Alabama High School Team Preview: Edgewood Academy Wildcats
January 6, 2021
The 2021 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. That excitement may be at an all- time high entering this high school season as the 2020 high school baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season during an offseason unlike any other and as always, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.
Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in Montgomery at the AISA or AHSAA state championships 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 Alabama. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing our scheduled podcasts and releasing our preseason Top 10 in each AHSAA classification.
*Please note that all information is based on team preview questionnaires that were sent out and returned by the participating high school coaches.
High School: Edgewood Academy
Classification: AISA - Class AA Region 1 Area 2
Positional Starters Returning: 7
Pitchers Returning: 3
Team Strengths: Offense and Defense
Team Weaknesses: Pitching
Top Returning Players:
2021 2B/3B/RHP Mitchell Boyd
2021 RHP/OF/INF Connor Bailey
2021 SS Undrez Crawford
Top 2022 Prospects:
2022 INF/OF Jack Balda
2022 INF/RHP J.T. Brazell
2022 RHP Colton Jones
Top 2023 and 2024 Prospects:
2023 INF/OF/RHP Bradley Boone
2024 DH/RHP/3B/C Tyler Bullard
Outlook:
The Wildcats return 7 positional starters in 2021 and a few pitchers but they will be in search of some other arms to step into a vital role on the mound. Six seniors return and should be the backbone of the team. Those seniors are:
C Alex Johnson has a physical frame (5'11 200 lbs.) with nice arm strength behind the plate to go along with solid middle of the field offensive approach. Johnson shows nice plate discipline as well.
Brooks Dobson is a senior that returns and can play C, 1B or 3B and should be a run producer as he shows some nice power off the bat.
Mitchell Boyd is another senior that can play several different positions (RHP/2B/3B) and shows a very compact offensive approach with a good deal of opposite field juice.
Yet another senior that can play a variety of positions is Connor Bailey. The speedy Bailey will see time on the mound and can also play anywhere on the field.
OF Dawson Owens will man an outfield spot and gets great jumps on balls off the bat and can really run. He is a threat when on the bases.
SS Undrez Crawford is a solid defender in the dirt and also does a nice job handling the bat at the plate.
In addition to these seniors, there are several other players to keep an eye on in 2021, an din future years. Junior Jack Balda is a very versatile that can play all 3 OF positions and a number of spots on the IF. J.T. Brazell is a junior that will see time on the mound and will showcase his defensive prowess on the infield. Colton Jones is a physical (6'3, 240 lbs.) RHP that has nice arm side action on the fastball with a developing slider. Jones shows a ton of composure on the mound and isn't fazed by big situations. Sophomore Bradley Boone is yet another Wildcat that can play almost any position on the infield and in the outfield while also logging innings on the mound. Boone has a high baseball IQ. Freshman Tyler Bullard is a solid defensive catcher with a good arm that also handles the bat well. The AISA Wildcats will have a ton of moving pieces this year as most of their players can play a multitude of positions.
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