Prep Baseball Report

Mississippi HS Team Preview: Baldwyn Bearcats


Prep Baseball Mississippi Staff

The 2025 Mississippi high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound 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 Mississippi.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons at Pearl’s Trustmark Park, in the State Tournament finals at the end of May, 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 Mississippi. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 25 rankings that’ll carry us into the opening week of action.

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 and updating the Power 25 rankings.

Our 2025 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Baldwyn High School
Head Coach: Shannon Smith
MHSAA Classification: MHSAA 1A
District Number: District 1
2024 Record (Playoff Finish): 16-13 (Eliminated Second Round)

 


ROSTER PREVIEW

+ No. Returning Positional Starters: 6
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 3
+ Key Returners:


TOP NEWCOMERS

+ Impact Underclassmen:


2025 OUTLOOK

+ Baldwyn returns 6 positional starters and 3 pitchers from last year's squad that finished 16-13 after a second round playoff loss in the 1A State Playoffs. Head Coach Shannon Smith feels he will have the  arms to compete with anyone in a best of three series. Pitching, along with plenty of varsity experience, a solid young core, team speed, and overall grit should be the key components as the Bearcats look to make a run in 2025. 

Top returners for Baldwyn include senior Hagan McCarley (RHP/UT), junior Mattox McCarley (CF), and freshman Rush Watkins (RHP). 

Both McCarley’s will look to act as catalysts for the Bearcats offense as they know how to get on base and led the team with 26 stolen bases each last season. Hagan McCarley could be the go to arm in 2025 using a 3/4 arm slot with plenty of arm side run. The freshman Mask hit a solid .319 as an 8th grader and also pounds the strike zone and has a tight breaking ball. 

Coach Smith also expects major contributions from freshmen Ridge Mask (UT) and Carter Craven (SS) who both started as 8th graders.

The Bearcats begin regular season play on February 13th versus New Site.


Find more information on Baldwyn’s 2025 season below:

+ Follow them on X: @BaseballBaldwyn
+ Find more 2025 team previews on our MHSAA Season Preview page

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+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on X
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