Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2026 Oakman Wildcats Team Preview

December 10, 2025
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

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: Oakman Wildcats
Head Coach: Ryan Hall
Classification & Area Number: Class 3A, Area 10
2025 Record (Finish): 16-16 (Missed Playoffs)

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

SS Hampton Hall (8/2/25)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

OTHER UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

TEAM OUTLOOK

Oakman heads into the 2026 season as one of the youngest, yet most experienced, small-school programs in Alabama, coming off a 16-16 year in which a roster dominated by eighth-and ninth-graders held its own in one of the toughest areas in Class 3A. Area 10 featured both 3A North semifinalists (Winfield and Gordo), giving the Wildcats a postseason-caliber environment throughout the regular season, and despite their youth, they notched quality wins over Thomasville and Collinsville at the 2025 PB Alabama Smalltown Showdown. With three seniors and one junior leading a roster that has already logged significant varsity innings, Oakman enters 2026 battle-tested, deeper on the mound, and more physically developed across the lineup.

Offensively and defensively, the Wildcats are anchored by a veteran senior duo in 3B Brady Jones (2026) and 1B Weston Burton (2026), both three-year starters who bring valuable production and leadership. Jones enters his senior year with 25 career doubles and seven home runs while also serving as a key arm in the rotation. Burton’s on-base skill set is elite for the classification, having reached base via 64 career hit-by-pitches while swiping 55 career bags, giving Oakman a dependable threat in the middle of the order. The strength of the team, however, may lie in its sophomore class, headlined by SS Hampton Hall (2028), a three-year starter who hit .376 in 2025 with nine doubles, two triples, and a home run. C Ledger Martin (2028), also a three-year starter, hit .310 with 24 stolen bases and provides stability behind the dish, while 2B Skyler Driver (2028) and CF/RHP Tucker Willcutt (2028) round out a talented group that has already logged multiple seasons of varsity experience. On the mound, Oakman adds much-needed depth while returning several high-leverage arms. Senior RHP Ethan Hendon (2026) is expected to lead the staff, joined by RHP Brady Jones (2026) and RHP/OF/IF Ethan Hutchison (2027), all of whom bring experience and competitiveness to the rotation. One of the biggest risers in the program is freshman RHP Eli Woodard (2029), who already owns nine career wins and projects to shoulder an even larger workload in 2026. Willcutt (2028) and OF/RHP Reid Harbin (2030) give the Wildcats additional depth and versatility, providing options for both long relief and midweek starts. With several new additions expected to contribute meaningful innings, Oakman’s pitching staff should be more balanced and capable of handling a demanding tournament schedule. Defensively, the Wildcats should remain strong up the middle with Martin, Hall, Driver, and Willcutt all returning as experienced anchors at premium positions.

Despite still being a young team, just three seniors and one junior, the Wildcats’ extensive varsity experience, combined with a strengthened pitching staff and improved offensive punch, positions them to compete in a loaded Area 10 and navigate a challenging schedule that includes the PB Alabama Smalltown Showdown, Gulf Coast Classic, and Choccolocco Experience. As head coach Ryan Hall notes, “We are still young, but they have played a lot already. We should be battle-tested with the area we are in and the schedule we play. We have added some guys that we think will help us on the mound and give us some punch offensively.” With their continued growth and expanded depth, Oakman looks poised to take a noticeable step forward in 2026.

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

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

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Facebook

 

Related Content