SBLive Oklahoma all-state baseball 2023: Fort Cobb-Broxton's Jaxon Willits, an Oklahoma signee, selected as MVP

With another high school baseball season in the books in Oklahoma, it’s time to honor those players who made that season memorable. 

SBLive Oklahoma officially announces the all-state baseball teams for 2023. We have named a player, coach and newcomer of the year, along with selecting players to the first- and second-team all-state squads.

We have named a player, coach and newcomer of the year as well as picked first- and second-team all-state teams.

Photo of Fort Cobb-Broxton's Jaxon Willits 

Here are the honorees: 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jaxon Willits | Fort Cobb-Broxton | SR

The son or daughter of someone even remotely famous or acclaimed for the same thing is often going to have a hard time carving out a legacy for himself/herself. But that was not the case for Jaxon Willits.

The son of former Major League Baseball player turned coach Reggie Willits, Jaxon was a known commodity since his sophomore year (his freshman season was practically non-existent thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Already considered one of the best players in the state, the Fort Cobb-Broxton shortstop capped his outstanding career with a season to remember in 2023. He hit an otherworldly .565, cranked eight home runs and drove home 41 runs.

Willits was a doubles machine, and came up with key hits when his team needed them. While Willits previously had success the past two seasons, he said the key difference this season was taking advantage when he got good pitches thrown to him.

“I think the biggest improvement was just getting my pitches to hit and not missing them,” Willits said.

“I feel like this spring, I hunted my pitches, didn’t miss them. And when I got them, I was able to do damage.”

Willits was the key cog in the machine as the Mustangs completed a dominant 2022-23 school year with a spring baseball Class B state championship victory over Roff. Fort Cobb had also won the state championship in fall baseball and boys basketball, giving the school the elusive “triple crown," winning state in all three boys sports they play.

Willits will now go play for the University of Oklahoma, where his father is an assistant coach under Skip Johnson. But the Willits name will carry on at Fort Cobb.

Jaxon formed a deadly 1-2 combination at the top of the batting order with his younger brother Eli, a freshman who looks to pick up where Jaxon left off.

“It was the most fun I could have had, not just with my brother, Eli, but with my group of friends, a lot of whom were also seniors,” Jaxon Willits said. “We just had a lot of fun.”

COACH OF THE YEAR

Justin Delay | Bixby

Bixby had a good team in the regular season, but switched into another gear in the postseason.

After losing two 1-0 games in consecutive days to Enid during district play, the Spartans faced the Plainsmen again in the Class 6A state title game, where Delay’s crew were not to be denied. The decisive 16-6 win gave Bixby its first baseball state championship since 2008.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Alex Conover | Tuttle | SR

The staff ace for the 4A state champions, Conover was lights out in 2023, going 11-0 with a miniscule 0.57 ERA over more than 60 innings.

He was the spearhead for the Tigers’ incredible 37-4 record, which culminated with the program’s fifth state championship, which they won by getting revenge on a Blanchard team that had knocked them off in the title game the previous year.

Conover heads to junior college power Cowley County Community College in Kansas.

HITTER OF THE YEAR

Gage Gundy | Stillwater | SR

Gundy - the son of Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy - made a serious case for one of the best multi-sport athletes in Oklahoma, having guided the Pioneers to their first state championship in football in 55 years, then having one of the best seasons in the state in baseball.

The senior hit .450 with 16 dingers and 63 RBIs.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Ritson Meyer | Elgin | FR

Speaking of outstanding multi-sport athletes, a case could be made that baseball isn’t even Meyer’s best sport. The freshman was an individual state wrestling champion, as well as a key part of Elgin’s first-ever state championship team in dual state wrestling.

But once he got back into baseball form, he was one of the Owls’ best players. He hit .341, driving in 38 runs and hitting four home runs.

But he was perhaps even deadlier on the mound, going 7-0 in his eight starts, racking up a minuscule 2.03 ERA and 1.06 WHIP for an Elgin team that made it to the state tournament for the first time in 5A.

FIRST TEAM

Pitchers

Weston Rouse | Fort Gibson | SR

The Oklahoma State signee was outstanding for Fort Gibson, going 9-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 126 strikeouts, as the Tigers made the Class 4A state tournament.

Kash Ferris | Midwest City Carl Albert | JR

Carl Albert won its second state championship in three years thanks in no small part to Ferris’ season on the mound. The future OSU Cowboy went 9-2 and struck out 117 batters, while allowing an earned run average of just 1.74 for the 5A winners.

Infielders

Kyler Proctor | Silo | SR

Proctor had already made a name for himself by leading Silo to state championships in spring baseball both as a sophomore and junior. And he repeated the feat again as a senior, not only hitting .407 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI for the 2A champs, but playing the shortstop position about as well as anyone in the state.

As he heads to Stillwater to join an outstanding recruiting class for Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday, Proctor leaves quite the high school legacy behind.

Avery Ortiz | Tulsa Union | SR

Ortiz is yet another future Oklahoma State Cowboy and he had a great senior season for Union. He hit just a shade under .400 and drove in 41 runs, with six homers and 15 doubles. He also stole 16 bases.

Cade Baldridge | Roff | SR

Baldridge was the catalyst for a Roff team that was a buzzsaw for opponents most of the year. He hit .566 with 12 home runs and 47 runs batted in. He played with a swagger that galvanized the Tigers, leading them all the way to the state championship game.

Camden Bates | Washington | SR

When people talk about “five-tool players," Bates is the type of player their mind conjures.

He can hit for average (.475), hit for power (12 home runs), he was a smooth fielder at shortstop, had one of the best arms in the state and was a menace on the base paths. Part of a back-to-back 3A state champion at Washington, Bates heads to the University of Tennessee.

Outfielders

Garrett Shull | Enid | JR

One of the best 2025 prospects in the state, Shull was a standout for the Plainsmen in 2023. He hit a scorching .463 with 13 home runs as he helped propel Enid all the way to the state title game in Class 6A.

Austin Lemon | OKC Heritage Hall | SR

Speaking of hot bats, few were as hot as Lemon’s. The Oklahoma State signee hit .570 for the Chargers, while continuing his penchant for stealing bases. He finished his career at Heritage Hall with the most steals in school history, an incredible feat considering his freshman year was all but wiped out by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Grayson Smith | Tulsa Bishop Kelley | SR

A pivotal player for the Comets all season, Smith will play at Seminole State next year.

Catcher

Cooper Moore | Bixby | SR

An absolute stud for the Class 6A champs and a Kansas signee, Moore played several positions, but was normally the catcher for the Spartans. All he did was hit .445 with five home runs and 35 RBIs.

Utility

Ethan Holliday | Stillwater | SO

Yes, it’s yet another Holliday at Stillwater High, and with big brother Jackson (last year's top overall draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles) now in the minor leagues, it was Ethan’s time to shine. He smacked 15 home runs, while also hitting .451 for a stout Pioneers' squad.

Max Knight | Bixby | SR

He was one of Bixby’s best pitchers, crafting a 1.27 ERA over more than 66 innings, striking out 119 batters. But he was also lethal at the plate, batting .390 with eight home runs.

SECOND TEAM

Pitchers

Colin Fisher | Noble | SR

The future Arkansas Razorback was instrumental in helping Noble to another outstanding season, as the big lefty went 8-2 with an 0.57 ERA and an astounding 123 strikeouts.

Kash Mayfield | Elk City | JR

Given the number of innings he pitched (46.2), his strikeout numbers are insane (109). The junior went 9-1 with just a 0.75 ERA.

Infielders

Samuel Gonzalez | Midwest City Carl Albert | JR

The anchor of the powerful CA lineup, Gonzalez hit for a .460 average and six long balls while also driving in 43 runs. He came up big in big moments during the Titans’ march to a state title.

Easton Ford | Silo | SR

Despite playing aside one of the most talked-about players in the state in Proctor, Ford was nobody’s second fiddle. Offensively, he was the Rebels’ best weapon, hitting .492 and driving home 76 runs.

RJ Jackson | Choctaw | SR

A fixture in the Yellowjackets’ lineup for several years, the big corner infielder had another great campaign, mashing for a .467 average and 45 RBIs, with seven home runs to boot.

Chago Barham | Duncan | JR

Michael “Chago” Barham had been instrumental to the Demons’ state championship run in 2022, but his stats jumped up a level as a junior. He hit .451 with 48 RBIs and nine home runs. Just as importantly, he was a stalwart in the field, making difficult plays at shortstop on a routine basis.

Outfielders

Ashton Bennight | Tuttle | SR

Another member of that resilient Tuttle team, Bennight batted .406 with 32 RBIs and five round-trippers as one of the top hitters in the lineup.

Cale Clay | Rattan | SR

One of the key members of the Class A state champions (and son of the coach), Clay racked up a .364 average with 31 RBIs.

Jack Williams | Bixby | SR

It’s hard to stand out on a team of stars, but Williams was one of the Spartans’ top clutch performers on their way to the 6A state championship, hitting a three-run bomb in the title game win over Enid.

Catcher

Dom Ornelas | Sand Springs | SR

The slugging catcher helped the Sandites to a 29-win season and will continue his career at Northern Oklahoma in Enid.

Utility

Jackson Farrell | Owasso | JR

A lethal pitcher who only allowed a 0.22 ERA while compiling a 9-0 record and 97 strikeouts, Farrell was a steady presence in the Rams’ batting order as well. He led the team in hits, while also driving home 25 runs.

Luke Schimmels | Edmond Deer Creek | SR

Mostly from the designated hitter spot, Schimmels was a threat every time he stepped to the plate. He crushed 10 home runs to go with his .491 average.