Alabama High School Team Preview: Florala Wildcats
January 26, 2022
The 2022 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 Montgomery 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: Florala Wildcats
Coach’s Name: Tyler Zessin
Classification: AHSAA 1A
Area Number: Area 2
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Team Strengths: Speed, Experience, Pitching Depth
Top Returning Players:
- UTL/RHP John Howell (2023)
- 1B/RHP Seth Bundy (2023)
- UTL/RHP Wyatt Brooks (2023)
Top 2023 Prospects:
- C/RHP Judd Goolsby (2023)
Top 2024 & 2025 Prospects:
- UTL/RHP Dalton Jackson (2025)
Team Outlook
The Florala Wildcats come in to the spring of 2022 with high hopes to get back to the Class 1A State Playoffs after just missing out last year. The good news is that the Wildcats bring back seven positional starters and five pitchers who saw time on the mound last year, and those players will look to take the next step in 2022.
Of those seven returning positional starter returning, the Wildcats will rely heavily on the production of a few juniors. UTL/RHP John Howell is a third-year starter who will hold down one of the middle infield positions and will also be asked to pitch some significant innings on the mound. He's continued to work in the offseason and should be poised for a strong junior season. 1B/RHP Seth Bundy & UTL/RHP Wyatt Brooks are also a pair of juniors who, like Howell, are three-year starters that are expected to lead the way for the Wildcats. C/RHP Judd Goolsby returns after a stellar sophomore season that saw him hit over .500. Goolsby will enter the spring with a minor injury, but it shouldn't be long before he's back to full strength. UTL/RHP Dalton Jackson is the best power hitter in the state in the freshman class, and he'll be asked to provide the same offensive output from last year. As an eighth-grader, Jackson led the team in RBI's hitting in the middle of the order. He'll also be one of the top arms in the rotation for Florala.
The Wildcats have a chance to be contenders in the Class 1A with some key pieces coming back from last year's team. There's a lot of excitement headed into the spring of 2022 for Florala.
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