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AL HS Team Preview: Phil Campbell Bobcats

January 10, 2023
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: Phil Campbell Bobcats

Coach’s Name: Jonathan Raper 

Classification: AHSAA 3A 

2022 Record: 30-9

Area Number: Class 3A, Area 15 

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 8 

No. of Returning Pitchers: 4 

Team Strengths: Senior Heavy Team, Return 8 Starters

Top Returning Players:

Top 2023 Prospects:

Top 2024 Prospects:

Top 2025 & 2026 Prospects:

  • RHP/INF Noah Raper (2025)
  • RHP/INF Koltin Hester (2025)

Team Outlook

The Phil Campbell Bobcats have become a powerhouse in Class 3A, as they won 30+ games for the second consecutive season while posting a 30-9 record. Last year's team featured a lot of juniors contributing both at the plate and on the mound, so hopes are high once again in for the Bobcats to make another deep run throughout the Class 3A playoffs.

The Bobcats reached their second-consecutive Final Four in Class 3A, and were paired up with Piedmont once again with a trip to Jacksonville/Oxford on the line. After defeating them in 2021 en route to their Class 3A State Title, Piedmont won the decisive Game 3 in their series to eliminate the Bobcats from winning a second straight title. It was a very successful season, nonetheless, as they had some impressive regular season wins over Enterprise, West Point and others. Those juniors that played big roles last spring are once again expected to lead the way during their senior season, as they bring back eight positional starters and four pitchers from last year's team. They do have to replace SS Mason Swinney, who was a starter for the Bobcats since his freshman and is now a freshman playing at Alabama. He was a big piece to their puzzle last spring, but with everyone else coming back from their lineup, they will still be a strong offensive club with solid options on the mound. C Bryant Anthony (Northwest Shoals CC signee, 2023) will look to lead the charge offensively after hitting in the middle of the order for the past few seasons. Anthony also has a strong arm from behind the plate and handles the Bobcats' pitching staff well.

C Bryant Anthony (3/28/22)

OF Bryant Hyde (2023) will be a good one to get back this spring after he missed half of the 2022 season due to an ACL injury. Hyde is a top-of-the-order type hitter for the Bobcats and will look to be a catalyst for this lineup after serving as their starting centerfielder as a sophomore back in 2021 when they won the state championship.

OF Bryant Hyde (6/10/21)

Another middle-of-the-order hitter coming back for the Bobcats in 2023 will be 3B/RHP Kyle Pace (2023), who has tons of pop hitting from the right side of the plate. Pace was one of the team's leading offensive contributors on last year's team and get really down the stretch and into the playoffs. He'll be counted on for that same type of offensive output this spring.

3B Kyle Pace (6/15/22)

One player the Bobcats will hope to get back soon will be 1B/LHP Cam Habada (2023), who had offseason surgery but is expected to return at some point in the season. When he is a full-strength, he will be one of their top arms in the rotation. OF Sage Raper (2023) and OF Hunter Baker (2023) a pair of senior outfielders that return experience and played a big role on last year's team. Raper is a spark plug near the top of the order, while Baker had a strong junior season and is looking for another breakout season. INF Robby Robinson (Northwest Shoals CC signee, 2023) is a huge addition to the Bobcats roster and is looking to slide into one of those infield spots defensively and hit in the middle of the order after transferring in this year. Robinson has a lot of pop from the right side and should make a big impact on the Bobcats in his final year of high school ball.

INF Robby Robinson (7/23/22)

A few more players to keep an eye out for on this Bobcats team will be OF Cole Pace (2023) and INF Jacob Barnwell (2025). Both of these players saw playing time last year and are looking to make an even bigger impact this spring. Phil Campbell will also rely on some other players to provide depth at key positions, and step into larger roles as they season goes on. Some of those players to watch will be UTL Cody Quinn (2024), OF/RHP Eli Taylor (2024), RHP/INF Noah Raper (2025) and RHP/INF Koltin Hester (2025). The Bobcats will look to replace the production left by Mason Swinney, who was one of the top players in the state, but have more that enough pieces to do so with eight returning positional starters, some younger players looking to make an impact, and a key transfer that could be one of their leading hitters. Expectations are high once again for the Bobcats, as they search to win their second state title in three seasons in Class 3A in 2023.

 

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