All-State Baseball And Softball Teams Feature A Bevy Of Local Players
MADISON- The Bob Jones baseball team recently experienced one of the greatest seasons in school history finishing runner-up in the Class 7A State Baseball Tournament. The Patriots have also been stellar in post-season awards as the squad recently had seven players, including four named to the First Team selections, for the Alabama Sports Writers Association annual All-State Baseball Team.
In addition, junior Dylan Ray was named the Hitter of the Year and selected to the ASWA Super All-State Baseball Team for the second consecutive year after batting .403 with 9 homers and a team high 64 RBIs.
“It is extremely rare for a player to make the Super All-State Team two years in a row, especially as an underclassman,’ said Jared Smith head coach of Bob Jones. “Hopefully, he can make it three years in a row in 2020 and cap off an outstanding career by winning the honor of Mr. Baseball.”
The four First-Team selections representing Bob Jones were IF, Mitchell Daly, Jr., IF, Cam Hill, Jr., OF, Dylan Ray, Jr. and UT, Caden Rose, Jr. Second Team selections included P, Sam Maynard, Jr., John-Michael Riley, Sr., and OF, Colten Carver, Sr. Sparkman’s Cole Strachan, a junior, was named as Honorable Mention at infield.
“Bob Jones has never had more than five players chosen in one season, so this is a special accomplishment,” said Smith of his seven players. “Those seven along with the rest of the team worked extremely hard over the last three to four years, so it is great for those guys to be recognized.”
The Patriots selected accounted for 353 hits, 264 RBIs, 42 homers and had a batting average of .384 this past season. On the pitching statistics, they combined for a 27-7 record with a 2.44 ERA and 278 strikeouts.
Hill led the Patriots with a 7-1 record while Rose and Maynard combined for seven saves.
Ray, Rose and Hill were also First Team selections in 2018 while Riley and Daly were Second Team picks.
In Class 5A, the lone selection from Madison Academy was Trey Dollar as a utility player. The senior played first base, third base, outfield and pitcher for the Mustangs.
“This is an awesome honor and I feel is an award for working for all four years with our program at Madison Academy,” said the 6-foot-4, 160-pound Dollar who lives in Fayetteville, Tenn. “As leadoff hitter I looked to the bottom of the order we had this season and those guys were incredible. For me, I struggled through the middle part of the season, but I feel I had a good year overall.”
Dollar batted .372 with 17 RBIs at the plate while he was 4-5 in 13 starts on the mound and posted 51 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. He had interest shown in his baseball talents from both Murray State and UAH, but neither college extended an offer. Dollar said one day he wants to work for the National Transportation Safety Board and will begin his quest this fall when he will attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University located in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The ASWA also released its selections for the 2019 All-State Softball Teams and Sparkman led the way from the Class 7A local programs with five players, while both Bob Jones and James Clemens had three players to make the elite post-season listings.
First Team selections included P, Emmah Rolfe, Bob Jones, Fr., INF, Emma Jarrett, Bob Jones, Sr., INF, T.J. Webster, Sparkman, Sr. and DH, Kamryn Warman, Sparkman, Jr. Second Team picks featured P, Lily Calvert, Sparkman, Jr., OF, Madisyn Filz, Sparkman, Sr. and UT, Aubrie Lisenby, Bob Jones, So. Those selected as Honorable Mention players included P, Emily Simon, James Clemens, Fr., P, Katie Simon, James Clemens, Fr., INF, Mykael Ledet, Sparkman, Jr. and UT, Lila Young, James Clemens, Sr.
In Class 4A, Madison Academy had three players chosen to the elite squads. First-Team selection was INF, Rachel baker, Sr. while Second-Team selections included OF, Claire West, Sr. and DH, MacKenzie Meadows, Fr.
