Oklahoma's best high school baseball players: Meet the state's top first basemen
By Buck Ringgold
With high school baseball season in full swing, SBLive is looking at the best players in Oklahoma.
In this segment, we feature the top first basemen across all classifications.
This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, as there are numerous great first basemen statewide. Let us know about any first basemen you think should be added.
Jase Fulks | Stratford | JR
Fulks batted .643 with an on-base percentage of .694 and a slugging percentage of .952 while striking out just twice on a team that played just 16 games this season due to various issues, mainly weather-related. Fulks, who also sees action at catcher, hit six doubles, two triples and a home run.
Dax Priddy | Piedmont | SR
Priddy hit .396 with an on-base percentage of .468 for a Wildcat squad that won 26 regular-season ballgames and claimed the 5A-1 district title. Priddy has 34 RBIs and one home run, which came in an 11-6 win March 4 against fellow 5A title contender Sapulpa. He also went 3-for-4 with three RBIs when Piedmont posted a 6-4 win against Clinton on March 31.
Arnold Portillo | Newcastle | SR
Portillo has recorded nine multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 performance with two runs scored in a 5-4 win against Mount St. Mary on April 19. He has one home run, coming in an April 1 win against Tulsa NOAH. On the season, Portillo is hitting .372 with more RBIs than hits, driving in 33 runs on 32 hits.
Cole Grundy | Bishop McGuinness | JR
Grundy is batting .438 with an on-base percentage of .586. He also has scored 16 runs and driven in 17 more. Grundy has recorded nine multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 performance in the Fighting Irish's 6-5 win against Byng on March 31.
Christian Estep | OKC Broncos | SR
Through 34 games, Estep was batting .412 with a .487 on-base percentage. He had 40 hits and 39 RBIs along with eight home runs. In a 15-4 win against Santa Fe South on April 9, Estep went 3-for-4 and homered twice while driving in six runs, scoring three times as well. He also homered twice and had six RBIs in a 15-4 win against Texans Baseball Homeschool on March 24.
Brett Pense | Edmond Deer Creek | SR
Pense was the quarterback for the Deer Creek football team that advanced to last fall's Class 6A-II state championship game and is seeking similar postseason success for the Antler baseball squad. He was batting .294 and had a 3-for-4 performance in a 10-4 win against Oklahoma Christian School on March 29 and also had two hits and drove in four runs when the Antlers defeated Heritage Hall in early March.
Dempsey Gillman | Metro Christian | SR
Gillman signed to play next season at Wichita State. He was batting .492 with an on-base percentage of .636 as of late April, along with hitting four homers and 10 doubles. Gillman drove in 31 runs as well.
Gage Gilchrist | Oklahoma Christian School | SR
Gilchrist is a vital member of a Saints squad that is in serious contention for a Class 3A state title. This season, he was batting .500 with 11 home runs along with driving in 45 runs for OCS, which finished with a perfect record in District 3A-1. Gilchrist has committed to play at Murray State College in Tishomingo.
Owen Tracy | Edmond Memorial | SR
Tracy is one of the more versatile players on his team, as he can play both the infield and outfield and pitch as well. He has signed to play at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.
Si Collins | Pryor | JR
Collins is batting .356 for a Tigers squad vying for a trip to the 4A state tournament. He also has three home runs and 33 RBIs. Collins has had three three-hit games, including a 3-for-4 performance with a homer and three RBIs in Pryor's 13-3 win against Miami on March 22.
Blake Seefeldt | Edmond Santa Fe | SR
Seefeldt is an integral part of a Wolves squad vying to reach the 6A state tournament after finishing a solid 11-3 in District 6A-2, as well as winning the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference tournament. He has committed to play at Rose State College in Midwest City.
Riley Ramsey | Wewoka | SR
Ramsey was batting .289 with a pair of multi-hit performances, both coming on the same day, April 14. He went 3-for-5 with four runs scored and an RBI in a 24-16 win against Calvin, and also was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Wewoka's 8-7 win against Mason.
Alex Kemmerly | Kiefer | SR
Through 24 games, Kemmerly batted. 286 with an on-base percentage of .431. He scored 14 runs and drove in 15 more. Kemmerly had three hits in a March loss to Metro Christian and also had a two-hit four-RBI performance in a win against Meeker in late April.
Jackson Smith | Owasso | SR
Smith is one of the top power-hitting first basemen in the state. In a win against Tahlequah on March 5, Smith swatted two home runs. Then in an extra-inning win against Jenks, he homered as part of a four-hit game. In the Rams' first five games, all wins, Smith batted .727 and drove in 13 runs while possessing a 1.818 slugging percentage. He has committed to play at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton.
Jared Huff | Spiro | SR
Huff is the lone senior on the Bulldogs' roster, but helped his team win 20 ballgames and advance to the Class 3A regionals. Prior to being the school's lone honoree on Senior Night, Huff hit a two-run homer to help jumpstart his team to a 12-4 win against Idabel to even their best-of-three bi-district series. Huff then had three hits and two RBIs in the deciding third game, a 16-6 triumph.
Reid Williams | Bishop Kelley | SR
A left-handed hitter, Williams committed to play next season at Allen Community College in Kansas. On March 1, he went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs in a 4-2 win against Coweta. sIn the second game of a March 22 District 5A-3 doubleheader sweep against Durant, Williams doubled and drove in two runs. He doubled and drove in three runs in an April 11 district win against McAlester.
Zane Heusman | Mustang | SR
Another Rose State College commit, Heusman helps anchor the infield for a Bronco team determined to prove their worth in a loaded Class 6A. He possesses a left-handed swing and also brings the glove. In a March 8 game against District 6A-2 foe, Heusman preserved a 2-1 win by fielding a ground ball from third base, but stretching to make the catch in foul territory while keeping his foot on the first-base bag. He also drove in the deciding run in the Broncos' 2-1 win.
Owen Bailor | Bixby | JR
Bailor is a valuable left-handed bat capable of driving in runs in the heart of the order for the Spartans, who won 30 regular-season games and finished 11-3 in District 6A-4. He also pitches for the Spartans, even throwing a no-hitter in one game.
Jaxon Gregory | Broken Arrow | JR
Gregory bats right-handed but is a left-handed pitcher and plays the outfield in addition to his duties at first. In the Tigers' opening week, he went 6-for-7 at the plate with two doubles and two RBIs.
RJ Jackson | Choctaw | JR
Jackson is a sought-after college recruit on the Choctaw football team, but brings a solid presence to the Yellowjacket baseball squad. In an early March game against Mustang, he had two hits, including a double that bounced off the wall, and an RBI. He will be one to watch in the postseason, as Choctaw entered its 6A regional having won seven straight ballgames.
Gage Gundy | Stillwater | JR
Another two-sport standout, Gundy also plays quarterback on the Pioneer football team, not at all surprising considering he's the son of Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy, who was also a standout signal-caller for the Cowboys. But the younger Gundy is also making his impact on the diamond, helping Stillwater to 26 regular-season wins. In a 14-11 win against Enid in late April, Gundy hit his 12th home run, part of a 2-for-2 three-RBI performance. He was also hovering near the .500 batting mark.
Tanner Norman | Midwest City Carl Albert | SO
Norman hit his first varsity home run and also doubled on April 1 when the Titans posted an 11-3 win against Shawnee. He also homered later in the season and continues to improve for a Carl Albert team vying to repeat as 5A state champions.
Connor Goodson | Norman | SR
Goodson has committed to play at Grinnell College in Iowa. On April 8, Goodson hit a grand slam in a 13-0 win against Durant and had two hits, including a triple, and drove in a run in a 4-3 win against rival Moore two days earlier. He went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in the Tigers' 13-6 win against Edmond Memorial on April 27 and had a big RBI hit in their 4-2 win against Edmond Santa Fe on April 18.
