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High School  | General  | 3/5/2023

Oxford Makes it 2 Titles in 3 Years

Jered Goodwin     
Photo: Oxford High School (Perfect Game)

Oxford wins 2nd PG High School Showdown in 3 Years
  
Hoover, Ala. – The Red Championship Game had the most action of any of the final games during the event. It was a back-and-forth affair between the Oxford and Montverde with the game coming down to the final swing. The Oxford Yellow Jackets would complete a 8-7 win to take home the trophy again (2021).
 
The action started quickly with both teams combing for seven runs. Montverde struck first for two, getting a hit from John Martinez and capitalizing on an error to score. Oxford responded by putting up a five spot in the bottom half of the first. Nick Richardson, Carter Johnson Hudson Gilman all had singles in the innings. Hayes Harrison chipped in with a sacrifice fly. Trace Adams drove in three to end the five run innings with a huge two out double.
 
The big inning did not phase the Montverde bats, however, as they put up three in the top of the 2nd inning. Justin Orridge doubled down the leftfield line. Edwin Garriga, AJ Goytia, and Martinez all had hits to help the scoring and made it 5-5 game. Oxford would retake the lead on a long homerun from Carter Johnson to retake the lead in the bottom half of the inning, 6-5.
 
Montverde took its first lead of the game in the top of the 3rd inning capitalizing on Anthon J Cole’s single, another Justin Orridge double, and then a couple defensive miscues to take a 7-6 lead that would hold until the bottom of the 5th.
 
In the bottom of the 5th Peyton Watts led off with a long triple  and would come around to score on another Gilman single. Gilman then motored around to score after a walk and an rbi hit from Forrest Heacock that gave the lead back to Oxford for good, 8-7.
 
RJ Brooks threw the last three innings without giving up a run while striking out five to earn the win in relief. The final out added to the excitement though as Anthony J Cole took a big swing and drove the ball deep to left field. The ball landed in the glove of the Oxford defender just short of the warning track to preserve the win.
 
Montverde knocked off ranked Hoover to earn a spot in the final game.
 
The Oxford Yellow Jackets knocked off ranked Lewisburg on its way to the Red Championship game.
 
MVP-Player – Carter Johnson
MV-Pitcher – Matthew Heyl



Other Notable Day 3 Standouts

Colton Wombles (2023, Phenix City, Ala.) had a big day on Saturday, coming up just short of willing Central Phenix into the championship game. He’s a high energy defender with good catch and throw skills behind the plate. The movements back there are smooth and he has a good arm as well. The bat continues to shine as he finds the barrel very often. He’s a physical player standing at 5-foot-9, 185-pounds and has tons of strength at impact. He’s one of the top backstops in the country and he continues to show why in every look.
 
Jaewoo Cho (2023, Bradenton, Fla.) was really solid in his outing for IMG Academy in the semifinals. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander has good stuff and command of the baseball. He went six innings and only allowed three hits while striking six batters out. The fastball worked consistently into the upper-80s with riding life out of the hand. He turned over some really good changeups in the low-80s and spins a sharp curveball in the upper-70s. It’s a full repertoire that he commands and competes with on the bump. 


Jack Ruckert (2025, Baton Rouge, La.) was one of the better hitters in the back half of the weekend, hitting a loud home run to right field. The 6-foot, 175-pound middle infielder is an exceptional athlete with big tools across the board. He’s a top 50 player in the 2025 class and showed why throughout the week. It’s a loose left handed cut with easy pull side power and more coming as he continues to fill out the build. The barrel skills are elite and he hits the ball to all parts of the field. The LSU commit continues to be a huge part of Catholic High School’s team and will be for the foreseeable future.
 
Andrew Purdy (2025, Calhoun, Ga.) has long been one of my favorite watches on the circuit and he continued to impress in the Showdown. The big 6-foor-3 shortstop is uber athletic and moves around extremely well for the size. The left-handed swing it as pure as it gets with tons of strength at impact. He generates some serious bat speed and just has a knack for finding the barrel. He should be able to stick on the left side of the infield for the foreseeable future. The Alabama commit is one of the top players not only in Georgia but in the entire country.
 
Peyton Watts (2023, Oxford, Ala.) was dominant in the semifinals, throwing an absolute gem in route to a spot in the championship. He went six no-hit innings and struck out two. He induced a ton of weak contact and lived in the zone with a good two pitch mix. The fastball got up to 87 mph and lived 84-86 throughout. The curveball showed consistent 11-5 shape in the low-70s. The Troy commit dominated in a massive game for Oxford. He turned in one of the best performances of the weekend.
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