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2026 Southern Academy Cougars Team Preview

January 30, 2026
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: Southern Academy Cougars
Head Coach: Kyle Maxie
Classification & Area Number: Class AA, Region 2 - Area 1
2025 Record (Finish): 25-12 (State Runner-Up) 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

RHP Brayden Hennigan (8/27/23)

OTHER UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

RHP/UTL Jackson Hasty (5/18/25)

TEAM OUTLOOK

Southern Academy enters the 2026 season carrying significant momentum after a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Cougars finish as the Class AA State Runner-Up. With only one senior on last year’s roster, Southern Academy paired youth with production, finishing 25-12 while hitting .325 as a team and making a deep postseason run that included wins over Edgewood, Fort Dale, and Bessemer before pushing the state championship series to Game 3. That experience has set the tone heading into 2026, with expectations firmly established.

The Cougars return a strong core highlighted by RHP Brayden Hennigan (2026), who steps back in as the ace of the staff after striking out 95 batters last season. RHP/UTL BoBraeden Agee (2027) provides impact on both sides of the ball, hitting .357 with six doubles, a home run, and 28 RBIs, while also going 6-2 on the mound with 66 strikeouts. The offense is driven by a talented sophomore class led by SS/RHP Drew Rogers (2028), who posted a .443 average, 54 hits, 45 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases, and INF/RHP Wyatt Martin (2028), who hit .394 with 43 hits, 43 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Additional depth comes from experienced upperclassmen including C Mason Eisenhower (2026), OF Cooper Thorn (2026), RHP/UTL Jackson Hasty (2026), and RHP/UTL Brooks Henderson (2026), along with versatile underclass contributors such as 1B/C Walt Etheridge (2027), RHP/1B Mason Turner (2027), and UTL JB Bishop (2027).

Looking ahead to 2026, Southern Academy’s strengths lie in its athleticism, positional versatility, and depth on the mound, paired with the confidence that comes from a championship-level postseason run. The Cougars return battle-tested pieces throughout the roster and carry a clear sense of purpose after falling just short last spring. “In 2025 the Cougars got hot at the right time,” head coach Kyle Maxie said. “Looking toward the 2026 season, this team is hungry to be the last ones standing. The valuable experience and lessons learned last season have fueled them this offseason to be better than they were before and FIN1SH.”

Find more information on the 2026 Southern Academy program below:

+ Follow them on X: @Cougar_BSBL
+ 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

 

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