The Mississippi high school season kicks off on February 26, the first day for regular season games. Most teams will begin practicing on January 29, getting their rosters set and finalizing their lineups.

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will be posting high school team previews every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Brandon

Preseason Rank: 10
2017 Record: 26-7
MHSAA Classification: 6A
MHSAA District:
Head Coach: Stacy Hester
Playoff Run:
2017 Final Rank:
Returning Starters: 4
Returning Pitchers: 5

 

Top Players

Name	State	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Tyler Davison	MS	Brandon	2021	OF	-
JT Ginn	MS	Brandon	2018	RHP	Mississippi State
Jack Hilton	MS	Brandon	2018	LHP	-
Mitchell Martin	MS	Brandon	2019	OF	-
Drew Pendergrass	MS	Brandon	2020	3B	-
Kiel Reed	MS	Brandon	2019	SS	-
Gentry Tigrett	MS	Brandon	2020	c	-
Tristan Tigrett	MS	Brandon	2019	3B	-

 

Stat Rat (X-Factor)

JT Ginn (.483-BA, 66-RBI, 11-2B, 16-HR)(1.78-ERA, 69-K, 13-BB)
Layton Roberts (.340-BA, 16-RBI, 5-HR)
Mitchell Martin (1.46-ERA, 31-K, 8-BB)
Garrett Stanford (.322-BA, 18-RBI)

Outlook

Coach Stacy Hester returns a talented group from a team that finished with 26 wins last season. But the Bulldogs will need to do more than just win their district if they want to make their mark on 2018. The pitching staff will be headlined by the No. 1 ranked player in Mississippi’s 2018 class, and Team USA member RHP/SS JT Ginn, a Mississippi State commit. A two-way player, Ginn has elite stuff on the mound, and has the all-around competitive nature to lead this team through the 2018 campaign.
Bolstering the bullpen and adding depth to the rotation will be Mitchell Martin and Jack Hilton. Martin and Hilton combined in 2017 to retire 84 hitters by way of strikeout. Freshman Tyler Davison will also be expected to have an increased role for the Bulldogs. Davison has a high ceiling on the mound with a wiry frame and quick arm, the right-hander impressed with his performance at the MS All-State Games this past summer with fastball touching 83 mph.

Kiel Reed is a fast-twitch right-handed hitter with a high baseball I.Q and could be the table-setter the Bulldogs need at the top of the order. Brothers Gentry Tigrett and Tristan Tigrett should also add depth to the lineup as well as provide strong defensive support.

If the players settle into their defensive roles behind the solid pitching staff, the offense should be able to score enough runs to win a lot of games.

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