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: Oxford

Preseason Rank: 3
2017 Record: 32-7
MHSAA Classification: 5A
MHSAA District:
Head Coach: Chris Baughman
Playoff Run: 5A State Finals
2017 Final Rank: 2^nd in 5A
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3

 

Top Players

Name	State	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Drew Bianco	MS	Oxford	2018	SS	Louisiana State
Sam Bianco	MS	Oxford	2020	2B	-
Bo Gatlin	MS	Oxford	2019	SS	-
Jacob Melendez	MS	Oxford	2018	1B	Itawamba CC
Tyler Smith	MS	Oxford	2018	RHP	Itawamba CC
Parker Stinnett	MS	Oxford	2018	2B	Northwest Mississippi CC
Clark Stovall	MS	Oxford	2018	OF	Northwest Mississippi CC
C.J. Terrell	MS	Oxford	2018	OF	East Mississippi CC

 

Stat Rat (X-Factor)

Drew Bianco (.381-BA, 40-RBI, 10-2B, 7-HR)
Clark Stovall (.371-BA, 36-RBI, 8-2B, 5-3B) OF
Sam Bianco (.349-BA, 23-RBI, 5-2B, 2-3B)
CJ Terrell (.316-BA, 36-RBI, 4-2B, 2-3B, 2-HR) OF
Tyler Smith (0.67-ERA, 32-K, 9-BB)
Parker Stinnett (0.99-ERA, 64-RBI, 16-BB)

Outlook

Oxford returns a seasoned group that has seen the state finals game for the last three seasons, claiming the state title in two of them, and will look to return back in the 2018.

The lineup is strong for Coach Chris Baughman, headlined by Louisiana State commit Drew Bianco. Drew is a polished infielder with a short, powerful stroke that has proven to be a tough out at the plate only strikeout only twelve times last season in 142 plate appearances. Playing next to him on the infield will be 2B Sam Bianco who should also have a significant impact in the lineup this season as well.  Sam is a solid defender that has displayed quality actions and range but has proven himself as a threat at the plate hitting out of the leadoff spot. Also adding strong defensive support on the infield will be Itawamba commit, 1B Jacob Melendez. Patrolling the outfield for the Chargers will be CJ Terrell, an East Mississippi football commit and Clark Stovall, a Northwest CC commit. Terrell and Stovall have both displayed the athleticism and speed to cover the gaps. Two-way player, Bo Gatlin could be expected to see increased time this season coming off of strong summer performances. Gatlin posted solid numbers at the Mississippi All-State Games and his tools should translate well to game play.

On the mound, Tyler Smith, Itawamba commit and Parker Stinnett, Northwest CC commit will carry the load for the Chargers as they are coming off of a productive 2017 campaign where they punched a combined 96 opposing hitters while only walking 25.

With the depth in the lineup and the solid arms on the mound, Oxford has a chance to make another deep run.

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