Seven make East-West rosters

Published 3:16 pm Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Seven baseball standouts from across Shelby County qualified for the Alabama Lions Club East-West All-Stars championships this week at Samford University, May 29-30.

Three Chelsea players and three Pelham Panthers made the Birmingham Metro roster after playing at Lawson State Community College over the weekend, while Calera’s Trent Posey qualified in Clanton for the Central Alabama team.

Posey hit a home run and double, going 2-for-3 Monday, to make the team.

In Birmingham, Pelham and Chelsea players caught the eye of Clay-Chalkville head coach Brandon Johnson.

Chelsea outfielder/pitcher Blake Woo and Pelham catcher Ryan Roberts return to the East-West All-Stars for the second-consecutive year, but it will be the first time for Chelsea players Zac Hilliard and Josh Harkins.

Hilliard was an easy decision, Johnson said.

“He played like it was the seventh game of the World Series. He played as impressive as I saw,” Johnson said.

Joining Roberts from Pelham will be pitcher Keith Dickey and outfielder Michael Bishop.

Bishop went 2-for-4 in two games with two RBIs to help lead his team in Birmingham.

Dickey struck out two of the first three batters he faced to start a game Sunday. Dickey allowed two hits in two innnings and three unearned runs.

“(Dickey) was one of those kids that you’re just drawn to when you’re around him,” Johnson said. “Regardless of what other guys would have done, I feel like I’d remember anything that he did … I think the kid’s got good stuff.”

Other players making the 16-player Birmingham Metro roster are Hoover players Josh Magee, Duke Donlin, Michael Crump and Brock Hardy, Vestavia’s Josephy Odom, Hewitt-Trussville’s Ryan Brady, Parker’s Demetric Price, Mountain Brook’s McCain Brown and Pleasant Grove players Chazz Otwell and Matt Alexander.

A total of 13 players from the county competed at Lawson State in an attempt to make the Birmingham team.

The tournament begins May 29 with North playing South at 4 p.m., followed by Birmingham Metro against Central at 7 p.m.

The consolation game will be May 30 at 4 p.m., followed by the East-West Championship at 7 p.m. Games will be broadcast online by JockJive.com.