Experienced group ready to lead Spartans
The Mountain Brook High School baseball team is returning a wealth of experience in 2017, and the Spartans are hoping that pays dividends in a big way.
The 2016 campaign did not go according to plan, as the Spartans suffered an 0-6 finish in a loaded Class 7A, Area 6, featuring Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Vestavia Hills.
Hewitt-Trussville went on to win the state crown last May, while Vestavia held the top spot in the 7A rankings for much of the season.
This spring, Oak Mountain and Huffman have replaced Vestavia and Hewitt, but Oak Mountain is no slouch either.
“It’s another difficult area,” said Mountain Brook head coach Lee Gann. “Every area game is a very big challenge for us. I think our guys that played last year, that experience only helped them.”
It is important to note that Mountain Brook’s area record is not indicative of the quality of the season the Spartans put together in 2016, one that still featured a winning record. But Gann also is ready to move forward to this season.
“A lot of our competitors had to do with that,” he said. “It’s motivated our players to work harder and continue doing what we’re doing and to motivate them to be the best player that they can be in all phases. We don’t talk a lot about last year. We can’t control that anymore.”
Conner Bussman, Sam Harris and Cole Alexander are three pitchers who are seniors now and arms that Mountain Brook will rely heavily on this season.
“We’re really excited about them,” Gann said. “We’ve got some juniors coming along nicely, too and that had good falls.”
Five regular infielders are back in the uniform this spring. Joey Keating and Patterson Ware make up the middle of the infield, and Sam Jeffcoat, Will Wetzler and Jackson Lyon also return to the infield. Reid Hogue can play infield and outfield and is also back for another season.
Hogue, Jeb Brown and Chandler Cox are the Spartans’ three senior outfielders, and Gann also mentioned the junior class as having several guys who could make contributions in the outfield as well.
Clay Stearns put together a solid year in 2016 and will be Mountain Brook’s primary catcher once again.
Many of those names are familiar ones to Spartan fans who keep tabs on the football and basketball teams at Mountain Brook, something Gann encourages.
“They love to compete together in baseball and other high school sports,” Gann said. “We foster that. We want our kids competing in other sports. There’s no replacement for competing in the offseason. If they have the ability to help another high school team, we encourage them to compete when they can.”
On the baseball diamond, the Spartans are looking for a blend of all facets of the game to come together in order mount a challenge in Area 6, something they have every expectation of doing.
“It’s going to have to be a balance,” Gann said. “You’re going to win big games with pitching and defense and opportunistic offense. We’re a run-producing team. Our No. 1 goal is to get first-pitch strikes and play impeccable defense. If we can do those things, the winning will take care of itself.”