2025 Smiths Station Panthers Team Preview
December 27, 2024
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: Smiths Station Panthers
Head Coach: Wesley Byrd
Classification: AHSAA Class 7A
Area Number: Class 7A, Area 4
2023 Record (Finish): 19-16 (No Postseason)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2
Team Strengths: Talented Young Pitchers, Team Speed, Athleticism
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS
- OF/RHP Alex Phillips (2025)
- OF/LHP Lawson Stratton (2025)
OF/RHP Alex Phillips (5/28/24)
MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS
Class of 2025
- RHP Blake Sims (2025)
- RHP/UTL Brayden Watkins (2025)
TOP UNDERCLASSMEN
- INF/RHP Evan Long (2027)
- 3B/RHP Tristan Ward (2027)
- INF/RHP Canann McDonald (2027)
- RHP Sawyer Rentz (2027)
- RHP/OF Trevor Harris (2027)
- OF Nathan Malone (2028)
- C Jake Folds (2028)
INF/RHP Evan Long (6/13/24)
TEAM OUTLOOK
The Smiths Station Panthers have grown into one of the more consistently strong programs in the central part of Alabama over the past decade after winning the Class 7A State Championship back in 2015. Last year, the Panthers missed the playoffs but built a strong resume down the stretch and just narrowly missed the playoffs in one of the toughest areas in the state of Alabama. While there are some newer faces this spring, the Panthers are hoping they can continue the trend of successful seasons in Class 7A in 2025.
Competing against Auburn, Central-Phenix City, and Opelika for a spot in the Class 7A playoffs every year is a tall task, as all four programs have quality talent and have shown the ability to make deep runs and win state championships in the past. In 2024, the Panthers went into the final area series against Central-Phenix City with a 3-1 area record and needing to win just one of the first two games of the series, but were unable to and ended their season with a 19-16 record after reaching the Final 4 in 2023. Although they missed the playoffs, there's no doubt they were one of the top teams in the central part of Alabama and showed that making a deep run the year prior. The coaching staff is looking to get back to the later rounds of the playoffs this spring, but they'll need some newer and younger faces to step into important roles that were left by graduating seniors from a season ago. Looking at a few returning seniors who will lead the way this spring, it starts with OF/RHP Alex Phillips (2025) and OF/LHP Lawson Stratton (2025). While both are uncommitted, we believe they have certainly have the talent to play at the next level and showed that last spring as juniors. Phillips is a 6-foot-3, 190-pounds right-handed hitter with sizable gap-to-gap pop with a mid-80s fastball on the mound, while Stratton was a mainstay in their lineup last season hitting close to .300 in batting average and is also one of their better arms in the rotation. Both of those players will look to make big impacts on both sides of the ball, while RHP Blake Sims (2025) and RHP/UTL Brayden Watkins (2025) are another pair of seniors who should log some significant innings on the mound, as well. The coaching staff is also excited about the younger talent on this year's roster and believes some of them have a chance to earn some significant playing time as sophomores and freshman this spring. Looking at the sophomore group, INF/RHP Evan Long (2027), 3B/RHP Tristan Ward (2027), INF/RHP Canann McDonald (2027), RHP Sawyer Rentz (2027), and RHP/OF Trevor Harris (2027) are just a few names to watch for this spring. Going even a class deeper, OF Nathan Malone (2028) and C Jake Folds (2028) are a pair of freshman who are very talented and have a bright future within the program. Malone, the second-ranked prospect in the 2028 class in Alabama, is a high-level name to watch for this spring and in the coming years.
While there are some unproven commodities on the roster, the Panthers appear to have some quality talent mixed throughout different graduating classes. Class 7A is once again shaping up to be a deep classification in 2025, but Smiths Station has consistently shown to be a very competitive program and will look to be in the mix and playing their best baseball down the stretch. They'll compete in Class 7A, Area 4 against Auburn, Central-Phenix City, and Opelika for a spot in the Class 7A playoffs at the end of the regular season. Look for Smiths Station to replicate another successful season this spring in Class 7A.
Find more information on the 2025 Smiths Station Panthers program below:
+ Follow them on X: @SmithsStationBB
+ 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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