Oak Mountain baseball program recognized for academics

Oak Mountain High School's baseball program stands out above the rest when it comes to academics.

The Eagles were one of over 140 high school and college baseball programs given the America Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2015-16 school year.

"We are extremely proud to recognize the academic accomplishments of so many of our member coaches' programs this year," said ABCA Executive Director Craig Keilitz in a release. "This award highlights our coaches' commitment to developing student-athletes that excel both on and off the field, and we're proud of these student-athletes for their success in the classroom."

Programs were required to have a minimum team grade-point average of 3.0, and Oak Mountain was the only AHSAA program to receive the award.

"It's a great honor for our program to be the only AHSAA member school on the list. It speaks volumes to the academic success we have at Oak Mountain and I'm very proud that our players play a role in representing our school and community so well, both on and off the field," head coach Derek Irons said.

Irons recently completed his first season at Oak Mountain, and led the Eagles to a school-record 30 wins. The success has come on the diamond and in the classroom almost instantly.