2025 Pike Liberal Arts Patriots Team Preview
January 7, 2025
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: Pike Liberal Arts Patriots
Head Coach: Will Austin
Classification: AHSAA Class 2A
Area Number: Class 2A, Area 3
2023 Record (Finish): 28-7 (Eliminated in Elite Eight)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Pitchers: 8
Team Strengths: Experienced, Playoff-Tested Group, Competitiveness
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS
- RHP/INF Luke Barron (2025)
- RHP/INF Kade Brookins (2025)
- RHP Dawson Bradford (2025)
- INF Pruitt Vaughan (2025)
- UTL Wilson Cotton (2025)
- C/INF Jacob Bowen (2025)
- C Jack Baggett (2026)
- INF Cole Garrott (2027)
- RHP Braden Shirley (2027)
- INF/RHP Garrett Whitaker (2027)
- RHP/INF Charlie Fountain (2027)
RHP/INF Kade Brookins (2/20/23)
TEAM OUTLOOK
Competing in their first year at the AHSAA level last season, the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots passed their first test with flying colors reaching the Elite 8 and posting an impressive 28-7 record. Being five-time AISA State Champions, the Patriots have become a program that knows how to win and consistently churns out collegiate prospects year after year. The season may not have ended how they wanted it to in 2024, but all signs are pointing to the Patriots having another big year in Class 2A with numerous returners back on both sides of the ball in 2025.
Being located down in the Wiregrass area, the competition has been full of quality lower-classification programs over the past few seasons, many of which the Patriots played against during the regular season in 2024. Accumulating 28 wins on the season, the Patriots defeated some big name schools including Enterprise, Dothan, Houston Academy, Trinity Presbyterian, Headland, Providence Christian, and others during the regular season. Being ranked at No. 1 in Class 2A for most of the latter part of the season, Pike Liberal was one of the main favorites to win a state championship in Class 2A, but ultimately fell to the hands of a hot Bayshore Christian squad in the quarterfinals in three games. With the whole program optimistic about the 2025 campaign, it's easy to believe the Patriots can reach the late rounds of the playoffs this season and potentially go further. There's tons of baseball to be played over the next few months but with six positional starters and eight pitchers returning this season, expectations are high once again for Pike Liberal. Experience should be one of their main team strengths this spring, as they bring back numerous talented upperclassmen returners including RHP/INF Luke Barron (2025), RHP/INF Kade Brookins (2025), RHP Dawson Bradford (2025), INF Pruitt Vaughan (2025), UTL Wilson Cotton (2025), C/INF Jacob Bowen (2025), and C Jack Baggett (2025). All have had their fair share of varsity experience over their careers and are looking to provide production and leadership to this year's team. The Patriots will also feature a few key underclassmen who have a chance to make a big impact at the varsity level. Some of those names to watch for this spring are multi-year starter INF Cole Garrott (2027), RHP Braden Shirley (2027), INF/RHP Garrett Whitaker (2027), and RHP/INF Charlie Fountain (2027). Being sophomores, all of these players are looking to fight for valuable playing time and prove themselves as key pieces to this year's team and beyond.
After getting acclimated playing in the AHSAA in 2024, the Patriots look primed to have another big year this season and have to be one of the top teams in Class 2A going into 2025. They'll compete in Class 2A, Area 3 against Goshen, Luverne, and Zion Chapel for a spot in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Pike Liberal Arts should once again have a chance of making another deep playoff run in Class 2A after last year's quarterfinals appearance.
Find more information on the 2025 Pike Liberal Arts School program below:
+ Follow them on X: @BaseballPike
+ 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