Photo by James Nicholas.
Mountain Brook vs. Vestavia Hills Baseball
Mountain Brook pitcher Edward Berry during a Class 7A, Area 6 game between Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills on April 11 at Sammy Dunn Field in Vestavia Hills.
The 2019 season was going according to plan for the Mountain Brook High School baseball team.
The Spartans were the defending area champions, boasted a crop of juniors that finished the previous season undefeated in its junior varsity season and began Class 7A, Area 6 play with two consecutive wins over Spain Park.
Then, things took a wrong turn. Mountain Brook lost four of its last five games (all four losses in area play to Vestavia Hills and Hewitt-Trussville) and the Spartans missed out on the playoffs.
“It didn’t sit well with this group the way it ended,” Spartans head coach Lee Gann said.
Mountain Brook’s 15 seniors have made it a point to not let history repeat itself.
“We were pretty disappointed last season. I feel like we’re pretty determined and working hard for the season,” said Edward Berry, a senior pitcher.
Catcher Harrison Ware believes the Spartans got ahead of themselves last spring after the opening series of area play.
“We just kind of went day by day [in 2018]. I think last year, we got away from that and started focusing on making the playoffs instead of focusing on the game we were playing that day,” Ware said.
With Area 6 as tough as it is, any slip in focus can prove costly.
“It comes down to the team that makes the fewest mistakes,” Gann said. “The team that makes the fewest mistakes and plays the game the right way is going to have the best chance to have success in this area.”
With that being said, the area gauntlet is the best postseason preparation imaginable.
“If you can get out of this area, you’re set up pretty well,” Ware said.
The Spartans have reason to believe they can reach their goals this season, with plenty of production returning from last season. The pitching staff will be anchored by Berry, Curt Gann, Beau Hubbard and Will Baynes, all seniors. David Stone will also log some innings. Porter Phelan, Emerson Richie and Clark Griffin will all contribute as well.
Lee Gann calls Ware the “quarterback of our team,” as the well-rounded backstop does a little bit of everything for the Spartans.
“Great leader on the field. Offensively, he does a really nice job. He does a great job of controlling our pitching staff,” Lee Gann said.
Will Yarbro and Baynes are back to man the corner outfield spots, with Davis White likely to play center field. Harrison Hodges should also factor in.
On the infield, Alex Gauld and Stone are among the players that will contribute. Ford Kelly is a first baseman, and infielder Edward Reed rounds out the big senior class.
“One thing you can say about this group is they’re probably one of the most competitive groups to come through here,” Lee Gann said.
Those 15 seniors have been playing together for several years, dating back to their elementary and middle school days. Ware acknowledges it would “be a big thing for us” to make a deep run in the group’s last season together.
“We’ve had those goals since we were playing together on travel teams,” he said. “We expected that last year and to not get there was hard for us. We want to get there, win the area and see what happens.”
