1 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson.
Oak Mountain’s Maddox Macrory (15) pitches in a game against Lincoln County (Tennessee) during the Hoover Bucs Classic spring break tournament at the Hoover Met Plex on March 27, 2021.
2 of 2
Photos by Erin Nelson.
Spain Park’s Evan Smallwood (7) makes contact during an at-bat in a game against Grissom during the Hoover Bucs Classic spring break tournament at Hoover High School on March 27, 2021.
The first pitch of the high school baseball season has been thrown in what should be an extremely competitive campaign amongst the teams in the area. Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park each have high hopes for the year.
Brand-new Lions look for new stars
According to Briarwood Christian School baseball coach Steve Renfroe, it’s brand new this season.
The Lions are replacing nearly every starter, with Brady Waugh and Luke Sibley the only consistent starters returning to the team this spring. Waugh can play anywhere, so his landing spot this year will be dependent upon some other lineup choices.
“This is a bunch of young kids that are going to play hard and I’m looking forward to being with them,” Renfroe said.
That’s certainly not to say the Lions don’t expect to be competitive in Class 6A, Area 9 this season. They are up against stout competition with Chelsea, Homewood and Mountain Brook, but Renfroe has been looking forward to coaching this squad.
“They make it a lot of fun coming to work,” he said. “There’s no way to know how fast they’ll mature, but eventually, before they leave here, they’re going to be really good. It’s fun going to work with these guys.”
Hornets eager for another playoff run
Chelsea High School has been home to one of the top baseball programs in Class 6A the last several years, and that status should remain steady for the 2022 season.
The Hornets return plenty of players from a team that reached the semifinals last year.
“We had a really good group last year,” head coach Michael Stallings said. “The chemistry was really good, the work ethic across the board was really good. We just had a really good mix.”
Stallings hopes the same can be said of this year’s team, which has 12 seniors, many of which contributed in a significant way last season. Chelsea will have to replace three pitchers who combined for about 190 innings and 20 wins on the mound last season.
Reid Gongwer will likely anchor this year’s staff, as the South Alabama signee has experience pitching in big games for the Hornets. Campbell McCluney is another senior pitcher who will need to take on a bigger role as well. Andrew Floyd, a Southern Union Community College signee, will look to take on more innings as well. Kaden Heatherly will also be in the mix.
Kaleb Hester and Chris McNeill are returning outfielders, while Evan Jones is a returning second baseman. Gongwer played first base when he wasn’t on the mound, and Christian Kallaher is back as the team’s catcher.
There are several others who will compete for time on the mound and in the lineup as well.
“Going out and competing hard, that’s the expectation. The results will be what they will be, but I fully anticipate that this group will go out and compete,” Stallings said.
The expectation is that the Hornets will be one of the best teams in the state once again.
“The No. 1 goal is to win area and when you get in the playoffs, make a deep run and see how far you can go. These guys want to be there at the end. I think they understand what it takes,” Stallings said.
Eagles return several position players
If the Oak Mountain High School baseball team can duplicate its strong start from last season and couple it with an equally strong finish, the Eagles will be a dangerous team in 2022.
Last spring, Oak Mountain got off to a hot start, but was unable to continue that momentum to the finish line and missed out on the playoffs.
The Eagles have plenty of returning players who would like to flip that script this season.
“We return a lot of guys that were in the lineup last year that saw a lot of time in the field and had a lot of at-bats,” Oak Mountain head coach Derek Irons said.
University of Southern Mississippi signee Davis Gillespie is back following an all-state season. Second baseman Andrew Hunt, first baseman Maddox Macrory and Matthew Heiberger are key components of the lineup back as well.
Taylor Bush is a senior catcher who should take on a bigger role this year, while Chapman Wallock is also a senior ready for bigger things. McCollum Mansfield plays shortstop and pitches, and Grant Rakers and Conner Moore are senior outfielders looking to fill some shoes in the outfield.
The Eagles have 12 seniors this spring and Irons is hopeful the lessons learned from last year and the experience returning this year will make for a winning combination.
“The difference between a state championship and not making the playoffs could be a play or two,” Irons said. “If you can find a way into the playoffs, you could play for a while, so hopefully we give ourselves a chance to do that.”
Jags aim for postseason return
The Spain Park High School baseball team qualified for the state playoffs last spring for the first time since 2017 and is looking to string consecutive playoff appearances together.
The Jaguars do have some key positions to fill, but also return a group of players who made key contributions to a team that posted a 23-13 record last year.
“We really like the group that we have this year,” Spain Park head coach Will Smith said. “It’s a group that is fun to be around. We’ve got a lot of guys with experience that are back, but we’ve got to replace some big holes.”
Evan Smallwood will play on the left side of the infield for this team, while Josh Harrington returns as the team’s primary second baseman. Cole Edwards, an Auburn commit, is back and will play in the infield as well. Michael Glick, who recently signed with Bevill State Community College, is back in the outfield. Wilkins Hunter and Ryan Cole both had plenty of at-bats last year.
Spain Park has eight seniors to lead the way this season, with pitchers Nick Milano and Tate Burkholder, infielder John Cooke and outfielder Hughes Orr in a group that also includes Harrington, Glick, Hunter and pitcher Jake Majors.
Majors enters the year as the team’s likely ace on the pitching staff. He was the Jags’ No. 2 pitcher last season and came on strong down the stretch. He went 2-0 in area play and won the playoff game at Sparkman.
JR Thompson pitched primarily out of the bullpen last season, notching saves against the likes of Hewitt-Trussville and Sparkman. He will have to take a step forward this year and take on more innings, while some others such as Smallwood and Cole will be expected to log innings as well.
“It’s been a fun group to be around in the fall and getting to this point,” Smith said. “The bar has been set. Now, are they going to be able to reach it?”
