OSSAA 6A Regional Previews: Mustang 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.
MUSTANG BRONCOS
OVERALL RECORD: 23-8
DISTRICT RECORD: 12-2
POWER 25 WINS: 3
PLAYERS TO WATCH
GRAHAM HYLTON, C, 2023, BUTLER CC COMMIT
TRISTEN RUSSELL, RHP, 2023
JACKSON PICKELSIMER, RHP/INF, 2024
LUKE MILLER, OF, 2023
Coach Patterson and the Broncos are no strangers to making deep runs in the playoffs and this year’s squad has quietly put together one of the more impressive resumes heading into the regionals this week. They come in playing some of their best baseball of the season racking up 14 wins in 16 games in the month of April thanks to strong starting pitching and a difficult lineup to navigate 1-9. Their biggest strength might come from their ability to defend especially up the middle with plus defenders at catcher with Hylton, Stokes and Lawson in the middle infield, and senior Luke Miller in center. Their ability to defend at a high level and the strike throwing capabilities of their starters allowed them to be in almost every game this season and is a strong recipe for success to make a deep run in the postseason.
YUKON MILLERS
OVERALL RECORD: 22-12
DISTRICT RECORD: 10-4
POWER 25 WINS: 5
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WYATT PACE, RHP/3B, 2023, COFFEYVILLE CC COMMIT
COLTON STRANGE, C, 2023, UCO COMMIT
TREVIN PETTIGREW, 1B/LHP, 2023, MURRAY STATE JC COMMIT
CALE PARR, INF/RHP, 2024
Coach Phillips took Edmond Santa Fe all the way to the 6A state championship game last year and moved over to Yukon for the 2023 campaign that saw the Millers put together an impressive resume headed into the postseason. The Millers got unfortunate news before the season with the loss of Ethan Horton and the potential to have a true number one threat on the mound but they were able to rebound and put together some very strong pitching numbers throughout the year. They rely on numerous guys on the mound to piece together 7 innings and have done a great job of mixing and matching all year to allow their explosive lineup that put up 14 double digit run games on the year to help carry the load. The Millers have key experience in impact spots with guys that have been contributors at the Varsity level over the past couple of years as well as some exciting younger guys showing their high level potential to fill in the gaps. They will look to that same formula of mixing and matching arms and letting their power bats try and put up crooked numbers to try and advance back to the State tournament.
NORMAN TIGERS
OVERALL RECORD: 18-15
DISTRICT RECORD: 6-8
POWER 25 WINS: 0
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LIAM MCKINNEY, OF/LHP, 2023
RYLAN SCHUCHMAN, OF, 2024
TRACE REDWINE, UTL/LHP, 2024
Coach Merrell and the Tigers showed what they are capable of in the middle of the season sweeping their way through the Rose Rock Classic and earning a spot in our Power 25. They carried that over to another strong performance at the S.O.I Tournament where they would again sweep their way through to cap off an 8 game winning streak. Since then the Tigers have struggled and find themselves limping their way into the postseason losing 6 out of their last 7 games. They will look to rebound back into the form they showed earlier in the year and get hot down the stretch with impact players like Dax Noles leading the way. They have gotten strong pitching performances throughout the year from left-hander Liam McKinney and if he is on, he has the type of sweeping stuff that can chase barrels and give the Tigers a chance to pick off talented teams.
PUTNAM CITY WEST PATRIOTS
OVERALL RECORD: 7-24
DISTRICT RECORD: 2-12
POWER 25 WINS: 0
PLAYERS TO WATCH
JAXON HYDE-HERRERA, C/UTL/RHP, 2024
NATHAN VANN, MIF/RHP, 2025
SAM HERNANDEZ, C, 2024
It has been a tough stretch for the Patriots and coach Garen Wright in 2023 finishing with a 7 and 24 record and picking off Northwest Classen for their only two district wins. The good news for the Patriots is they have some talented players on the roster that have gained valuable experience over the past couple of years that should help continue to move the program forward in the right direction as they continue to try and develop much needed depth. The pitching staff struggled for a large portion of the season but in their last 5 games they have only allowed 11 runs giving them a small amount of momentum headed into regional play. While they might not have the firepower to play the role of Cinderella in 2023, they still have a couple of players on the roster that opposing teams will need to take notice of to avoid the upset.