AL HS Team Preview: Hatton Hornets

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 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 in each AHSAA classification as well as a Power 25. One thing that you especially don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state as well as recaps and previews of big games across the state.  

*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.

High School Name: Hatton Hornets 

Coach’s Name: Greg Arnold 

Classification: AHSAA 2A 

2022 Record: 9-14

Area Number: Class 2A, Area 14 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 9 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 6 

Top Returning Players:

• C/RHP Parker Huff (2024)
• 1B Braden Stafford (2023)
• OF Will Steadman (2023)

Top 2023 Prospects:

• C Micah Harville (2023)

Top 2024 Prospects:

• 3B Alex Brackin (2024)

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

• 3B/RHP Bryson Jeffreys (2026)
• SS Tasean Love (2026)

Team Outlook

The Hatton Hornets have plenty to look forward to this spring as they look to take that next step in the year of 2023. Although they missed the Class 2A playoffs last year, the Hornets return all nine of their positional starters in addition to six pitchers that saw time on the mound in 2022.

The Hornes look to be very strong offensively in 2023 with four returners coming back who hit over the .360 mark in batting average. They'll look to those older guys to continue to carry the load, while relying on some younger players to step into bigger roles and provide some depth both at the plate and on the mound. C/RHP Parker Huff (2024) returns as the Hornets' leading hitter after posting a .389 batting average as a sophomore in 2022. He's expecting an even bigger season this spring, and will also be looked upon as one of the team's top pitchers in the rotation after striking out 52 hitters a season ago. 1B Braden Stafford (2023) is a key run-producer returning to the middle of the order this spring, as he also enjoyed a strong season last year hitting .361. Stafford also led the team in HR's (4), 2B's (10) and RBI's (29), so he'll be looked upon for that same type of offensive output in his senior season. OF Will Steadman (2023) is another returning upperclassmen that will be a leader for the Hornets this spring. Steadman finished second on the team in batting average last spring at .377 to go along with 5 2B's, a 3B and 20 RBI's. C Micah Harville (2023) also enjoyed a strong junior season last spring, and is looking for another stellar campaign in his final season of his high school career. The senior backstop hit .371 with 5 2B's, 3B, HR and 17 RBI's in the middle of the order in 2022, and is expected to return their this year. 

In addition to these returners mentioned above, there will also be some other players who will be expected to step into bigger roles and give production both at the plate and on the mound. 3B Alex Brackin (2024) is another upperclassmen who will be one to watch this spring, while 3B/RHP Bryson Jeffreys (2026) is a youngster who hit .275 last spring as an eighth-grader in a smaller sample size that is looking for an even bigger year in 2023. SS Tasean Love (2026) is another freshman, like Jeffreys, that is expected to play a big role for this year's team, as well. The Hornets should be a competitive ball club in Class 2A with plenty of experience and veteran leadership coming back for the 2023 season.

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