Prep Baseball Report

AL HS Team Preview: Leeds Greenwave


PBR Alabama Staff

The 2023 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 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: Leeds Greenwave 

Coach’s Name: Jake Wingo 

Classification: AHSAA 5A 

2022 Record: 28-12

Area Number: Class 5A, Area 10 

No. of Returning Positional Starters:

No. of Returning Pitchers:

Team Strengths: Experienced Team  

Top Returning Players:

Team Outlook

The Leeds Greenwave are coming off a strong season in 2022 that featured a fairly deep playoff run in Class 5A. They return about as much as anyone in their classification, but will need to continue for players to elevate their game in order for them to attain the type of success they want this spring.

The Greenwave are coming off two really strong season in 2021 and 2022, winning over 25 games in both of those years. They will look to continue to take the next step within their program this spring and looked poised for another deep run in Class 5A. Last year, the Greenwave ended up finishing 28-12 with quality wins over programs like Briarwood Christian, St. Clair County, Clay Chalkville, and others on their regular season schedule. They also swept their way through their area series and ended up hosting the 1st round of the playoffs against Ardmore, who they swept by scores of 13-2 and 17-0 to advance to the Sweet 16. Facing off against Hayden that had really started playing its best baseball of the year, the Greenwave also swept them by scores of 4-2 and 2-1 to move on to the Elite 8. They would face Russellville, the eventual Class 5A State Champion, and would go on to drop that series in two games to close out their strong season at 28-12. There is still much to build on this spring with plenty of momentum and talented returning players coming back to this year's roster. They should rely on some key upperclassmen to help lead the way and provide senior leadership in different roles. SS Alex Bradford (Marion Military CC signee, 2023) will return to the heart of the order for the Greenwave, and is expected to be one of their primary run-producers. OF Caden Vance (2023), OF Will Landers (2023), OF Peyton Moore (2023), and INF Seth Pardue (2023) are four more seniors that bring back plenty of valuable experience at the varsity level after playing integral roles on last year's team that made it deep into the Class 5A playoffs. LHP/OF Andrew Howard (2023) and RHP/DH Jarod Latta (2023) are two seniors on the mound who are expected to once again help lead the pitching rotation for the Greenwave, while LHP Nolan Moore (2024) also looks to be a solid option on their staff as a junior. C Conner Nelson (2025) is one of the younger players on this roster, but still brings back key experience after enjoying a strong season at the plate a season ago as a freshman, while 3B Graham Gulock (2025) is another sophomore looking for his role to expand. Rounding out the returners, 1B/LHP Dax Phillips (2024) is an upperclassmen that should also be a key contributor to this team both at the plate and on the mound. 

The Greenwave seem to have the makings of another strong season this spring with a healthy amount of players coming back with experience and leadership. They will compete in Area 10 in Class 5A once again against Moody, Ramsay, and Carver-Birmingham for a spot in the playoffs once the end of the season comes around. Expect for Leeds to once again be right back in the mix in Class 5A at the end of 2023.

 

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