Ten local players earn all-state honors from ASWA
Ten area players earned all-state baseball and softball honors from the Alabama Sports Writers Association last week after strong seasons this spring.
Madison Academy, a team that reached the Class 3A state championship series this season before falling in three games to Luverne, had three players – pitcher Drew Mobley, first baseman Clayton Palicki and third baseman Stafford Booth – earn first team honors.
The team is voted on by members of the ASWA’s prep committee.
Booth, an Auburn signee, hit .500 for the Mustangs and finished with 55 RBIs. He had 10 homers and 18 doubles in his final season at Madison Academy.
Mobley finished the season with 105 strikeouts in 89.2 innings on the way to posting a 13-2 mark for the Mustangs.
He averaged 8.24 strikeouts per game.
A junior, Mobley’s ERA of 1.09 this season was the second best in Class 3A this year.
Only 10 pitchers in the class had ERA’s of less than 2.00.
Palicki hit .465 for Madison Academy while playing solid defense at first. He had 16 doubles, 10 homers and 56 RBIs.
The Class 6A all-state softball team was highlighted with seven players from Bob Jones and Sparkman earning honors from the ASWA.
Bob Jones seniors Lauren Payne and Jessica Offutt earned first-team all-state honors after leading the Lady Patriots to the 6A semifinals, while Sparkman designated hitter Sarah Suggs and outfielder Hayden Crawford represented the Lady Senators.
Payne and Offutt were key ingredients in Bob Jones’ first trip to the state tournament.
Payne, who will play at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville next season, posted incredible offensive numbers with a .422 average, 20 doubles, 11 homers and 78 RBIs. She also had 84 hits with 15 stolen bases.
Offutt, a Mississippi State signee, hit .482 with a team-high 94 hits for the Lady Patriots, while driving in 24 runs in 67 games this season. She had a team-high 51 bases.
Suggs batted .457 with 15 homers. She also had 19 doubles along with 74 hits in 162 at-bats.
Crawford hit .482 this season with 82 hits, including 12 homers. She scored 71 runs.
Four other local players earned honorable mentions in Class 6A: Sparkman’s senior shortstop Mallory McNeal and junior utility player Tori Edwards, and Bob Jones senior first baseman Nicole Bobrowski and sophomore pitcher Abby Guest.
McNeal hit .413 and had 37 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs for the Lady Senators.
Edwards hit .414 with an on-base percentage of .500 in 133 at-bats. She finished with 10 homers for the Lady Senators.
Bobrowski, who will join Payne at Wallace-Hanceville next season, finished with a .374 average with 71 hits and 56 RBIs while playing both first and catcher.
Guest went 24-10 in 40 games and finished with an ERA of 1.68.
Bob Jones head coach Kent Chambers finished second in the coach of the year voting to Dothan’s Patricia Ball.
