Prep Baseball Report

Team Preview: Num. 15 Oxford


Ronald Sims
Mississippi Scouting Director

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: Oxford HS

Head Coach: Chris Baughman

2018 Record: 23-11
MHSAA Classification: 6A
MHSAA District:
Playoff Run:
2018 Final Rank:
Returning Starters: 3
Returning Pitchers: 2

TOP PLAYERS

Name State School Class Position Commitment
Sam Bianco MS Oxford 2020 2B Louisiana-Lafayette
Cole Catalano MS Oxford 2019 2B -
Bo Gatlin MS Oxford 2019 SS Southeastern Louisiana
Clay Ivy MS Oxford 2019 C -

Outlook

Although Coach Chris Baughman lost a great amount of experience off of a 23 win club in 2018, the Chargers are primed to win a lot of games in 2019. Headlining this years lineup will be Southeastern Louisiana signee, Bo Gatlin. A two-way player, Gatlin will have an increased role this season after a junior campaign where he hit .230 with 19 RBI while logging over 30 innings on the mound. Louisian-Lafayette commit, 2B/SS Sam Bianco  should also have a bigger impact on this years lineup as well. Sam is a solid defender that has displayed quality actions and range but has proven himself as a threat at the plate hitting out of the leadoff spot, finishing his sophomore season with an impressive .375 batting average.

Although Coach Baughman and the Chargers lack experience, their past successes suggest they will be ready to compete at a high level throughout 2019.