The 2022 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 Montgomery 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: Bibb County Choctaws

Coach’s Name: Kevin May 

Classification: AHSAA 4A 

Area Number: Area 5 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 5 

Team Strengths: Returning depth on the mound and should be solid defensively. 

Top Returning Players:

• LHP Steven Cash (Louisiana Lafayette, 2022)
• DH Bo Burkes (2022)
• RHP/OF Chris Billingsley (2023)
• SS/RHP Matthew Cash (2024)

Team Outlook

The Bibb County Choctaws are fresh off an excellent 2021 campaign that saw them reach the Elite 8 in Class 4A before being eliminated by American Christian Academy. They do, however, return a quality roster with experienced and veteran players for this spring and should be right back in the thick of it come playoff time. 

Arguably one of the biggest returners for the Choctaws has to be their ace in LHP Steven Cash (Louisiana Lafayette), who is one of the top left-handed arms in the state. He presents a really tough matchup on the mound using varying slots with a mid/upper-80's fastball and good command of his off-speed pitches. Not many pitchers enjoyed the success that he had last year, as he posted a 9-1 record, 1.02 ERA & 125 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched, and he'll look to lead the staff again this spring. RHP/OF Chris Billingsley is another prospect who will log some big innings for the Choctaws after having a huge summer & fall circuit. He's made a sizable jump in terms of velocity over the past year, and can get up to 89 mph with more velocity on the way. His numbers on the mound were also impressive last year, going 5-1 with a 1.11 ERA. He'll also be in the middle of their lineup offensively after hitting .406 during his sophomore season. 

The Choctaws have a couple more important pieces coming back in 2021, especially returners from the top of their order. DH Bo Burkes, who is headed to North Carolina as a football prospect, is a physical hitter in the heart of their order. He's been a key run producer over the past couple of years, and saw one of his best years last spring hitting .408 with 5 HR's & 37 RBI's. SS/RHP Matthew Cash, the younger brother of Steven Cash, seemed to do everything last year for the Choctaws as a freshman. The 5-11, 180-pounder two-way player hit .423 at the top of the lineup with 44 hits, 44 runs scored & 24 walks last year. A top-20 player in the sophomore class, Cash also has a mid-80's fastball and will be expected to throw more important innings this year.

 

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