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: Konawa Tigers

Classification: 2A-2

2025 Spring Results: 21-9

Head Coach: Tyler Douthit

Head coaching experience: 8 years (2 at Konawa)

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Top Returners

• Cooper McKeel – Senior C/3B/1B: Cooper is our top returning bat in the lineup. Versatile player that will play several different positions for us. Has some offers on the table, but is currently uncommitted.
• Hayden Moore – Senior P/3B: Hayden is our top returning arm. Very experienced on the mound and also helps us in the lineup.
• Tyler Whitley – Senior P/OF: Another one of our top arms that can play several positions. Good speed on the bases.
• Bennett Henson – Sophomore CF/P: Center fielder that can track down most balls. Bennett will have more of a role on the mound than last year and likely bat in the leadoff spot. Vocal Leader.

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Top Newcomers

• Evan Buxton – Junior SS: Evan moved in to Konawa as a Sophomore, but didn’t get to play baseball last year due to a shoulder surgery. He will play shortstop and be a key bat in the lineup.

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Overall Team Strengths

• Experience will be a strength of ours, as over half of our lineup will be seniors.

Overall Team Needs to Work On

• Consistency on the mound

Outlook

With several returning starters after a strong foundational year in 2025, we hope to make a push to make the first baseball state tournament in school history.

Schedule

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