Twenty-five baseball players named county all-stars

Bayshore Christian, Central Christian, Gulf Shores, Fairhope all earn four first-team representatives

By Cole McNanna
Sports Editor
cole@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 6/21/22

The Mobile Baseball Connection recently released its first-team all-stars for Baldwin County where 25 athletes were recognized.

Four players each from Bayshore Christian, Central Christian, Gulf …

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Twenty-five baseball players named county all-stars

Bayshore Christian, Central Christian, Gulf Shores, Fairhope all earn four first-team representatives

Posted

The Mobile Baseball Connection recently released its first-team all-stars for Baldwin County where 25 athletes were recognized.

Four players each from Bayshore Christian, Central Christian, Gulf Shores and Fairhope led the way with the most selections. Bayside Academy and Spanish Fort followed with three honorees each, Daphne had two and Robertsdale had one.

In addition to the four Bayshore Eagles chosen, Head Coach Jeff Hauge was also named the first-team coach after a pair of AHSAA state titles on the Class 1A circuit. He was joined by John Malone, Mikael Bryant, Streed Crooms and Cole Dean.

According to unofficial stats from Joey Warner and the Mobile Baseball Connection, only Crooms – the state championship MVP who finished batting .354 with 29 hits – didn’t record more than 40 hits with a batting average over .400.

Malone, the two-time Class 1A Player of the Year, put up a .495 average with 49 hits, four home runs, 43 RBIs and 52 runs at the plate as well as a 10-1 record on the mound with a 1.93 ERA with 79 strikeouts. Similarly, Bryant hit .427 and racked up 41 hits, 27 RBIs and 42 runs in addition to four pitching wins with a 1.27 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Dean registered 42 hits for a .472 batting average with 39 RBIs and runs scored.

The Central Christian Saints finished second in the Panhandle Christian Conference – consisting of 17 teams from Alabama, Florida and Mississippi – and went onto the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) Division III Championship but fell in the title game, 4-1, to Raleigh HomeSchool from North Carolina.

Steen Bellerjeau was one of the leading forces and he finished with a .514 batting average to go along with 36 hits, nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 31 runs offensively as well as three wins on the mound and 59 strikeouts. Chad Callaway similarly contributed on both sides and he finished with 31 hits for a .408 batting average with 31 RBIs and 46 runs scored on top of 5 pitching wins and 76 strikeouts.

Jared Matthes (.448 average, 39 hits, 28 RBIs, 48 runs, 23 stolen bases) and Alex Howton (.447 average, 34 hits, 32 RBIs, 28 runs) rounded out Central Christian’s all-star selections.

For the Gulf Shores Dolphins, Joseph Stephens (.400 average, 50 hits, 20 RBIs, 28 runs; 2-0 pitching record, 0.84 ERA, 8 saves, 24 strikeouts) and Thrasher Steed (.378 average, 28 hits, 19 RBIs, 17 runs; 6-2 pitching record, 2.40 ERA, 66 strikeouts) both made an impact at the plate and on the mound. Gulf Shores was also represented by Marc Stephens, who finished with a .385 average, 47 hits, 26 RBIs and 31 runs scored, and Colby Franklin’s .370 average, 44 hits, 22 RBIs and 28 runs scored.

The Fairhope Pirates also had four players honored between three hitters and a pitcher. Hollon Brock helped lead the way with a .414 average, 41 hits, 21 RBIs and 29 runs scored, and he was followed by Jackson Hatcher who recorded a .351 average, 33 hits, four home runs, 37 RBIs and 24 runs scored as well as Jacob Conway who had 26 hits for a .305 average with 20 RBIs, 26 runs and 30 walks. On the mound, Miles Drew Johnson helped lead the Pirates’ staff with nine wins, a 1.53 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Similarly, the Bayside Academy Admirals had one pitcher and two hitters make the team behind Brett Nestande’s 7 pitching wins where he finished with a 0.77 ERA and 74 strikeouts. At the plate, Gatlin Pitts (.347 average, 34 hits, 3 home runs, 22 RBIs, 32 runs, 17 stolen bases) and Jake DeValk (.395 average, 34 hits, 3 home runs, 24 RBIs, 28 runs) were catalysts for Bayside.

For the Spanish Fort Toros, Pierce Dutton helped lead the way with a .405 average, 45 hits, 29 RBIs, 29 hits and 31 stolen bases. He was supplemented by Trey Fenderson (.371 average, 39 hits, 31 RBIs, 42 runs, 29 stolen bases) and Cole Morton (.388 average, 38 hits, 3 home runs, 25 RBIs, 28 runs).

The Daphne Trojans were represented by Eli Zielinski and Grae Cole. Zielinski registered a .344 average with 31 hits, 22 RBIs and 27 runs where Cole finished with 42 hits for a .359 average, 28 RBIs and 28 runs scored.

From the Robertsdale Golden Bears, all-state honorable mention Aiden Macks cracked the first-team all-stars for Baldwin County. He registered a .386 average with 44 hits, 30 RBIs and 26 runs scored.

A teammate of Macks’, Kobe Wiggins, was recently recognized by the Mobile Baseball Connection and Midtown Optimist Club with a spot on the extraordinary eight as part of the terrific twelve which highlights the top players from Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Wiggins was honored alongside Daphne’s Jackson Howard (Baldwin County Player of the Year) and Gulf Shores’ Case Hager (Baldwin County Pitcher of the Year).