The calendar has turned to the a new year and that means the OSSAA high school baseball season will be here soon. Classes A1, A2, and B officially get started February 23 while the rest of the classes begin March 2.

Up until that the beginning of the season, SSBR will be providing previews of as many teams as we can. Recently, SSBR sent out questionnaires to the high school coaches across the state of Oklahoma asking for their top returning players, top newcomers, overall strengths/weaknesses, and their overall assessment where their respective programs are coming into the 2026 season.

What you have below are the responses to those questions in the words of the coaches themselves.

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Today’s team: Nathan Hale Rangers

Classification: 5A

2025 Spring Results: 9-22

Head Coach: Allen Medlock

Head coaching experience: 6 years (5 at Nathan Hale)

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Top Returners

• Colton Wheat(P)
• Evan Cochran(Util)
• Tyrese Phillips (OF)
• Yandel Jimenez (P)

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Top Newcomers

• Angel Jimenez (2B)
• Santiago Jimenez (1B)

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Overall Team Strengths

Pitching/Defense

Overall Team Needs to Work On

Offense

Outlook

Despite returning only one senior who was an everyday starter last season, this year’s team has the potential to surprise people. Our underclassmen have shown the greatest work ethic and growth mindset that I’ve seen in my five years on the job. We are developing athletes into key positional roles — including catcher and shortstop — where they have little to no previous experience, but they are embracing the challenge and improving daily.

On the mound, we feel confident. We have six players who can consistently fill up the strike zone, giving us depth and flexibility that we haven’t had in recent seasons.

Offensively, we know we’re still playing catch-up, but the group has committed to changing our mentality and playing to our athletic strengths. As we continue to grow in our offensive approach, our athleticism and aggressiveness should help create opportunities.

We understand that the wins may not come immediately on the scoreboard, but this team has the potential to be dangerous late in the season. With continued development, improved confidence, and the relentless work ethic they’ve already shown, this group has a chance to make significant noise by the time it matters most.

Schedule

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