With the high school season quickly approaching, it is time for our first edition of the South Alabama Preseason All-State event. We're doing the Preseason All-State a little different this year, as we've split the state in half and will now be having two of these events. The North Alabama Preseason All-State was be held this past Sunday, January 16th at the Hartselle High School Indoor Facility, and this event, the South Alabama Preseason All-State, will be held this coming Sunday, January 23rd at The Performance Lab in Mobile, AL. There are some big names registered for the event and our staff is pumped to get to Mobile and check out all these players.

This Sunday (January 23rd), some of the state's top players from the Class of 2022-2025 graduation classes will roll into Mobile for another big event. The past three events of this kind have been nothing but spectacular, with 30 commitments coming from the event in 2019, 39 commitments coming from 2020, and already 43 commitments coming from last year's event. It's easy to see that this event has continued to get better over the course of three years, which is why we've decided to have two in 2022. This event provides the opportunity for players to show the PBR scouts the progress that they have made over the past months in a showcase setting. It is also the last event for players to attend before they begin their respective high school seasons.

Below, you will find important information pertaining to this event, including players in attendance, itinerary, history of the event, and much more.

Headline Names Coming to Mobile

Taking a glance at this roster, it's not hard to see some of the big names signed up for this event. The Preseason All-State provides a chance for these players to come and show our staff some of the physical gains they've made during the offseason and update their profiles with hopefully improved metrics, statistics, etc. There's no better way to get the year of 2022 started with a tune-up for the high school season that is slated to start in just over a month. 

The Preseason All-State has always attracted some of the best talent this state has to offer in all classes, and 2022 looks to be no different, if not better. This year's roster for the South Alabama Preseason All-State already features three players who have already pledged their commitment to college programs. RHP Thrasher Steed (Chipola CC) is one of those seniors who has already signed with his college and he's gearing up for his final year as the ace for 6A Gulf Shores. Steed is a 6-4, 210-pounder who is a former Future Gamer & regarded as one of the top right-handers in the state. Speaking of top right-handers, RHP George Meyers (Auburn) is another senior who has signed, as he'll be headed to the SEC in the fall. He's also a top-20 prospect in the senior class. Both of these arms will be sure to put up impressive numbers on Sunday.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch

Outside of the names mentioned in the section above, the roster for this event also has some names who may not be committed yet, but are sure to be playing at the next level when it's all said and done. The Classes of 2022 $ 2023 in Alabama are both really talented classes, and we've got some quality uncommitted juniors & seniors who are still searching for a college program signed up for Sunday. Some of these players include RHP Chris Billingsley (Bibb County, 2023), 3B Jonah Cook (Gulf Breeze, 2023),  OF Connor Cosby (Auburn, 2023), LHP Bryson Goff (Saraland, 2023), LHP Case Hager (Gulf Shores, 2022), RHP Kaden Heatherly (Chelsea, 2023), LHP/1B Mattox Johnson (Gulf Shores, 2022), RHP William Kreheley (Pensacola Catholic, 2023), RHP JT McArdle (Opelika, 2022), SS Trevor Morris (GW Long, 2022), SS Logan Norris (UMS-Wright, 2023), SS Paxton Ponder (Cullman, 2023), SS Carter Sheehan (Shelby County, 2023), RHP Jonathan Stevens (Briarwood Christian, 2023), C Jack Stowers (St. Paul's Episcopal, 2023), 3B Olin Ward (UMS-Wright, 2023) & OF Gabriel Young (Mountain Brook, 2023).

Underclassmen Looking to Make an Impact

We've talked about how players can use this event to springboard into the spring season with their high school clubs, and this can be the case with the current sophomore class. These players have a chance to slide up into bigger roles as underclassmen this spring and become impact players. The Class of 2024 is well-represented at this event with many players ranked inside the Top-50 signed up. Some of these sophomores to keep an eye on this Sunday are SS Alex Bennett (Mobile Christian, 2024), OF Bryce Cain (Baker, 2024), RHP Brendan Conner (Corner, 2024), C Jack Holley (Spanish Fort, 2024), RHP Eli Driskell (Faith Academy, 2024), 3B/RHP Carson Joyner (Bayside Academy, 2024), SS Gatlin Pitts (Bayside Academy, 2024) & RHP Alex Sherman (UMS-Wright, 2024).

There are also some prospects from the Class of 2025 who will look to have standout performances this weekend in Mobile. A few of these names to keep an eye out for on Sunday will be 3B Garrett Blacklock (Grissom, 2025), OF Cole Dean (Bayshore Christian, 2025), RHP Bradley Irish (St. Paul's Episcopal, 2025), 3B Dalton Jackson (Florala, 2025), C Tyler Johnson (Wetumpka, 2025), 3B Brady Keller (Mobile Christian, 2025), SS Tyler Martin (Charles Henderson, 2025), 1B/LHP Bryce Masters (Prattville Christian, 2025), 3B Edward McLeod (St. Paul's Episcopal, 2025), RHP/SS Brady Richardson (Enterprise, 2025) & SS Frank Wells (Providence Christian, 2025).

In addition to these players, there are going to be many more players that are sure to make their names known at the South Alabama Preseason All-State. If you want to see the full roster for this event, CLICK HERE.

The History of the Preseason All-State in Alabama

The Preseason All-State Showcase is an invitation-only event that features the top players across the state. Every year the Preseason All-State Showcase highlights the Who’s Who of the state. This event is limited and exclusive to the top prospects in Alabama and serves as a springboard as players enter the high school season. The first-ever Preseason All-State in Alabama was held in 2019 and the event has continued to gain popularity ever since. All events have been held indoors due to the uncertainty of weather this time of year.

This event has certainly been no stranger for college commitments, as the first three years have a combined 112 players committed to college programs. This year should be no different, as there are some extremely talented uncommitted players still on the board. Let's take a look back and check out some of notable committed players that have attended from this event from year to year.

2019 Preseason All-State

• RHP Grayson Bray (Montevallo)
• OF Trey Burrell (Grambling State)
• RHP Luke Davis (Samford)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Reese Morrison (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/OF Will Passeau (Pearl River CC)
• OF Zac Rice (Chipola CC)
• OF/RHP Avery Seaton (Alabama A&M)

2020 Preseason All-State

• INF William Burgreen (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama) 
• 3B Davis Gillespie (Southern Miss)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• OF Jackson Lindsey (Alabama-Huntsville)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Javi Marrero (Troy)
• RHP George Meyers (Auburn)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Thrasher Steed (Chipola CC)
• C Lawson Stricklin (Tennessee Tech)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• SS Peyton Watts (Troy)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

2021 Preseason All-State

• 3B Henry Allen (Mississippi State)
• SS Drey Barrett (Southern Miss)
• C/3B Cade Carr (Samford)
• RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn)
• RHP Jake DeValk (South Alabama)
• 3B Cole Edwards (Auburn)
• SS Cason Eubanks (Georgia Southern)
• OF Seth Farni (Mississippi)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama)
• OF Christopher Johnston (Auburn)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Austin Morris (Alabama)
• SS Jace Norton (Mississippi State)
• SS Sam Robertson (Auburn)
• OF Jake Smith (Troy)
• RHP Zach Stevens (South Alabama)
• RHP Matthew Thompson (Troy)
• 3B Mac Turner (Southeastern Louisiana)
• OF Alex Wade (Auburn)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• OF JD Wilkins (Jacksonville State)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

Itinerary & Event Schedule

+ Check-in Times:

• All Position Players: 9:15 AM

• All Pitchers-only: 1:00 PM

• Catchers will stay for both sessions.

*Times subject to change

+ Registered Infielders, Outfielders, and/or Catchers

• Running Times (laser-timed 60-yard dash)

• Offensive Evaluations

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • Live batting practice

  • TrackMan ball flight analysis

  • Blast Motion swing analysis

• Defensive Evaluations

  • Arm strength

  • Agility/range

  • Positional analysis/profile

+ Registered Pitchers & Catchers

• Pitching Evaluations

  • 15-20 pitch bullpen (fastball and secondary pitches from both windup and stretch)

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • ProPlayAI’s ‘PitchAI’ biomechanical analysis

  • TrackMan pitch velocity, movement, spin analysis

• Catcher Evaluations (while receiving bullpen)

  • Receiving/pitch presentation

  • Blocking/mobility

 

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