MOBILE — After they helped the Baldwin County Tigers to their first state quarterfinal appearance since 2017, Quincy Walters and Jaxen Schuler were recognized as the Player and Pitcher of the Year for Baldwin County by the Midtown Optimist Club.

They were joined by 17 more of the top baseball players in Lower Alabama at the Azalea City Golf Course on Wednesday in being honored by the Mobile Baseball Connection. A Coach of the Year for both Baldwin and Mobile Counties was also selected.

The best of the rest made up the Fantastic 15 with eight athletes from Baldwin County and seven from Mobile County. The Fairhope Pirates led the way on this side of the Bay with three members, followed by two Gulf Shores Dolphins and one each from the Baldwin County Tigers, Orange Beach Makos and Spanish Fort Toros.

Hoyle named Baldwin County Coach of the Year

Fresh off the program’s first-ever 30-win season, Orange Beach skipper Josh Hoyle was named Baldwin County’s Coach of the Year in his first year at the helm. The former Mako assistant coach also reached the 200-win mark for his career after eight seasons heading up the Corner Yellow Jackets.

Hoyle said the Coach of the Year recognition was a team award for Orange Beach’s efforts this season which included eight wins by two runs or less. He closed his address to the crowd by saying, “If you build a better man, you build a better baseball player.”

Numbers don’t lie

Joey Warner with the Mobile Baseball Connection said this was the fifth year they’ve done this banquet but that this group might be the best baseball players of the bunch. The numbers can certainly back that up.

Out of the 13 seniors, four juniors and two sophomores recognized, only three non-seniors have yet to make their college decision.

Baldwin County’s Player of the Year, Walters, led the Top 19 in batting average (.476), doubles (16) and total hits (59). Orange Beach senior Rylan Gober registered the most triples (8) and tied with Gulf Shores senior Joseph Stephens with the most stolen bases (23). Baldwin County senior Eli Woody racked up the most RBIs (46) and Fairhope senior Nolan Phillips scored the most runs (49).

Phillips was also the benefactor of the most free passes with 40 total between 25 hit-by-pitches and 15 walks. Spanish Fort senior Jack Holley (13 HBPs and 26 walks), Fairhope junior Rock Gearhart (12 HBPs and 23 walks) and Gober (13 HBPs and 19 walks) joined him atop the list in that category.

Seven home runs were the most by a Baldwin County player this season and both Phillips and Holley reached that mark. Fairhope junior Blake Westry, Walters, Gearhart and Woody were not far behind with five home runs each. Sophomore John Stowers, an Auburn commit from St. Paul’s, led the group with 14 round-trippers.

And that’s just on offense.

Defense not to be forgotten

The Baldwin County Pitcher of the Year from the Tigers, Schuler, led the way on the mound with a 9-1 record and 1.71 ERA over 69.2 innings pitched. He logged 72 strikeouts against 20 walks.

Gulf Shores senior Connor Gehr was similarly impressive in his pitching outings with an 8-3 mark as a starter on top of 1 save. He finished 67.1 innings pitched with 100 strikeouts against 29 walks and a 0.83 ERA. Dolphin assistant coach Brandon Stephens noted that Gehr never allowed more than three runs in a start and two of his three losing decisions came opposite no-hitters.

The Mobile County Pitcher of the Year was Baker senior and Bishop State commit Bryant Durbin who cruised to a 10-0 record with a 1.26 ERA over 50 innings to complement 43 strikeouts compared to 29 walks.

Hypothetical game would be interesting

Warner created his own lineup using the Top 19 players recognized on Wednesday and churned out what would make for an interesting matchup on the diamond.

Walters served as Baldwin County’s leadoff hitter with Schuler doing the pitching. Stephens was batting second at shortstop and Holley was the designated hitter in the three-hole ahead of Westry, the first baseman hitting cleanup.

He was followed by two fellow Pirates, Gearhart in right field and Phillips in center field, with Gober taking over left field and batting seventh. Woody was doing the catching and batting eighth ahead of Gehr who moved over to third base.

The other dugout, led by Mobile Christian’s Coach of the Year Jason Smith, featured Leopard junior Damien Gatson as its leadoff batter playing centerfield.

Baker senior Ethan Santos was the next batter from his second base position ahead of junior first baseman Edward McLeod from St. Paul’s who was named the Mobile County Player of the Year for the second straight year.

Stowers was the cleanup man from behind the plate with Mobile Christian sophomore Bryce Rivers playing third base and hitting fifth. Baker senior Connor Gatwood hit out of the six-hole with seniors Randy Hernandez (left fielder from Citronelle), Durbin (right fielder) and Jansen Banashak (shortstop from Satsuma) rounding out the batting order.

Full honorees

Below is the full Top 19, with Pitchers and Players of the Year in addition to the Fantastic 15, as selected by the Midtown Optimist Club and Mobile Baseball Connection with their college decisions noted. Follow @GCMSportsAL on social media for more sights from the event.

Baldwin County

Player of the Year

Quincy Walters, Baldwin County Tigers – Coastal South

Pitcher of the Year

Jaxen Schuler, Baldwin County – Bishop State

Coach of the Year

Josh Hoyle, Orange Beach

Mobile County

Player of the Year

Edward McLeod, St. Paul’s – junior, Samford

Pitcher of the Year

Bryant Durbin, Baker – Bishop State

Coach of the Year

Jason Smith, Mobile Christian

Fantastic 15

Eli Woody, Baldwin County – Coastal South

Blake Westry, Fairhope – junior

Nolan Phillips, Fairhope – West Alabama

Rock Gearhart, Fairhope – junior

Connor Gehr, Gulf Shores – Meridian College

Joseph Stephens, Gulf Shores – Coastal South

Rylan Gober, Orange Beach – Bishop State

Jack Holley, Spanish Fort – Georgia State

Connor Gatwood, Baker – Auburn

Ethan Santos, Baker – Bishop State

Randy Hernandez, Citronelle – United States Sports Academy

Bryce Rivers, Mobile Christian – sophomore

Damien Gatson, Mobile Christian – junior, South Alabama

Jansen Banashak, Satsuma – Coastal South

John Stowers, St. Paul's – sophomore, Auburn