The Mississippi high school season kicks off on February 26, the first day for regular season games. Most teams will begin practicing on January 29, getting their rosters set and finalizing their lineups.

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will be posting high school team previews every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Vancleave

Preseason Rank: 20
2017 Record: 17-10
MHSAA Classification: 4A
MHSAA District:
Head Coach: Daniel Best
Playoff Run: 1^st round
2017 Final Rank: 2^nd
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Pitchers: All

 

Top Players

Name	State	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Bailee Hendon	MS	Vancleave	2018	LHP	Jones County JC
Colton Hipp	MS	Vancleave	2018	SS	Meridian CC
Evan Keith	MS	Vancleave	2018	3B	East Central CC
Van.lonothan Knight	MS	Vancleave	2018	RHP	-
Gavin Mckerchie	MS	Vancleave	2018	1B	East Mississippi CC
Justin Stokes	MS	Vancleave	2018	RHP	-
Hayden Robb	MS	Vancleave	2018	RHP	Mississippi Gulf Coast JC

Stat Rat (X-Factor)

Justin Stokes (.314-BA, 24-RBI, 10-2B)
Evan Keith (.295-BA, 15-RBI, 5-2B)
Colton Hipp (.286-BA, 8-RBI)
Hayden Robb (0.21-ERA, 57-K, 13-BB)

Outlook
Coach Daniel Best and the Bulldogs showed a talented team in 2017 losing only 10 games, returning a lot of talent in 2018. The depth of the pitching staff will be key for the Bulldogs. With a solid core of seniors, the Bulldogs will rely heavily on two-way players Bailee Hendon, Colton Hipp, Evan Keith, and Gavin McKerchie to lead them through the 2018 campaign.

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