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2026 Deshler Tigers Team Preview

February 5, 2026
Prep Baseball Alabama Staff

The 2026 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in the Jacksonville/Oxford/Montgomery area 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 rankings in each AHSAA classification.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state.

Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week, updating the top-10 ranks in each AHSAA classification, as well updating our Power 25 overall rankings. One thing, especially, you don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state, as well as the recaps and previews of the big games we’re covering.

*Please note the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Deshler Tigers
Head Coach: Justin Cantrell
Classification & Area Number: Class 4A, Area 14
2025 Record (Finish): 33-11 (State Champions)

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

RHP/SS Garrett Reid (6/17/25)

OTHER UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

C Ben Harpham (1/5/26)

TEAM OUTLOOK

Coming off a historic 2025 season, Deshler enters 2026 with championship expectations firmly in place after finishing 33-11 and capturing the program’s first-ever Class 4A state title. The Tigers not only brought home the trophy, but also produced the 4A Player of the Year and two First Team All-State selections, capping one of the most successful seasons in school history. With the core of that roster returning, Deshler isn’t starting over, they’re reloading with a group that’s already proven it can win at the highest level.

The lineup is once again anchored by RHP/SS Garrett Reid (Samford2026), the reigning 4A Player of the Year, a two-time All-State selection and Samford signee who impacts the game on both sides of the ball. On the mound, Reid and RHP/UTL Price Thornton (2026), a First Team All-State pitcher who has been a varsity staple since the eighth grade, return as front-line arms, while RHP/INF Dylan Olive (Northwest-Shoals CC, 2026) adds another experienced option to a deep staff. The infield remains steady with INF Camden Fuller (2026), a three-year starter at second base, 1B Jay Murner (2027), a two-year starter at first, and 1B Nash Adams (2026), who brings continuity and experience. Behind the plate, C George Youngblood (2027) returns after catching 192.1 innings a year ago, providing stability and leadership. The outfield is loaded with proven pieces, led by OF Brady McKinney (2026), an elite defender, along with OF/LHP Austin Hubbard (2026), a two-time First Team All-State selection, and a deep group that includes OF/LHP Warner Johnson (2027), OF Austin King (2027), OF Brycen Williams (2027), and OF Tripp Clark (2027). Additional depth comes from a strong group of upperclassmen, including LHP/OF Myles Rogers (2026), RHP/C Adrian Bryam (2026), C Ben Harpham (2027), INF Carter Boyett (2027), 1B Judson Lindsey (2027), OF Jeremiah Fletcher (2027), C Josh Hawkins (2027), and INF Julian Hill-Hart (2027), giving Deshler both experience and options across the diamond.

The strength of this team starts with experience. Deshler lost only two starters from last year’s championship lineup and has lost just three total over the past two seasons, returning seven positional starters plus the DH and nearly the entire pitching staff. On the mound, the Tigers bring back multiple arms with state honors and a group that includes six pitchers who have started multiple games in their careers, along with several who thrived in relief roles. Defensively, Deshler was outstanding a year ago, posting a .956 fielding percentage, and that same core returns to set the tone again in 2026. “This year’s team will feature many returns from our state championship team. We have a very experienced team this year. We have to compete all year and not be complacent or satisfied,” said head coach Justin Cantrell. With championship pedigree, depth on the mound, and a veteran lineup, Deshler enters the spring the favorite on paper to once again contend for another Class 4A State Title.

Find more information on the 2026 Deshler High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @DeshlerBaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2026 HS Team Previews

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