Oklahoma's best high school baseball players: Meet the state's top shortstops

By Buck Ringgold 

Feature photo of Stillwater's Jackson Holliday courtesy of Buck Ringgold 

Even with the baseball season having ended, SBLive continues to look at the best players in Oklahoma. 

In this segment, we feature the top shortstops across all classifications.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, as there are numerous great shortstops statewide. Let us know about any shortstops you think should be added.

Jackson Holliday | Stillwater | SR

Though the Pioneers fell short of reaching the 6A state tournament, Holliday turned in a season to remember. He registered 89 hits, setting a national record, and batted .685 with a 1.392 slugging percentage. Holliday hit 17 home runs and 29 doubles, drove in 79 runs and stole 30 bases. Holliday is committed to play at Oklahoma State but he may pass up that chance, as he is projected to be a high pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft, even possibly being the No. 1 overall choice.

Caden Powell | Clinton | SR

Powell signed to play at Oklahoma and had one of the top power bats in the state. In a skills tryout over the offseason, Powell displayed a 106 exit velocity off his bat. He was also the quarterback on Clinton’s football team that won the 4A title in December.

Noah Smallwood | Owasso | SR

Smallwood was instrumental in helping lead the Rams to the 6A title. He had a .512 on-base percentage and scored 50 runs. Smallwood went 5-for-5 in Owasso’s 6A quarterfinal win against Edmond Memorial and had the big hit in the Rams’ title-game win against Edmond Santa Fe, a bases-clearing triple in the second inning which put Owasso ahead to stay.

Phoenix Meza | Choctaw | SR

Meza, an Oklahoma State commit, batted .449 with a .562 on-base average and a .785 slugging percentage. Of his 48 hits, five went for home runs and six went for triples. Using speed to his advantage, Meza accumulated 26 stolen bases and scored 48 runs.

Jaxon Willits | Fort Cobb-Broxton | JR

Willits has committed to Oklahoma, where his father, former Major League Baseball player Reggie Willits, serves as an assistant coach for the Sooners. The younger Willits had some big games en route to the Mustangs’ run to the Class B title game. In a March win against Apache, he went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Then on April 1, he went 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored in a 9-0 win against eventual Class 3A state champ Washington. A week later, he homered twice and drove in five runs in a 13-4 win against Altus.

Avery Ortiz | Tulsa Union | JR

Ortiz displays one of the top power bats in eastern Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State commit hit 17 home runs this season, with 47 RBIs. He batted .456 with a .616 on-base percentage and a slugging average of 1.078.

Jax Ryan | Verdigris | JR

Ryan, an Oklahoma commit, hit .462 with an on-base average of .663 and a slugging percentage of .692 while hitting two home runs. He helped the Cardinals reach the 4A state tournament.

Kyler Proctor | Silo | JR

Proctor was a driving force behind the Rebels’ memorable 30-0 season, capped by the 2A championship, Silo’s fifth straight spring baseball title. The Oklahoma State commit batted .459 and homered seven times. He stole 31 bases and scored 53 runs, primarily in the lead-off position. In the 2A title game win against Oktaha, Proctor went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Camden Bates | Washington | JR

Bates has committed to play at Tennessee. He is fresh off of the Warriors’ run to the Class 3A title. In the 3A state tournament, Bates went a combined 8-for-10, including a 4-for-4 performance in the quarterfinals with two doubles and three RBIs. Against Kingston in the 3A title game, Bates was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base.

Garrett Shull | Enid | SO

An Oklahoma State commit, Shull is arguably one of the top switch hitters in the state and has the capabilities of being a five-tool player. In a May 6 regional win, he homered and had three hits as the Plainsmen eventually claimed the regional title and reached the 6A state tournament.

Braylon Brooks | Tuttle | SO

Another Oklahoma State commit, Brooks was part of a Tuttle squad that reached the 4A championship game. In a late regular-season game against 6A Tulsa Union, Brooks went 5-for-6 with two triples, three RBIs and three runs scored. He also went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in a late March win against Chickasha.

Augusto Schroeder | Bishop McGuinness | SR

Schroeder batted .423 with a .526 on-base average for the Fighting Irish this season. He scored 27 runs and drove in 15 more. He had two three-hit games in March, against Meeker and Guymon. The Fighting Irish won both ballgames by the exact same score, 22-1.

Gabe Clyden | Piedmont | SR

Clyden signed with Cameron University in Lawton. He batted .382 with 23 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Clyden recorded four three-hit games, including a 3-for-4 performance with five RBIs in a 17-1 win against Guthrie on April 11.

Boston Knowles | Purcell | FR

Knowles hit four home runs, two of those in the same game, a late March win against Tecumseh in which he also had five RBIs. In his freshman season, Knowles batted .341 with 25 RBIs and 26 runs scored.

Colt Randall | Canute | SR

Randall signed with Seminole State College and was an integral part in a Trojans squad that was ranked No. 1 in Class A for most of the season, though they eventually lost to Red Oak in the Class A title game. However, Randall did go 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in that defeat, and also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in Canute’s 8-2 semifinal win against Dewar. In the deciding regional championship game, a 16-9 win against Laverne, Randall went 4-for-5 with two homers, five RBIs and three runs scored.

Taber Stokes | Mustang | JR

Stokes hit nearly .400 with 18 doubles for the Broncos. He drove in 14 runs and also stole 12 bases.

Landon Bruce | Norman North | JR

Bruce can play both shortstop and second base. He was hovering around the .400 mark for the season with a .562 on-base average. Bruce drew 31 walks, stole 31 bases and scored 44 runs.

Kyler Kauk | Cleveland | SR

Kauk has signed to play at Butler County Community College in Kansas. He was recently selected to the All-State squad by the Oklahoma Baseball Coaches Association.