Lions, Eagles represented on 2018 all-state baseball teams

Two hailed from Briarwood Christian School, with the other two from Oak Mountain. 

Michael Hiers and Carson Eddy, a pair of multi-sport athletes who put together stellar careers at Briarwood, capped off their senior years by both being named to the second team of the Class 5A all-state team.

Hiers served as the Lions’ ace pitcher and third baseman and had a great year on the mound and at the plate. Hiers started six games on the mound and compiled a 6-2 record in 47 2/3 innings pitched. He posted a microscopic 0.88 earned run average and racked up 56 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit for a .418 average, hitting a pair of homers and knocking in 31 runs.

Eddy played second base for Briarwood and had similar success at the plate. He hit .442 and belted a pair of homers, while driving in 32 runs. He scored 37 runs, walked 24 times and struck out just five times all season.

Briarwood finished the year with a 24-6 record, advancing to the second round of the playoffs. The Lions went a perfect 6-0 to win their area and put together an impressive comeback to knock off Beauregard in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series on April 21. After falling behind 8-0 after two innings, the Lions scored nine unanswered runs to win.

The Lions nearly pulled off a similar feat in Game 3 of their second-round series against Calera, but lost 10-9 in the decisive game of the series to end their season.

For Oak Mountain, Gene Hurst and Landon Cato were named to the second team in Class 7A. 

Hurst was named to the team as a pitcher, posting a 5-2 record and 1.88 ERA in 10 starts on the year. In 55 2/3 innings, Hurst surrendered just 18 walks while striking out 60 hitters. 

Cato had a tremendous junior season, as he hit for a .430 average with six home runs and 42 RBIs. He also racked up 49 hits and scored 36 runs in 114 at-bats. 

Oak Mountain’s season ended in the first round of the 7A playoffs, as the Eagles fell in a three-game series against Bob Jones. They completed the year with a 27-12 record after a 14-0 start and came in second in Area 6 after dropping an extra-inning tiebreaker against Mountain Brook.