2015 Team Preview: Ooltewah HS
March 4, 2015
By Matt Byrd
TN Director of Scouting
As we prepare for the upcoming 2015 high school season, we will be taking a preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.
Team: Ooltewah High School
Nickname: Owls
Class: AAA
District: 5
Region: 3
Head Coach: Brian Hitchcox
2014 Overall Record: 17-14
2014 District Record: 7-5
2014 Post-Season Finish: Lost in District Semis
TOP PLAYERS (Coach’s Comments)
Hayden Bradley, 2015, 2B, R/R, 5'10" 175, Uncommitted, .398 BA, 20 R, 26 RBI, 16-17 SB; 2014 All-District Team, Legit 6.7 runner with a lot of bat speed. Solid middle infielder who will lead our team in runs scored, RBIs and stolen bases. He is a run-producing machine.
Mitch Duncan, 2016, RHP/MIF, R/R, 6'1" 190, Uncommitted; SS/RHP with a plus arm (touched 91 this off-season in our VelocityPlus program), pitches at 85-87 with a plus curveball and a good feel for a changeup, has a lot of pop in his bat and is a 6.7 runner with good lateral range and smooth infield actions.
Caleb Collins, 2016, LHP/OF/1B, R/L, 5'11" 190, Uncommitted; Pitches at 81-84 with great movement and control, has a great feel for a changeup and is developing what could become a wipeout slider, 6.9 runner with great instincts on the field, has great hands and stays inside the ball very well with a solid inside-out approach.
TOP UNDERCLASSMEN
Ethan Walls, 2017, RHP 6'4" 195
Jackson Malcolm, 2017, INF 6'1" 180
Daniel Willie, 2017, RHP/OF 6'2" 185
Trevor Wiggs, 2018, LHP/1B 6'1" 165
Jake Sullivan, 2018, OF 5'11" 160
Andy Reed, 2018, RHP/C/3B 6'1" 190
NOTABLE LOSSES
Logan Fugate, LHP/CF, All-District and Region, Cleveland State
Brody Binder, C, All-District and Region, Troy University
According to the Coach
We will be very young this year. We are returning our middle INF, with Sr. Hayden Bradley and Jr. Mitch Duncan who will also be our offensive leaders. Sr. Vince Vantiegham (C) will be handling a lot of the catching responsibilities as well as being called upon to pitch. Caleb Collins (JR) and C.J. Harden (SR) will also have to have big years on the mound for us to be successful. Out of our top 15 pitchers, 10 are sophomores or freshmen. Our expectations are to be way better in May than we are in March. We have a lot of unproven young players who are eager to compete and improve daily. The learning curve will have to be steep to compete in District 5-AAA, with a very tough schedule and having to face RHP Ty King (Bradley Central) on opening day.
additional news:
- TN 2015 Team Preview: McCallie School3.04.15
- PBRPlus Recruiting Essentials: NCAA Eligibility Center3.03.15
- TN 2015 Team Preview: Ravenwood HS3.03.15
- TN 2015 Team Preview: Sequatchie County3.03.15
- PBRPlus PBR Mailbag: Top States Based On 2015 Pitchers3.02.15
- TN 2015 Team Preview: Happy Valley HS3.02.15
- TN Preseason All-State Showcase: Outfield Analysis3.01.15
- TN Player Spotlight: Knoxville Catholic 2017 3B Sean Kearney 2.27.15