OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Choctaw Regional
May 2, 2023
Prep Baseball Report Oklahoma has been all over the State the past few months scouting and covering games bringing you the most comprehensive High School baseball coverage. Today we take a look at the teams in 6A with looks at their record, district record, Power 25 Rankings wins on the season, players to watch throughout the postseason, as well as a more in-depth look at each team's season and outlook heading out into the postseason. Follow us on twitter @PBR_Oklahoma as we cover games throughout the next two weeks until the final dog pile of the season.
CHOCTAW YELLOWJACKETS
OVERALL RECORD: 23-7
DISTRICT RECORD: 13-1
POWER 25 WINS: 4
PLAYERS TO WATCH
RJ JACKSON, 1B, 2023, TULSA FOOTBALL COMMIT
CAMDEN WHITE, RHP/OF, 2023, EASTERN OKLAHOMA COMMIT
EASTON COSTA, RHP, 2024
JT LECLAIRE, INF/RHP, 2023
BROCK WEST, C, 2023, MURRAY STATE JC COMMIT
You always want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the season and that is exactly the position coach Hawk and the Yellowjackets find themselves in headed into regional play. Choctaw has won 18 out of their last 20 games thanks to an explosive offense and strong pitching depth. They are able to stretch the lineup 1-9 as good as anyone and have one of the scarier 3-4 duos in the state with Cash Williams and RJ Jackson. If they are getting baserunners in front of those two, it’s their recipe to put up big innings thanks to the unique abilities of power and barrel control those two possess. After dropping the second game of the series to Mustang in their third game of the season, the Jackets have rattled off an impressive 12-0 run in district play while also picking off some of the better teams on the east side in mid April. If they can continue to get quality pitching out of their deep staff and continue to put up runs in bunches, look for Choctaw to be a true contender to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.
EDMOND NORTH HUSKIES
OVERALL RECORD: 22-9
DISTRICT RECORD: 10-4
POWER 25 WINS: 4
PLAYERS TO WATCH
OWEN HALL, RHP, 2024, VANDERBILT COMMIT
NICK GARCIA, RHP/OF, 2023, CISCO JC COMMIT
JAKE KNOX, C, 2023, CISCO JC COMMIT
SPENCER BIGGERSTAFF, OF/LHP, 2023, OCU COMMIT
STEPHEN VALOIS, INF, 2023, ROSE STATE COMMIT
The Edmond North Huskies led by coach Gary Bandy have one of the more interesting resumes in 6A heading into 2023 regionals. They finished the regular season with a one run loss to Westmoore in game one of their series, that if the result would have been flipped in their favor, they would be district champions but instead find themselves hitting the road this week to try and make it to the state tournament. What makes the Huskies so dangerous in postseason play is the potential for their starting pitching to take over games with pure stuff. Both Owen Hall and Pryce Bender have elite stuff that can miss bats in a hurry and if they are firing on all cylinders, they offer the Huskies arguably the most talented one-two punch in the state. They have a scrappy offense that can manufacture runs in multiple ways with some barrel control guys sprinkled up and down the lineup with a couple of power hitters mixed in. They have shown the ability to play strong defense especially up the middle which if their pitching is on makes them tough to beat. For the Huskies to advance to more baseball in the coming weeks, they will need their impact arms to step up in a big way, and if they do, don’t be surprised to see the Huskies make a deep run this month.
NORMAN NORTH TIMBERWOLVES
OVERALL RECORD: 18-17
DISTRICT RECORD: 6-8
POWER 25 WINS: 0
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SPENCER ILLE, LHP 2024
JACKSON LUNDQUIST, INF/OF, 2023, PARIS JC COMMIT
LANDON BRUCE, MIF, 2023, SAN JACINTO JC COMMIT
BRETT TREASE, RHP, 2023, REDLANDS CC COMMIT
Coach Aylor and the Timberwolves had an up and down season that saw them finish one game over .500 on the year but that doesn’t tell the whole story heading into the postseason. The Timberwolves have won 9 out of their last 10 games heading into regionals and will look to take that momentum with them along with their strong pitching as of late into the 4 team matchup. In those last ten games they are giving up less than two runs a game on average and with some of the accomplished hitters in the lineup, gives them a chance to make a couple upsets and continue their run through the postseason. The one thing you have to watch out for when playing Norman North is their ability to change the game with elite speed coming from both Lundquist and Bruce at the top of the order. When those guys get on base they can turn a walk into a triple in a hurry and they have hitters like Robert Evans that have done a good job throughout the year in their ability to drive in runs. If they continue to keep getting strong outings on the mound and get their speed on the basepaths, they have a chance to not only play spoiler but really surprise some teams this week.
NORTHWEST CLASSEN KNIGHTS
OVERALL RECORD: 19-16
DISTRICT RECORD: 0-14
POWER 25 WINS: 0
In what is one of the more bizarre resumes across 6A this year, Coach Todd and the Knights were able to finish the season with an impressive winning record despite getting 0 wins in their district games. Playing teams with similar resources, the Knights were able to rack up a lot of victories showing they have the ability to win games on an even playing field. Although there were challenges against some of the state’s best in their district, the Knights have a lot to look forward to after finishing with an above .500 record for the first time in the past couple of years.
- OK OSSAA 5A State Tournament Preview 5/10/23
- OK OSSAA 6A State Tournament Preview 5/09/23
- OK OSSAA 4A State Tournament Preview 5/09/23
- OK PBR OK OSSAA 6A Regional Previews 5/02/23
- OK OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Mustang Regional 5/02/23
- OK OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Enid Regional 5/02/23
- OK OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Choctaw Regional 5/02/23
- OK OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Sand Springs Regional 5/02/23