2018 NHSI Team Preview: Florence

USA Baseball’s annual high school tournament, the National High School Invitational, is one of the premier high school tournaments in the country and one of the biggest events on the draft schedule as well, bringing together 16 of the top teams in the country. This year’s tournament will have some of the most impressive talent in the event’s seven-year history and will take place in Cary at USA Baseball’s National Training Complex from March 28-31. Baseball America will preview teams as we lead up to the event.

Florence (Ala.) High enters the 2018 NHSI with a deep and talented pitching staff led by righthander Cole Henry, who is committed to Louisiana State. Head coach Steve Garrett is no stranger to working with talented arms, as his son Braxton, was drafted No. 7 overall to the Marlins in the 2016 MLB Draft.

Henry is the team’s biggest draft prospect, but Florence is a team with six college commitments including three Division I commits—all three who help make up the team’s pitching staff. Lefthander Evan Taylor is committed to Arkansas, while Florence also has freshman righthander Grant Taylor who is already committed to LSU and was also a member of Team USA’s 2017 15U Co-Championship team.

Florence is currently in the process of creating a strong baseball tradition, whereas many teams in the NHSI field have already done so. A strong showing in Cary will go a long way towards raising the program’s bar moving forward and the pitching depth is there to have that success.

 

 

Head Coach: Steve Garrett

2017 Record: 19-14

Projected Lineup

• C: Landon Langston
• 1B: Joe Kiel
• 2B: Ben Arnett
• 3B: Nate Reed
• SS: Braxton Knight
• LF: Ethan Horne
• CF: Brantley Holden
• RF: Zane Garrett
• #1 P: Cole Henry
• #2 P: Evan Taylor
• #3 P: David Rowland
• #4 P: Grant Taylor
• #5 P: Joseph Snowden

College Commitments: 6

Division I Commitments: 3

Returning Starters: 6

Top draft prospects

• 2018: Cole Henry, Evan Taylor
• 2021: Grant Taylor

Multi-Sport Athletes

• Braxton Knight (football)
• Nate Reed (football)
• Grant Taylor (football)

BA 300 Prospects

• Cole Henry (187)