The Mississippi high school season kicks off on February 26, the first day for regular season games. Most teams will begin practicing on January 29, getting their rosters set and finalizing their lineups.

Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we will be rolling out team previews of high school teams all across the state and across all classifications, eventually launching our Preseason Power 25.

We have been sending out our annual Preseason Questionnaire to coaches all across the state and as the responses flood in we will bring you a snapshot of what to expect along with top players and keys to success for that particular team. If you don’t see your team’s season preview make sure your head coach fills out his Preseason Questionnaire.

Team: Long Beach

2017 Record: 21-11
MHSAA Classification: 5A
MHSAA District: 8-5A
Head Coach: Shane Rutledge
Playoff Run: 3^rd Round
2017 Final Rank: 2^nd in district
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 2

 

Top Players

Name	State	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Austin Allen	MS	Long Beach	2018	RHP	-
Dalton Cook	MS	Long Beach	2020	C	-
Kobe Cook	MS	Long Beach	2020	3B	-
Cade Crosby	MS	Long Beach	2020	2B	-
Matt Hertzog	MS	Long Beach	2019	OF	-
Ethan Nichols	MS	Long Beach	2020	RHP	-
Kyle Parks	MS	Long Beach	2020	2B	-
Scotty Spears	MS	Long Beach	2018	RHP	-
Logan Sutherlin	MS	Long Beach	2019	OF	-
Kai VanCourt	MS	Long Beach	2019	2B	-
Charlie Wescovich	MS	Long Beach	2018	SS	-

 

Stat Rat (X-Factor)
Cade Crosby (.474-BA, 2-3B)
Charlie Wescovich (.244-BA, 2-HR)
Scotty Spears (1.25-ERA, 26-K, 7-BB)
Austin Allen (1.99-ERA, 62-K, 28-BB)

Outlook
The Bearcats are poised for another strong season as they return five starters and two pitchers from last season’s 21-win team. Leading the way for the Bearcats will be senior pitchers Austin Allen and Scotty Spears. Defensive consistency will be key for Coach Rutledge  who will turn to several underclassmen to play impactful roles this upcoming season.

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