Prep Baseball Report

2025 Guntersville Wildcats Team Preview


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: Guntersville High School
Head Coach: Kenny Chaffin
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A
Area Number: Class 5A, Area 15
2023 Record (Finish): 9-13 (No Postseason)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Experience, Speed, Chemistry

 


TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

OF/LHP Hudson Oliver (7/24/24)

TEAM OUTLOOK

Coming off of a tough finish to the season last year, the Guntersville Wildcats have high hopes and a strong amount of returning starters back both at the plate and on the mound this spring. Competing in a new area with a couple of different teams, the Wildcats are hoping their experience and team chemistry will help lead them to a successful 2025 campaign.

It's always a good sign when a team is returning their ace on the pitching staff and one of the their top hitters in the lineup who drove in the most runs from last season. That's what the Wildcats have this spring, and also have a few more key returning pieces behind them, as well. RHP/SS Cam Gentle (Alabama-Huntsville, 2025) should lead the pitching staff this spring using his hard-throwing mid-80s fastball, and is also going to be expected to provide some offensive production and play some shortstop when he's not on the mound. He's a good option to have at the top of a pitching rotation, especially being a senior. Another returning senior and the aforementioned hitter who lead the team in RBIs last spring is 1B Cole Adkison (2025), who will be looking to build off of last year's strong junior campaign where he posted a .333 batting average. INF Grady Whitaker (2025) is also a key returning starter who brings back two years of experience, while OF/LHP Jack Lenior (2026) and C Street Smith (2026) are a pair of juniors who are looking to have breakout seasons after quality seasons last year. Lenoir posted a .310 batting average and led the team in doubles, while Smith is a two-year starter behind the plate. Rounding it out, OF/LHP Hudson Oliver (2028) may just be a freshman, but he brings back plenty of experience and looks poised for another huge year this spring. Oliver, who was just tabbed as the No. 1 prospect in the 2028 class in AL yesterday, led the team as an eighth-grader last spring with a 1.036 OPS and also possesses a low-80s fastball on the mound. He's already an exciting prospect and one to watch for this spring and in the coming years.

There's plenty of reason for Coach Chaffin to be excited about this year's club, as he appears to have talent and experience spread throughout all graduating classes. They'll compete in Class 5A, Area 15 against Arab, Brewer, and Fairview. After missing out on the playoffs a season ago, expect the Wildcats to return to form this spring with hopes of playing their best baseball at the end of the season.


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

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


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