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Photos by David Leong.
Chelsea third baseman Paxton Stallings (27) swings at the ball during Game 2 of the AHSAA 6A Baseball State Championship between the Chelsea Hornets and Hartselle Tigers at Jim Case Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama on May 15.
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Photos by David Leong.
Outfielder Aiden Craven (6) celebrates after a successful inning during Game 3 of the AHSAA 6A Baseball State Championship.
The Chelsea High School baseball team came close to securing its first state championship on May 15.
But Hartselle stood in the way, finding a way to win twice to take home the Class 6A state title.
Chelsea won the opening game May 14 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, walking it off in the ninth inning for a 1-0 victory.
But the series moved to Jacksonville State University on May 15, with Hartselle winning 4-3 and 9-3 to take the title.
“You knew it was going to be a dog fight and you knew the caliber of team that Hartselle was,” Chelsea head coach Michael Stallings said. “We knew we were going to have to be on point. We played a really good ball game in game one. Game two was really good. Game three was, too — it just came apart in the seventh inning.”
Things began well in the series opener, with the Hornets getting the better end of a pitchers’ duel and winning 1-0 in nine innings. Aiden Hughes pitched nine strong innings, allowing just two hits to go along with 12 strikeouts. Hartselle’s Jace Meadows nearly matched him pitch for pitch, throwing eight shutout innings himself.
Chelsea finally broke the scoreless tie in the ninth, as the Hornets loaded the bases with a hit by pitch, single and walk. Two batters later, Jaxson Dohrman hit a ground ball that resulted in the walk-off win. Hartselle got the out at home, but an ensuing throw to first sailed, allowing Paxton Stallings to score the winning run.
All seven runs in the second game were scored in one inning. Chelsea’s Chase Lackey cleared the bases in the third inning with a three-run triple, giving the Hornets a 3-0 lead. But Hartselle responded in kind, with Easton Nelms tying the game on a three-run triple. Cole Miles added a run-scoring groundout to give Hartselle the lead.
That was enough to give the Tigers the series-evening win. Stallings threw the final three innings for Chelsea in hitless fashion. Hartselle’s Connor Stiles threw the complete game, earning the win by allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
Chelsea was three outs from the championship in the third game, taking the lead in the bottom of the sixth, before things came undone in the seventh.
Hartselle scored twice in the fifth to open the scoring, with Asher Doepel knocking one in with a single, and another scoring later in the inning. Chelsea tied the game with three straight hits to begin the sixth inning, Stallings’ double knocking in a pair. Bryant Wisdom drove Stallings in two batters later to give Chelsea the 3-2 lead.
Hartselle drew five walks and a hit by pitch in the seventh on its way to busting out for seven runs. Doepel was lethal from the leadoff spot for the Tigers, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs. He also threw 6 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Chelsea reached the state finals for the first time since 2019, following a dominant playoff run. The Hornets lost just one game in series wins over Brookwood, Saraland, Calera and Stanhope Elmore. They finished the season with a record of 28-12.
A senior group that included Michael Stallings’ son, Paxton, meant that the relationship between coach and players went a little deeper than normal teams. Michael Stallings fondly remembers the days of park ball, travel ball and all the games over the years.
“If you don’t win the third game, it doesn’t feel the same,” Michael Stallings said. “It doesn’t take away from how proud I am of them and everything they’ve done for our program, and what they’ve done for me as a coach.”
