6 Eagles sign to play college baseball
The Oak Mountain High School baseball program has been on a positive trajectory since second-year head coach Derek Irons stepped on campus. Last season’s team reset many streaks that had stretched longer than many found acceptable for a Birmingham-area program.
The Eagles reached the playoffs for the first time in five years, hosted a playoff series for the first time in nine years and reached the quarterfinals for the first time in a decade, all in a season that Oak Mountain set a school record for wins (30) and hits in a year.
A big part of that resurgence is this year’s senior class, six of which recently signed to play college baseball at a ceremony on March 22, held in the high school’s cafeteria.
“Today is the culmination of – not even a high school career of hard work – but many, many years of work,” Irons said at the ceremony. “Just here in this room in the last hour, there’s already been talk of the little league days.”
Caleb Floyd will continue his career at Snead State Community College. Floyd set a school record with four saves out of the bullpen in 2016, and was a selection of Team Alabama by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association by way of the underclassmen showcase.
Ace pitcher Joseph Hartsfield will join him at Snead State. Hartsfield was a first-team Alabama Sports Writers Association selection a year ago, as he tied a school record with eight wins, including back-to-back complete game shutouts in the playoffs. He struck out 76 hitters on the year, third most in Oak Mountain history.
Mason Williamson will not have to go far to reach his next destination, as he will play at Samford University for coach Casey Dunn. The catcher put together a strong season behind the plate along with contributing 34 RBIs and 47 hits on the year, fourth and fifth most in school history, respectively.
Garrett DeAraujo is a steady presence in left field for the Eagles, and signed to play ball at Spring Hill College in Mobile. As of signing day, he had 22 stolen bases in his career, and will likely end his career near the top of that category as it relates to Eagles past and present.
Ethan Holsombeck will head to Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa to continue his days on the diamond. In 2016, Holsombeck was a second-team ASWA all-state selection, along with ripping a school-record 62 hits during the season.
John McDonald was all-state honorable mention last season, and signed with Austin Peay State University. Last year, he hit for a .388 average and racked up 50 hits and 31 RBIs. He also scored 26 runs and picked up eight doubles, two triples, and six stolen bases.
“These guys, along with their classmates and our senior class last year, put together a really special season that will be a big part of this program’s history and legacy for a long time going forward,” Irons said. “These six guys played a big part of that, as will others going forward.”