AL HS Team Preview: Phil Campbell Bobcats
February 6, 2020
High School: Phil Campbell Bobcats
2019 Record: 33-10
Head Coach: Jonathan Raper
AHSAA Classification: 3A
AHSAA Area: 14
2019 Area Finish: 1st
2019 Playoff Run: Lost in 4th round
RETURNING STARTERS:
’21 OF Trey Leindecker
’21 RHP/OF Brett Saint
’21 OF/RHP Levi Crittenden
TEAM STRENGTHS:
Experience, team chemistry, athleticism,
OUTLOOK:
The Phil Campbell Bobcats are coming off a 33-10 season that saw them advance to the 3A state semifinals and they are looking to build on that success in 2020. Coach Jonathan Raper likes the experience, team chemistry and athleticism of his squad but the team will be inexperienced at a few spots when certain pitchers are on the mound. One returner to the 2020 team is ’20 C/RHP Rilan Garrison. As a junior, Garrison hit .409 with 42 RBI’s while seeing time behind the plate and on the mound. He will be called on to do the same this year. ’21 RHP/3B Ridge Raper also returns after a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him go 8-1 on the mound with 79 K’s in 51 innings pitched. He finished with an ERA of 2.45 and also hit .367 with 43 RBI’s. Junior UTIL/RHP Austen Baker saw most of his time on the mound of the bullpen a year ago as he finished with an ERA of 1.45 in 33 2/3 innings pitched. Baker also produced at the plate as he hit .345 for the year with 45 RBI’s. Another junior that returns after a stellar two-way season in 2019 is SS/2B/RHP Luke Barnwell. A year ago he hit .356 and drove in 25 runs and on the mound he was 3-1 with 33 innings pitched with a 1.69 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen. Junior OF Trey Leindecker will man one of the outfield spots this season after hitting .312 with 27 RBI’s a year ago. RHP/OF Brett Saint is another junior that saw time on the mound in 2019 as he went 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 33 innings pitched. A year ago Saint split time in the outfield as well. Yet another junior is OF/RHP Levi Crittenden who also split time in the outfield a year ago as well but should play a larger role this season. ’22 2B/SS/RHP Mason Swinney will be back after a spectacular freshman season that saw him hit .400 with 31 RBI’s. He was also 2-0 on the mound and should see more innings on the mound this season. Obviously the Bobcats will lean heavily on their strong junior class to make another playoff push.
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