Mississippi HS Team Preview: Taylorsville Tartars
February 12, 2025
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: Taylorsville Attendance Center
Head Coach: Laine Jordan
MHSAA Classification: MHSAA 1A
District Number: 1A District 7
2024 Record (Playoff Finish): 23-12 (State Champion)
ROSTER PREVIEW
+ No. Returning Positional Starters: 9
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 7
+ Key Returners:
- P/SS Ford Matthews (2025, Hinds CC)
- C/INF Brady Quinn (2025)
- OF Trey Barnes (2026, Southern Miss)
- P/1B Ty Blakeney (2025, Co-Lin CC)
- OF Caden Bester (2025)
- UTL Terry Barnes (2028)
- INF/P Easton Ford (2026)
- OF Reco Crosby (2025)
- P/INF Noah Westbrook (2026)
2025 OUTLOOK
+ Taylorsville enters the 2025 season with a championship mindset, returning all nine positional starters and seven pitchers from last year’s 23-12 squad that captured the 1A State Championship at Trustmark Park. Head Coach Laine Jordan has the pieces in place for another deep postseason run as the Tartars set their sights on back-to-back titles.
Leading the way are seniors Ford Matthews (RHP/SS, Hinds CC recruit), Brady Quinn (C/INF), Ty Blakeney (P/1B, Copiah-Lincoln CC recruit), Caden Bester (OF), and Reco Crosby (CF). Juniors Trey Barnes (OF/1B, Southern Miss commit), Easton Ford (INF/RHP), and Noah Westbrook (RHP/INF), along with freshman Terry Barnes (RHP/INF/OF), round out a talented core poised for another big season.
Trey Barnes returns as the Tartars’ top run producer after driving in 35 RBIs while hitting .350 last season, while Westbrook posted a team-best .413 batting average. On the mound, Matthews leads the staff after an impressive 2024 campaign, going 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 80 strikeouts. With Matthews, Westbrook, and a deep bullpen ready to contribute, Taylorsville’s pitching depth should be a major strength.
The Tartars open their season on February 11th against West Jones, looking to defend their title and make another run to Pearl.
Find more information on Taylorsville Attendance Center’s 2025 season below:
+ Follow them on X: @THS_Baseball1
+ Find more 2025 team previews on our MHSAA Season Preview page
FOLLOW US THROUGHOUT THE SPRING
+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on X
+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Mississippi on Facebook