Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Mountain Brook’s John Robicheaux (2) swings at a pitch in an area game against Homewood last season.
In the last two years, the Mountain Brook High School baseball program has had the unfortunate luck of facing the eventual Class 6A state champions in the early rounds of the state playoffs.
The Spartans would certainly like to give a few teams that badge this spring, perhaps by being the state champions themselves.
That’s not exactly how head coach Lee Gann sets forth expectations for his program, but he believes this year’s team has the potential to do some special things.
“It’s an exciting time,” he said. “We’re going to have some new faces in the lineup. We’ve got some veterans as well that have been playing. It’ll be a nice mix of players for this team.”
The Spartans parted with 12 seniors from last spring’s team, with five of them currently playing in college. That means there are plenty of positions and roles to be filled.
“We’ve got to throw some guys out there and see what sticks,” Gann said. “Play through some growing pains.”
John Robicheaux has been a mainstay in the outfield and in the pitching rotation over the last two years and will be expected to have another big season. Middle infielder James Graphos, Caleb Barnett and pitcher Kenneth Diddell are also back, as each had critical roles last spring as well.
Hunter Keller started several games last year, while catcher Brooks Allen got some time behind the plate. Both will be asked to carry a heavier load.
As far as other seniors go, pitchers Sellers Neuendorf, George Mange, John Littleton and Ty Shotts will get opportunities to fill key roles on the staff.
Drew Bodnar will see plenty of time at first base and is a designated hitter option. Wyatt Swanson and Benjamin Payne are also seniors.
“We’re excited that we have some older guys coming into this season,” Gann said. “A lot of them have gotten on the field in varsity settings and were contributors as juniors. It’s not their first rodeo.”
Five of those seniors have committed to play baseball in college. Robicheaux is headed to Samford, Graphos and Diddell will play at Shelton State, Neuendorf will play at AUM and Keller will play at Snead State.
Diddell is an interesting case for this year’s team. He has served as the Spartans’ closer the last two years and has proven to be a lockdown reliever. At the same time, Mountain Brook could use him as a starter occasionally.
Gann likes the versatility of the lineup this year. The middle of the order has some pop, but there are also guys that play small ball.
“We’ve got some guys that can swing it and some guys that, when you get to that portion of the lineup, do some unique things
to create problems on defense and create ways to score runs.”
Gann always emphasizes “controlling the controllables,” no matter the circumstances.
“The only thing you can control is what’s out in front of you,” he said. “If our guys can keep that mindset, I think we can have a successful year.”
He also said the seniors want to leave a positive imprint on the program and put together a 2024 worth remembering.
“They want to play to the standard that was set before them like the great teams and players before them,” Gann said.
