All-South Metro Baseball

Kizer, Pope earn 1st team honors

By KYLE PARMLEY

The 2023 high school baseball season was a riveting one. Vestavia Hills won its first state championship in over 20 years, and several teams throughout the area had great seasons.

Here is this year’s version of the All-South Metro Baseball Team, put together by Starnes Media. Jackson Harris of Vestavia Hills and Cole Edwards of Spain Park share the Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year honors, after both had stellar senior campaigns.

Oak Mountain’s Matthew Heiberger is the Pitcher of the Year, as he was one of the toughest arms to face in the state. The University of Alabama signee allowed nine earned runs all year and posted a 1.63 earned run average.

Vestavia Hills’ Jamie Harris is the Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Rebels to the Class 7A state title.

► Players & Hitters of the Year: Jackson Harris, Vestavia Hills, and Cole Edwards, Spain Park

► Pitcher of the Year: Matthew Heiberger, Oak Mountain

► Coach of the Year: Jamie Harris, Vestavia Hills

1st Team

► Pitcher: Levi Nickoli, Homewood; put together a stellar freshman campaign, allowing a single earned run over 21 1/3 innings pitched.

► Pitcher: Jable Ramey, Vestavia Hills; the senior put together a 7-1 record with a 1.72 ERA for the state champs.

► Pitcher: Matthew Heiberger, Oak Mountain; the Pitcher of the Year had a 1.63 ERA and struck out 68 batters in 38 2/3 innings.

► Pitcher: CJ Gross, Spain Park; racked up an area-high 10 wins on the year.

► Catcher: Clay Spencer, Spain Park; finished the year with 33 RBIs.

► First base: Cole Edwards, Spain Park; the Auburn signee capped off his career by hitting six homers with 48 RBIs.

► Second base: Kurt Kizer, Hewitt-Trussville; hit .378 and drove in 34 runs for the Huskies.

► Third base: John Paul Head, Vestavia Hills; drove in 34 runs for the Rebels.

► Shortstop: James Graphos, Mountain Brook; the Spartans’ top middle infielder racked up 43 hits and stole 21 bases.

► Infield: Jackson Harris, Vestavia Hills; the Samford signee hit .430 with an on-base percentage of .554. He hit five home runs and drove in 35 runs as well.

► Infield: Jake Souders, Briarwood; finished with a .437 average, four homers and 37 RBIs.

► Outfield: Matthew Widra, Spain Park; had a big year for the Jags, hitting .414 with an on-base percentage of .513.

► Outfield: Grayson Pope, Hewitt-Trussville; one of the Huskies’ top hitters, reaching base at a .460 clip.

► Outfield: Charlie Berryman, Mountain Brook; led the Spartans with six homers.

► Designated hitter: Christopher

Johnston, Vestavia Hills; slugged six homers and knocked in 38 runs for the state champs.

► Designated hitter: Brady Waugh, Briarwood; slugged five homers and posted 38 RBIs.

► Utility: John Robicheaux, Mountain Brook; did a little bit of everything for the Spartans, reaching base in nearly half of his at-bats.

► Utility: Mason Blasche, Hoover; knocked in 33 runs to lead the Bucs’ offense.

2nd Team

► Pitcher: Kenneth Diddell, Mountain Brook; led the area with six saves and put forth a 1.14 ERA.

► Pitcher: Lucas Thornton, Spain Park; went 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA to bolster the Jags’ pitching staff.

► Pitcher: Ryan Vermillion, Vestavia Hills; saved his best for the postseason, notching key wins and saves throughout the playoffs. He went 5-0 with four saves on the year.

► Pitcher: Drake Meeks, Briarwood; went 6-1 with 2.12 ERA for the Lions.

► Catcher: Hudson Walburn, Vestavia Hills; slugged six homers and knocked in 33 runs.

► First base: Tripp Gann, Homewood; hit .415, piled up 39 hits and knocked in 23 runs.

► Second base: RJ Hamilton, Hoover; hit .330 and stole 25 bases for the Bucs.

► Third base: Evan Smallwood, Spain Park; had an on-base percentage of .472 and stole 18 bases on the year.

► Shortstop: Nick McCord, Oak Mountain; hit .340, stole 16 bases and pitched some for the Eagles.

► Infield: Gabe Wilbur, John Carroll; led the area with a .439 average.

► Infield: Noah Smith, John Carroll; hit for a .418 average and drove in 26 runs.

► Outfield: Will Clark, Briarwood; drove in 34 runs for the Lions.

► Outfield: Brett Moseley, Hewitt-Trussville; stole 21 bases without being caught and posted a .327 average.

► Outfield: Chris McNeill, Chelsea; finished with an on-base percentage of .500.

► Designated hitter: Jackson Morgan, Chelsea; one of the top sluggers in the area with seven home runs.

► Designated hitter: Jacob Tobias, Spain Park; drove in 27 runs for the Jags.

► Utility: Colin Rengering, Hoover; hit .320 and logged innings on the mound for the Bucs.

► Utility: Jack Ross, Homewood; hit .337 and drove in 23 runs while also logging some innings on the mound.

Honorable Mention

► Pitcher: Will Adams, Hoover; Braxton Williams, John Carroll; Kevin Jasinski, Oak Mountain; Colby Durden, Hewitt-Trussville; Logan Moller, Chelsea; Aiden Black, Vestavia Hills; Will Argo, Hewitt-Trussville; JR Thompson, Spain Park; Caleb Barnett, Mountain Brook.

► Catcher: Will Lawrence, Hoover; Peyton Parkinson, Oak Mountain.

► Infield: Jackson Parris, Homewood; Jackson Miller, John Carroll.

► Outfield: Jack Ollis, Hewitt-Trussville; Gabe Young, Mountain Brook; Josh Hart, Oak Mountain.

► Designated hitter: Brooks Braswell, Oak Mountain.

By KYLE PARMLEY

Success during a high school softball season is largely dependent on how well a team plays together as a unit. However, within that unit, there are always several standout individuals worthy of being recognized for their superb seasons.

Hewitt-Trussville garnered player superlatives once again in Starnes Media’s annual All-South Metro Softball Team, with Hannah Dorsett earning Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year honors. Dorsett moved over to shortstop this season and helped lead the Huskies to a third state championship over the last five years.

Sara Phillips earned the Pitcher of the Year award for the second straight year and shares the honor this spring with Tait Davidson of Vestavia Hills.

Taylor Burt is this year’s Coach of the Year after guiding Hewitt-Trussville to an incredible run, culminating in a state title after a 4-4 start to the season.

► Player of the Year: Hannah Dorsett, Hewitt-Trussville

► Hitter of the Year: Hannah Dorsett, Hewitt-Trussville

► Pitchers of the Year: Sara Phillips, Hewitt-Trussville, and Tait Davidson, Vestavia Hills

► Coach of the Year: Taylor Burt, Hewitt-Trussville

1st Team

► Pitcher: Sara Phillips, Hewitt-Trussville; the junior earned Pitcher of the Year honor for the second straight year by posting a 22-1 record with a 1.22 earned run average.

► Pitcher: Tait Davidson, Vestavia Hills; tied for the most wins in the area with 22, while also saving nine games for the Rebels. She also posted a 1.52 ERA and racked up 254 strikeouts.

► Pitcher: Ella Reed, Spain Park; the senior logged the most innings across the area, posting a 20-win season and 1.78 ERA in 165 innings.

► Catcher: Maggie Daniel, Spain Park; had another strong season behind the plate for the Jags, hitting .444 with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in.

► First base: Gracie Reeves, Hewitt-Trussville; had a handful of walk-off hits throughout the year, including to win the state championship. She also had 36 RBIs.

► Second base: Carolyne Hecklinski, Hoover; piled up 64 hits in her senior season, knocking home 38 runs and hitting .471.

► Third base: Olivia Faggard, Hewitt-Trussville; experienced another strong season, batting .435 with nine homers and 60 RBIs.

► Shortstop: Hannah Dorsett, Hewitt-Trussville; hit for a .506 average, racking up 88 hits in a stellar season. She stole 61 bases and was caught just once. It is her third consecutive first team selection.

► Infield: Bella Foran, Hoover; the tough lefty hitter reached base at a .533 clip as a junior.

► Infield: Kayla Franklin, Vestavia Hills; led the area with 61 RBIs, belting nine homers as well.

► Outfield: Emma Hawkins, Oak Mountain; reached base nearly half of her at-bats and hit for a .434 average to spark the Eagles’ offense.

► Outfield: Mallory Ogle, John Carroll; put forth a monster .553 average with 31 RBIs and helped out the Cavs in the pitching circle.

► Outfield: Hannah Christian, Hoover; hit .488 with 61 hits and 31 RBIs in a stellar campaign.

► Designated hitter: Katie Flannery, Spain

Park; capped off a stellar career with a .481 average and eye-popping .609 on-base percentage. She also hit 11 home runs despite being walked 41 times.

► Designated hitter: Meredith Kellum, Briarwood; hit .466 with six homers to lead the Lions offense.

► Utility: Miah Simmons, Vestavia Hills; drove in 51 runs at the plate and won 14 games in the circle.

► Utility: Ellie Pitts, Mountain Brook; did it all for the Spartans, pitching effectively, driving in 30 runs, hitting .449 and stealing 34 bases in a strong season.

2nd Team

► Pitcher: Ella Ussery, Spain Park; formed a solid combo in the circle with Reed, winning 13 games.

► Pitcher: Kaitlyn Raines, Hoover; posted a 15-3 record with a 2.21 ERA in nearly 100 innings.

► Pitcher: Emily Sims, Hoover; finished her career by posting a 1.36 ERA to lead the Bucs.