Robert Wilson spent 23 years at The Clarion-Ledger/Jackson Daily News as a sportswriter with more than half of those years covering high school sports, mostly in the Metro Jackson area. He helped choose the Dandy Dozen in various sports for more than a decade. Wilson rebirthed a similar team with Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Elite 11 Preseason Baseball Team based on our All-Metro team selections from the previous season. Wilson selected the best players from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties from their performances last season. The players below are in alphabetical order.
By Robert Wilson
Stone Crain, Clinton, Junior, catcher
Crain had a .408 batting average and had 19 runs batted in, 9 doubles, and 3 home runs and helped Clinton to a 12-14 record last season as a sophomore.
He was a second team catcher on the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Stone is a physical catcher with an above average arm,” Clinton coach Sam Temple said. “He can hit for average and also has the potential to emerge as one of the premier power hitters in the state of Mississippi by the time he graduates. Stone has shown the ability to hit for power to all parts of the field as a 10th grader.”
Ethan Dodson, Clinton, Junior, Shortstop
Dodson hit .432 with 22 runs, 25 RBIs with 6 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs and helped Clinton to a 12-14 record last season as a sophomore.
He was the second team shortstop on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Ethan is a natural shortstop,” Clinton coach Sam Temple said. “He is a plus defender with a plus arm. Ethan is a pure hitter that does not have many bad days offensively. He can hit for both average and power. Ethan has also shown the ability to hit for power to all parts of the field as a 10thgrader.”
Jackson Estes, Germantown, Senior, Outfielder-pitcher
The Pearl River Community College signee hit .350 with 7 doubles, 22 runs and 22 RBIs and helped Germantown to a 21-8 record and a MHSAA Class 7A first round appearance last season as a junior.
Estes was named a first team outfielder on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Jackson is a three-year starter,” Germantown coach Chris Peden said. “He really has all the tools, a left-handed hitter who throws right. Jackson has power and speed and an excellent arm from the outfield. He’s one of the best outfielders I have ever coached. Jackson will pitch some this year and maybe close for us. He’s a great kid and comes from a great family. Jackson always does the right thing and is a great student. He is all business and is clutch in all the big moments.”
Taylor Latham, Hartfield Academy, Junior, Pitcher-outfielder
The Southern Miss commitment had a 4-0 record, a 2.88 earned run average, 3 saves, and 38 strikeouts in 34 innings and helped Hartfield to a 28-11 record and a MAIS Class 6A semifinal finish last season as a sophomore.
He was a second team relief pitcher on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Taylor will be a starting pitcher for this year,” Hartfield coach Justin Smith said. “He will also be playing in the outfield. Taylor is a player every coach wishes to have on his team. He has tremendously high work ethic and is always striving to get better.”
Matthew “Ham” McKinley, Jackson Prep, Senior, first Baseman-pitcher
The Meridian Community College signee hit .336 with 24 runs, 27 RBIs, 15 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs and had a 6-0 pitching record with a 1.70 earned run average, 1 save, 46 strikeouts in 33 innings and helped Prep to a school record 39 victories (only four losses), a No. 3 national ranking and its seventh consecutive MAIS Class 6A state championship last season as a junior. He was on the pitching staff that broke the school record for most strikeouts in a season.
McKinley was a first team first baseman on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Ham had a great season last year first base and pitching, but he really made an impact at the plate,” Prep coach Brent Heavener said. “He continues to work hard and get stronger, and we are excited about his upcoming season. Ham is a great leader and teammate.”
McKinley was voted by his teammates to receive the Walker Wilbanks Award and gets the wear No. 22 this season. The Walker Wilbanks award was started in 2016 at Jackson Prep in memory of Wilbanks, a baseball and football player at Prep who passed away in 2014. A Prep baseball player is awarded the honor of wearing Wilbanks’ number 22 jersey each year.
McKinley’s brother, Will Warren, plays pro baseball with the New York Yankees organization. The Prep and Southeastern Louisiana alumnus made his major league debut last season.
Jay McQueen, Brandon, Senior, outfielder-pitcher
The Southern Miss signee hit .351 with 30 runs, 22 runs batted in and stole 18 bases in 19 attempts and helped Brandon to a 25-12 record and the MHSAA Class 7A state championship last season as a junior. He also had a 1-2 record, a 0.76 ERA, 1 save, and 27 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
He was named a first team outfielder on the All-Metro Jackson last season.
A wide receiver, McQueen had 55 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns and helped Brandon to a 12-2 record and a MHSAA Class 7A state runner-up this season.
“Jay will continue to be a leader for us this year,” Brandon coach Daniel Best said. “He comes ready to compete every day. Jay always brings energy and is the type of player you want on your team. In his case, it’s a bonus that he’s also really talented. He will continue to be one of our top hitters that could see time in any spot in the lineup 1-3. He will hold down centerfield defensively for us. Jay finished the 2024 season with some strong innings on the bump and we think he will pick up where he left off and be a big part of our pitching as well in 2025.”
Brady Saxton, Northwest Rankin, senior, pitcher-outfielder
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College signee had a 5-1 record and a 1.41 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings and helped Northwest Rankin to a 22-10 record and a MHSAA Class 7A semifinal finish last season as a junior. He hit .286 with 13 runs scored, 24 RBIs, 10 doubles, and 1 home run.
He was a second team pitcher on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Brady is one of the most competitive players that has come through our program,” Northwest Rankin coach KK Aldridge said. “He also works extremely hard. If you are ever looking for Brady, he is most likely in the batting cages or the weight room. The most impressive thing he has done has been to grow into a leader that everyone on our team respects. Brady is going to be an anchor in the middle part of our batting order and will be one of our starting pitchers that we rely heavily on. He competes with everything he has on the mound and has been looking really sharp this fall. When Brady isn’t on the mound, he will most likey be in the corner outfield spot.”
Jack Scott, Northwest Rankin, Senior, Second baseman
The Meridian Community College signee hit .486 with 29 runs scored, 18 RBIs, 5 doubles and had a .910 fielding percentage and helped Northwest Rankin to a 22-10 record and a MHSAA Class 7A semifinal finish last season as a junior.
He was a first team designated hitter on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
“Jack has grown into quite the baseball player over the last two years,” Northwest Rankin coach KK Aldridge said. “As a sophomore, he was probably being overlooked some by me. Jack didn’t get much playing time even in our junior varsity games. I know it probably bothered him, but he didn’t pout and complain. He just kept putting his head down and going to work. During the fall and early spring, he made huge strides at the plate and found himself rotating some at second base for us. He eventually got so hot at the plate; I couldn’t take him out of the lineup. Jack had an incredible year and was our leading hitter. He has continued to show consistency with some added power this year. We look for Jack to be somewhere near the top of our batting order and holding down one our infield positions.”
Reid Vineyard, Jackson Prep, Senior, Pitcher
Vineyard had a 2-0 record with a 1.24 earned run average with one save and helped Jackson Prep to a school record 39 victories (only four losses), a No. 3 national ranking and its seventh consecutive MAIS Class 6A state championship last season as a junior. He was on the pitching staff that broke the school record for most strikeouts in a season.
He was a first team selection as a relief pitcher on the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Team last season.
“We are really excited about Reid coming back off the season that he had last year on the mound,” Prep coach Brent Heavener said. “He was really a key to our success out of the bullpen and really established himself as a shutdown guy that could come in and get outs for us. Not only is he one of the best teammates on the team, but he is also an extremely hard worker. Reid comes to work every day and will do anything he can to make the team better.”
A 6-foot, 210-pound offensive guard, Vineyard was a two-year starter and helped Prep to a 12-1 record and a MAIS Class 6A state runner-up finish this season.
Gardner Young, Jackson Prep, Senior, Outfielder-pitcher
The Pearl River Community College signee hit .333 with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 31 runs scored and 31 RBIs and had a 9-2 record, 2.94 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings and helped Prep to a school record 39 victories (only four losses), a No. 3 national ranking and its seventh consecutive MAIS Class 6A state championship last season as a junior. He was on the pitching staff that broke the school record for most strikeouts in a season.
He was a second team utility player on the All-Metro Jackson last season.
“Gardner is a dual player for us,” Prep coach Brent Heavener said. “He has worked extremely hard. Gardner has a chance to be one of the top arms on the mound and really should help us in centerfield again this year. He is extremely talented. We are excited to see what the future brings this year for Gardner. He is one of the fastest guys on the team and should really be a good leader for us this season.”
A wide receiver, Young caught 28 passes for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns and helped Prep’s football team to a 12-1 record and a MAIS Class 6A state runner-up finish this season. He made the All-MAIS Class 6A team.
Justin Word, Jackson Academy, Junior, Shortstop-pitcher
The St. Andrew’s transfer and Southern Miss commitment hit .397 with 51 runs scored, 48 RBIs, 7 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs and a .636 slugging percentage and helped St. Andrew’s to a 32-7 record and a MHSAA Class 2A state championship last season as a sophomore. He also had a 5-0 pitching record and 34 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings in 10 appearances, nine in relief.
Word was a second team designated hitter on the All-Metro Jackson team last season.
He is rated as the No. 8 best player in Mississippi in the Class of 2026 by Perfect Game.
“Justin has worked so hard in the weight room and on the field the past six months,” said first-year JA coach Corey Dickerson, who played 11 seasons in the major leagues and retired in 2023. “He looks like a different player after gaining 15 pounds of muscle. Justin competes every single day and that’s all a coach can ask for. He’s definitely a big part of the culture change we are trying to make at JA.”
Word’s mother, Melissa Word, is the athletic director and girls basketball coach at Canton High. She led Canton to one MHSAA state championship and one state runner-up finish in her 26 years at Canton.
