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Alabama HS Team Preview: St. Clair County Fighting Saints

January 23, 2024
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

The 2024 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: St. Clair County Fighting Saints
Head Coach: Steven Nuss
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A
Area Number: Class 5A, Area 11
2023 Record (Finish): 12-20 (No Postseason)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Pitching

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2024

Class of 2025

  • C/1B Brody Lovell (2025; uncommitted)

RHP/OF Logan Knowles (6/28/23)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

TEAM OUTLOOK

The St. Clair County Fighting Saints enter this spring looking to some newer faces on the offensive side to replace the production left by graduating seniors, but believe their pitching should be one of their strengths with some of their top arms returning for this season. After missing out on the playoffs in 2023, the Fighting Saints have their sights set on reaching the Class 5A playoffs once again at the end of this season.

The Fighting Saints may not have had the type of success they wanted last spring, but there's plenty of optimism inside the program with four of their pitching starters in their pitching rotation coming back for this season. Being able to reply on pitching, especially in the early part of the season, will certainly help some of the newer faces get caught up to speed playing at the varsity level. INF Landen Seelbinder (2024) is described as the veteran of this year's team having played more baseball at the varsity level than anyone on the roster. As he goes, the Fighting Saints' offense seems to go and he'll need to have another productive year at the plate. OF Parker Blankenship (2025) really took that next step last spring as a sophomore, leading the team in batting average at .385 while also stealing 10 bases in the process. He's also one of their top competitors on the mound and sported a 2-3 record last spring. He's an important factor on the mound this spring, in addition to his duties at the plate. Another important piece returning this spring will be LHP/OF Cayden Langston (2025), one of the more polished pitchers on last year's pitching staff. He can mix three pitches effectively and accumulated 42 K's as a sophomore last spring. 3B/RHP Casey Thimaras (2026) brings back some valuable experience on the mound from the past couple of seasons, and has all the tools to play at the next level if it all comes together. He'll also hit in the heart of their order and is expected to be a primary run-producer. In addition to these notable returners, St. Clair County will need some other players to step into larger roles for them to be successful this season. RHP/OF Logan Knowles (2024) and C/1B Brody Lovell (2025) are a pair of upperclassmen that are fighting for everyday starting positions, while C/3B Nick Bosque (2026) and RHP/OF Hayden Black (2027) are two younger players who have a chance to make a sizable impact on this year's team as underclassmen. 

The Fighting Saints seem to be shaping up for a successful year in 2024, returning some key players on the mound and some talented underclassmen looking to make their mark this spring. They'll compete in Area 11 against Fairview, Hayden, and Springville for a playoff berth at the end of the regular season. Look for St. Clair County to be a strong competitor in their area in 2024.

Find more information on the 2024 St. Clair County High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @SaintsBaseball7
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2024 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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