaney, a 5-foot-10 right-hander who’s known for his athleticism off the diamond, as he’s a 5A cross country state champion. When he toes the rubber, McElhaney is reportedly bumping his fastball in the mid-to-upper-80s mph range and we’re excited to see him throw this spring. 

Jake Thomas, C/SS/RHP, 2023

Thomas is someone that the Owls feel strongly about internally as a talented young prospect that will be a huge impact factor for their program over the next three seasons. He’s a 6-foot-1, 165-pound right-handed hitting athlete that provides key versatility for this lineup, slotting adequately into multiple spots, especially shortstop and catcher - arguably the two most important positions on the diamond. 

OUTLOOK

STRENGTHS: “Pitching will be our strength this season. We expect to have four solid arms that should keep us in ball games.”  

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: “The biggest weakness will be offensive production and experience. Due to the pandemic and losing 2020 spring, several of these guys lost meaningful playing time and we will have to adjust on the fly. If we can find a way to generate runs without having a true impact hitter in the lineup we will be a threat.”  

Make sure to follow @PBR_Oklahoma on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2021 season.

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