Prep Baseball Report

2022 Preseason Power 25 Rankings: No. 11-15


Colton Provey
Tennessee Scouting Director

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The 2022 TN high school season is less than a week away! Teams across the state are making the final touches and prepping for the Spring campaign. With season around the corner, the PBR TN Preseason Power 25 Rankings returns for our second season highlighting the top clubs to and Spring Fling hopefuls. Of the 25 programs featured in the 2021 preseason rankings, 12 of them reached the state tournament: #1 Baylor, #2 Farragut, #3 CAK, #4 Beech, #5 CPA, #8 Briarcrest, #16 Siegel, #19 Clarksville, #20 McCallie, #21 Science Hill, #23 McMinn County, and #24 Pigeon Forge. Three of those clubs walked away state champions (Baylor, CPA, & Science Hill) and two finished runner up (Briarcrest & Pigeon Forge). This year will hopefully be more of the same, littered with teams making serious postseason runs in 2022. The Power 25 is determined by returning prospects, season outlook, and building off last season for teams from all classifications. 

We'll continue to update this list throughout the season and expand our coverage with the TN Preseason Class Rankings coming out on opening day (March 14th). Be sure to stay tuned as we continue releasing the PBR TN Top 100 and Team Previews to provide top notch coverage of high school teams and prospects. For the Power 25, let's get started with no. 21-25....

Preseason Power 25 Rankings

No. 21-25

No. 16-20

 

No. 11-15

No. 15 Stewarts Creek (Last year: 23-14 | 4A)
The Redhawks finished third in the Murfreesboro district, but put together a solid postseason run last season. "The Creek" won three straight in the district tourney to reach the championship before falling to Siegel. They knocked off Lincoln County in the region semifinals then went on the road to face McMinn County for sub-state, but ultimately lost 2-1 to end the season. They'll return a heavy senior-led group for the 2022 campaign. They'll have senior C Luke Dymond (LMU Commit) behind the dish and in the meat of the order while '23 C Lex Falsone will be a very solid number two. The club features a deep infield group with '22 MINF Cooper Newsom (Harding Commit), '22 MINF Keenan Saiyasak (Freed-Hardeman Commit), '22 INF Brett Vondohlen (MTSU Commit), and '22 INF Bryce Jackson (Uncommitted). They have flexibility to rotate these guys around to field the best defensive layout as well as utilize them in the batting order as they've all been consistent contributors. Senior OFs Reggie Cooper (Cleveland St CC Commit) and Robert Matano (Jackson St CC Commit) will roam the outfield plus '22 RHP/OF Nick Kemp and '23 OF Gage Hoover could fill the final spot among other options. '22 RHP Caleb Peterson (MTSU Commit) will slide into the ace role after being very sharp last season as he can pitch in the upper 80s and mix effectively. '23 RHP/3B Zachary Lawson will be another one to watch as he's steadily improved on the mound and can even provide some bop at the plate. One to keep eyes on will be '24 RHP/MINF Aiden Schwartz, who had a nice showing at Preseason All State, flashing athleticism and the ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes. Interesting to see how the pitching shakes out behind Peterson as even '25 RHP Chase Fernandez can throw some serviceable innings. Stewarts Creek will be the district favorites after Murfreesboro split in the new 4A class, and they'll look for their seniors to help lead them to the state tourney.

 

No. 14 Grace Christian Academy (Last year: 26-10 | D2-A)
The Lions had to run through the Middle gauntlet last year, winning the district tournament and finishing third in the middle region. They went on the road and defeated a good Silverdale club, but ultimately dropped the three game series against Tipton Rosemark to end their season. They lost a quality bunch of seniors, but they still have a well-rounded, upperclass heavy club with good balance. '24 RHP Hudson Barton (Vandy Commit) will be featured in a larger role after working mostly out of the bullpen and up to 89 this summer. '22 RHP/1B  Jackson Sleeper (Christian Brothers Commit) will be a key arm and can provide some pop at the plate. '23 RHP Silas Jones was a very solid bullpen arm, who has flashed some upside with his stuff. '23 CF Jordan Carter (Memphis Commit) and '23 SS/RHP Trace Phillips (Memphis Commit) will hold down the middle of the defense and shown to be strong offensive weapons. '22 CINF Gunnar Haskins (Arkansas Monticello Commit) hit in the middle of the order and has a strong bat to drive in runs. '22 OF/RHP Parker Wyatt (Uncommitted) can provide help on both sides as an athletic bat and strong relief/closer option. '23 INF Cade Fuller is another athletic position player, who played a role in their run. '22 OF Dawson Bechman and '22 INF Dean Bechman have been staples and solid contributors while '24 C Owen Brewer and '25 OF/C Nolan Maloney figure to split up catching duties. Overall, the Lions will be very competitive every night due to an array of pitching options and a lineup that looks to smash the baseball, which they hope will be enough to push them into the state tourney this year. 

 

No. 13 Science Hill (Last year: 34-9 | 4A)
Last season, the Toppers dropped a district/rivalry game to Dobyns Bennett 6-5 on April 27th, and they responded by winning fourteen straight to close out the season. They allowed 3 or less runs in 9 of their 10 postseason games, and capped off the year winning the 3A state title in a 9-5 win over Hardin County. They relied on tremendous depth, quality pitching, and clean baseball defensively in their historic run. '22 LHP/OF Cole Torbett (MTSU Commit) will be at the forefront after serving as the ace and manning CF while hitting in the leadoff spot. '22 RHP/OF Caleb McBride (Carson Newman Commit) figures to slot into a bigger role after closing out the title game last season. '22 LHP Gavin Briggs (King Commit) tossed it well at the state tourney and rounds out the front of the pitching staff. '22 INF Jaxon Diamond (Uncommitted) has played multiple infield positions and can be a impact bat in the order. They lose '22 SS Jack Torbett (Walters St Commit) due to injury, but have several options to fill his role including '23 SS Jeffery Bedard and '24 SS Jackson Berry. '22 C Owen Painter returns behind the dish and '23 C/3B Caden Torraca is a very solid number two option with some pop. They'll have to fill some outfield spots, specially when Torbett is pitching, so watch for '24 OF Landon Smelser, '22 OF/DH Jacob McCallister, or '24 OF Josh Marmo to get some time among others. I get a very similar vibe from the Toppers as last season, which is they're gonna have pitching and positional depth with no 90+ arms and a lineup top to bottom that can get the job done. They've shown it can be a winning formula with last season's title, but we'll have to see how it plays out for the defending champs in the new 4A class 

 

No. 12 Riverdale (Last year: 26-7 | 4A)
The Warriors captured the regular season district title last season, but unfortunately they were the odd man out in the district tourney. In a highly competitive league, they dropped games to Siegel (state tourney) and Stewarts Creek (sub-state appearance), which ultimately ended their season prematurely at 26-7. Stewarts Creek switched districts during the transition to 4A, and Riverdale expects to be in a battle for the top spot with Siegel yet again. They return a solid senior core from last years club, which should help them out the gate. '22 C Brantley Bamberg (Louisville Commit) will handle catching duties and hit in the middle of the order with plenty of arm strength and big power. '22 LHH OF Cade Hitson (Walters St CC Commit) is a high energy player and will hit in the middle of the order as run producer. '22 RHP/3B William Wexler (Walters St CC Commit) will be back at the hot corner plus a lefty stick, who also really came along on the mound in a bullpen role last season. '24 SS Caleb Jordan showed a smooth lefty stroke and was very solid defensively at Preseason All State. '22 RHP/OF Jackson Underwood (MTSU Commit) was the ace last year, who works in the upper 80s, mixes four pitches, and throws strikes. '22 RHP Grayson King (Columbia St CC Commit) has continued to develop and can handle a starter role. Transfer '24 RHP Camden Sholar can be another option on the mound with '24 RHP/UTL Bradley Pippin down with injury this season. Good mix of veterans and some emerging sophomores should put the Warriors in good position to make a run this year. 

 

No. 11 Houston (Last year: 34-6 | 4A) 
The Mustangs looked like a serious contender last Spring as they had a good balance of veteran arms and bats. They went 4-1 vs Collierville including the postseason and only lost four games to TN clubs. They swept the district tournament and region games to host Brighton in sub-state, but Brighton was hot and ended Houston's season in a 4-1 loss. Mustangs lost a good senior bunch, but they'll return several talented pieces to step up and push in the new 4A Memphis district. '22 RHP Brady Jones (Dyersburg St CC Commit) and '23 RHP Dean McCalla look to step up and fill starter roles after Miller Riggins departure. Jones has been in the upper 80s with good breaking stuff while McCalla climbed to 90 last Spring. '22 RHP JD Klug (Volunteer St CC Commit) and '22 RHP/3B Connor Weaks were very solid arms last year, and look to have expanded roles. Positionally, '24 INF Robinson Martin (Tennessee Commit) will look to build off strong Spring/Summer while playing up the middle. '25 INF Ryan Mitchell (Georgia Tech Commit) will look to make an impact as a true freshman. '23 INF/RHP Tyler Yearwood is another solid piece on the infield and can provide some depth on the mound. '23 OF Ryan Bland had a solid year and will roam the outfield as a returning piece. '22 C Jesse Dalton is back behind the dish and '23 C Sam Smith is a solid number two. '24 INF Donovan Mitchell saw some time as a freshman on varsity, and will look to be a more consistent contributor as well. The Mustangs will have to find the right groove, but they're not lacking talent in this bunch heading into the season.

 

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