5A West Season Preview

February 19, 2016

By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

The 5A West is the conference that gets to claim the State Title as Harrison holds the title of defending state champions. This year will have a lot of new faces making headlines with a large turn over to graduation.

Pitching

Farmington: The Cardinals, will look for 2017 RHP Tyler Gregg to lead this group. Gregg has a big arm with velocity. It will be interesting to see if he can find control on a consistent basis coming off Tommy John in 2015.

Greenbrier: 2017 LHP Hunter Milligan, 2017 RHP Paxton Wallace, and 2016 RHP Carter Coats will carry the majority of the load this spring. Milligan is a highly touted left-handed with a low 90’s fastball and solid secondary stuff, he struggled with some health issues last spring. If healthy he will be one of the top arms in the state. Wallace and Coats will be solid with advanced pitchability. Wallace may flash an upper 80’s fastball, I am unsure where he is coming off Tommy John

Harrison: Harrison lost almost their entire roster from 2015’s state championship run. They still have some capable players including 2016 LHP Adam Brown. Brown is a 6-foot-3 left-hander with a mid-80’s fastball and a feel to pitch. Inexperience is after Brown, so it is wait and see for the Goblins pitching rotation.

Little Rock Christian: 2016 RHP Dylan Hays and 2016 LHP Carter Wade, return to a pitching staff that helped advance to the state tournament in 2015. Hays is a physical right-hander with a mid-80’s fastball from a low ¾ arm slot. Wade has advanced pitchabilty and keeps hitters off balance with a steady mix of pitches in off counts. The Warriors should get help from 2018 RHP Bennett Shoptaw who shows a quick clean arm.

Maumelle: 2016 Ryan Hunter, 2017 Shelby Quiggins and 2018 Connor McCullough will be a tough three man rotation. Hunter is a strike throwing right-hander that competes, Quiggins has a feel for three pitches and works down in the zone. McCullough is a big talent with an upper 80’s fastball and a feel for his breaking ball.

Vilonia: A group that lost the majority of its team and pitching rotation from 2015 team. They should rebound as a new wave of talent will come through and they should compete at a high level. Look for Bradley Taylor and Cody Mitchell to log meaningful innings.

Hitting

Farmington: A group that has plenty of experience returning from 2015. Playing several young players should pay dividends in 2016 as the Cardinals try to have some of the same success they had at the 4A level at the 5A level. 2016 could be the year for them to break into the state tournament lead by a hardnosed group offensively

Greenbrier: An inexperienced group but a talented group. They will be led by 2017 MIF Ryan Flake and 2017 Paxton Wallace. Wallace has a big time power to anchor the middle of the lineup. Expect other contributors to be 2016 MIF Cody McKnight, 2017 MIF Ryan Flake, 2016 Wyatt Brewer, 2016 Lane Herndon, 2017 Kane Thornton, and 2017 Hunter Russaw.

Harrison: 2016 MIF Cooper King is one of the few returners to the lineup. It might be a small number of returners but a good place to start. King is a grinder that puts together good at bats day in and day out. If the other players on this roster buy in, they could be a competitive group. Look for one key contributor to be 2017 C/OF Quinn Cherry.

Little Rock Christian: A group that should be a tough out, up and down the line up. A steady hand at the top of the lineup will be 2016 MIF Luke Van Dover and 2016 OF Joe Hampton. 2016 C/INF Jack Lee and 2019 C Cason Tollett should be key players in the line up to drive in runs.

Maumelle: 2016 MIF Harrison Rutledge, 2016 MIF/RHP Ryan Hunter and 2017 CIF/RHP Shelby Quiggins will be keys to the Hornets’ success. If this group will produce consistently it should spill over and breathe energy into the rest of the lineup. Look for Coach Barret Davis’s group to continue to show improvement as they are in year two of competition at the 5A level.

Vilonia: A young but talented group, Coach Brad Wallace is going to have plenty of position battles on his hands this spring with a bevy of talent at several positions. Key contributors should be: 2017 MIF Jordan Chandler, 2017 MIF Nick Howard, 2018 Jordan Korzen, and 2016 Garrett Sherril. Time will tell on this group but don’t sleep on them

Overall

A league with six competitive teams and only four spots for a state tournament bid. I look for Harrison and Vilonia to be on the outside looking in as they have too many holes to replace from their 2015 roster. Greenbrier, Little Rock Christian and Maumelle have more depth on the mound than the rest of the league. Farmington has more experience up and down the line up than anyone else.

Pick

I am picking the Little Rock Christian Warriors to win the 5A west. The Warriors will be solid at all phases of the game. 2016 MIF Luke Van Dover will be a consistent defender, coupled with 2016 Joe Hampton being a lock down center fielder. The have a group of hitters that should be tough top to bottom. Greenbrier should be a tough challenger with a ton of talent, health was an issue in 2015, if they stay healthy they may not only content for a conference title but a state title.