The 2023 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 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 in each AHSAA classification as well as a Power 25. One thing that you especially don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state as well as recaps and previews of big games across the state.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

 

High School Name: Zion Chapel Rebels 

Coach’s Name: Adam Foster  

Classification: AHSAA 2A 

2022 Record: 11-10

Area Number: Class 2A, Area 4 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 5 

Team Strengths: Experience, Defense, Baserunning 

Top Returning Players:

• SS/RHP Wes Braisted (2024)
• 1B/RHP Austin Jordan (2024)
• INF/RHP Brodie Stinson (2025)
• UTL/RHP John Foster Hamm (2026)
• C/RHP Mason Stuart (2025)
• OF Joseph LeGear (2025)
• OF Morgan Sanders (2023)

Top 2024 Prospects:

• OF Jackson Adcock (2024)

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

• UTL/RHP Brady Flowers (2025)
• C/1B Preston Eddins (2025)
• 1B/LHP Dylan Davis (2026)
• RHP/OF Tyler Bass (2025)
• OF/RHP Kavan Brown (2025)

Team Outlook

The Zion Chapel Rebels unfortunately missed the Class 2A playoffs a season ago playing in one of the toughest areas in the classification, but still had a strong season nonetheless. After winning 11 games in 2022, the Rebels will look to take another step in the right direction as we head into the spring of 2023.

The Rebels started off last year's season with five-consecutive wins and finished the spring with a winning record, but finished behind GW Long and Ariton in their area standings. Both of those teams above them went on to reach the Final Four with GW Long finishing as the Class 2A State Champions. It's a very difficult area to battle for a playoff spot, but using seven returning positional players and five pitchers coming back on the mound, the hopes are that the Rebels will continue to be a competitive club this spring. SS/RHP Wes Braisted (2024) is a returning player that should once again be one of their top players hitting in the middle of the order for the Rebels. Braisted played mostly shortstop last spring but should see some time at third base this year. He has a a strong arm across the infield and will look to expand on last year's season where he hit around .285 in batting average. 1B/RHP Austin Jordan (2024) also comes back this spring after winning the starting job at first base and never looked back in 2022. Jordan is a solid infielder defensively and will look to provide a heavy amount of offensive production offensively. He will also throw quality innings on the mound after pitching a solid amount last year. After starting out the year on JV last year, INF/RHP Brodie Stinson (2025) moved up to varsity in the second week of the season and won the second base job for the Rebels as a freshman. He did more than hold his own offensively at such a young age, hitting .280 for the Rebels and will look to have another strong season in 2023. UTL/RHP John Foster Hamm (2026) is another young player that will look to expand on last year's success after seeing some time at the varsity level as an eighth-grader. Now with a year of experience under this belt, Hamm is expected to be a key hitter in their lineup while also throwing some meaningful innings on the mound. Two more underclassmen that looked poised for strong seasons as sophomores this spring are C/RHP Mason Stuart (2025) and OF Joseph LeGear (2025). Stuart is a powerful right-handed hitter that hit over .300 last spring in addition to his efforts behind the plate, while LeGear is an athletic outfielder who stole 17 bases a season ago and helped contribute offensively at the varsity level as a freshman. OF Morgan Sanders (2023) will be the lone senior on this year's roster and will look to provide senior leadership for the younger players while driving in runs offensively. He can also be a threat on the base paths, as he stole 15 bases a season ago and will look to be a key piece to the Rebels' success this spring.

In addition to these established returners mentioned above, the Rebels will look for some other players to slide up and step into bigger roles this spring. There are some players that are familiar faces at the varsity level after helping out some in 2022, and those players will need to continue to progress in order for the Rebels to have the type of success they want to have in 2023. Some of those players to watch for this spring are OF Jackson Adcock (2024), UTL/RHP Brady Flowers (2025), C/1B Preston Eddins (2025), 1B/LHP Dylan Davis (2026), RHP/OF Tyler Bass (2025), and OF/RHP Kavan Brown (2025). All of these players have different skill sets and should help contribute to this team in a variety of ways. The Rebels should a fairly experienced ball club this spring with a strong amount of returners coming back to this year's roster. They will compete in Area 4 with GW Long, Ariton, and Abbeville for a spot in the Class 2A playoffs at the end of the year. Look for Zion Chapel to continue to take another step in the right direction in 2023.

 

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