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2025 Athens Golden Eagles Team Preview

February 10, 2025
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

The 2025 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 rankings 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 ranks in each AHSAA classification, as well updating our Power 25 overall rankings. One thing, especially, you don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state, as well as the recaps and previews of the big games we’re covering.

*Please note the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Athens Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Murphree
Classification: AHSAA Class 6A
Area Number: Class 6A, Area 15
2024 Record (Finish): 25-14 (Eliminated in Elite Eight)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 5
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Pitching

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2025

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

TEAM OUTLOOK

Coming off an impressive 2024 season, the Athens Golden Eagles enter 2025 aiming to build on their 25-win campaign and Elite 8 appearance in Class 6A. With a talented pitching staff leading the way, the Golden Eagles are poised for another strong season.

Closing out the regular season as area champions, the Golden Eagles surged into the postseason, sweeping Pinson Valley in the first round to advance to the Sweet 16. In a hard-fought series against a talented Gardendale squad, Athens prevailed in three games to secure a spot in the state quarterfinals. However, their playoff run came to an end against Hartselle, as they were eliminated in two games, finishing the season with a 25-14 record. Turning the focus to 2025, Athens returns a strong core with five positional starters and four pitchers from last year’s squad. The pitching staff will be led by RHP/1B Hudson Marks (2026), RHP/INF Walker Fleming (2025), RHP Jaret Johnson (2025), and RHP Nash Hargrave (2025), all of whom logged valuable innings in 2024. Marks returns after pitching 51 innings with a 5-3 record and a 2.35 ERA, while Fleming was dominant in limited action, going 3-0 without allowing an earned run in 20 innings. Johnson and Hargrave were also key contributors, each surpassing 14 innings pitched with sub-2.30 ERAs. Offensively, the Golden Eagles will lean on the experience of OF/RHP Jaylen Malone (2025), C Chase Taylor (2026), and OF/LHP Luke Vaughan (2026), all of whom are looking to build on strong performances from last season. OF/RHP Ashton Dickey (2025) is also expected to take on a larger role at the plate this spring. A talented group of sophomores will look to make an impact early, including INF/RHP Whit Griffis (2027), 3B Brady Johnston (2027), OF Riley White (2027), and RHP/INF John Lawrence Chittam (2027), all of whom should compete for playing time as the season gets underway.

With a solid foundation of experienced returners and a deep pitching staff, thea Golden Eagles are set up for another competitive season in 2025. They'll compete in Class 6A, Area 15 against Decatur, Hartselle, and Muscle Shoals for a spot in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. With their sights set on building upon last year’s success, the Golden Eagles are ready to compete at the highest level in Class 6A once again.

Find more information on the 2025 Athens High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @AHSBaseball_1
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2025 HS Team Previews

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Facebook

 

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