Oxford signings
- Updated: January 15, 2025
Baseball standouts Richardson, Gilman and Maniscalco celebrate latest signings from Oxford’s 2023 state-championship team.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD — The signing-day returns for Oxford’s 2023 Class 6A State championship baseball team keep coming.
Infielder Reid Maniscalo, first baseman Hudson Gilman and outfielder Nick Richardson became the latest on Wednesday, celebrating their signings during a Wednesday ceremony in Oxford’s Champions Athletic Center.
Maniscalco has signed with Snead State Community College, Gilman with Chipola College and Richardson with the University of South Alabama.
Their signings bring to 12 the number of players from Oxford’s 2023 state championship team. Previous signees included Carter Johnson (Alabama), R.J. Brooks (Jacksonville State), Forrest Heacock (Snead State Community College), Sam Robertson (Auburn), Peyton Watts (Troy), Drew McCormick (Jacksonville State), Hayes Harrison (Northwest Shoals Community College), Jackson Crow (East Mississippi Community College).
Johnson changed course, signing with the Florida Marlins after his second-round draft selection. Robertson has since transferred to Jacksonville State.
Eli Bozeman, now playing for Hope Christian Academy, is expected to sign.
The 2023 team finished with 39 victories, winning its last 19 games en route to a playoff sweep under then-Oxford coach Wes Brooks. Harrison was named as the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Mr. Baseball and Gatorade Player of the Year for Alabama.
Johnson signed with $3 million deal with the Marlins.
As for the latest signees, current Oxford coach Travis Janssen touted their leadership.
“That term that’s been thrown around the last 10 years is servant leadership,” he said. “It’s just leadership where you put others before yourself, and these three guys are guys I lean on when things need to be done.”
Maniscalco played second base in 2023, batting .314 mostly from the No. 9 spot in the order. He got hot the second half of the season and finished with three home runs and 19 RBIs in helping Oxford go 32-12 and reach the 6A semifinals.
At Snead, he’ll team with Heacock and former Piedmont standouts Jack Hayes and Max Hanson.
“I was just comfortable there,” he said. “I love the coaches there. All of the players were super cool. The campus is real neat, and I obviously know Forrest Heacock, so I’ll be playing with him.
“I just loved it.”
His two-out single keyed Oxford’s victory over Mountain Brook in a 12-inning Game 3 of the quarterfinals.
Richardson is a veteran starter in the outfield and in the leadoff spot. He batted .365 with .473 on-base percentage in 2023 and was 26-for-26 on stolen-base attempts.
He also answered the call for pitching, when graduation and injuries left the Yellow Jackets short, holding down a starting role until the quarterfinals. In 13 appearances, including 12 starts, he went 5-4 with a 3.17 ERA.
“I had two offers, South Alabama and Georgia Southern, and I just felt like South Alabama was the one,” he said. “It’s close to the beach, and I just love the coaches. This visit was so good.”
Shoulder and wrist injuries limited Gilman to 23 games. He batted .265 with a .390 on-base percentage. His three home runs included two grand slams, and he finished with 20 RBIs.
Gilman also volunteered his services on the mound when the wrist injury took him out of the batting lineup. He worked 21 1/3 innings over six starts. He went 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA.
Gilman said injuries that caused him to miss half of the season two years in a row likely impacted his recruitment “a lot,” but he had options.
“I had JUCOs from Alabama, and then Pensacola State was an option,” Gilman said. “Chipola, when I went down to visit, just felt like home as soon as I got there.”
Video by Joe Medley
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
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