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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Another baseball season is in the books, and it truly was one for the books with the level of success across the board.

After multiple seasons without a state champion from Shelby County, Vincent broke the drought while ending its own 40-year wait for a blue map trophy. Chelsea also made just its second trip to the state finals and engaged in a tightly-fought battle with Hartselle in Oxford and Jacksonville.

Beyond them though, Calera made a historic run to the quarterfinals, Helena, Briarwood and Thompson gave their all in their playoff matchups and Westminster OM made history with its first playoff victory in program history.

During those incredible moments down the stretch, many standout stars stepped up and delivered, making their names and reestablishing their legacies as their teams fought for glory.

That left another absolutely loaded field of players to be dwindled down into our annual All-County teams. As a result though, each one of the honorees from our individual awards to Honorable Mentions has more than earned their spot and can take pride in their accomplishments in an incredible season.

Without further ado, here is the 2025 All-County Team for baseball.

 

First Team

Pitcher: Aiden Hughes, senior, Chelsea. Hughes earned Pitcher of the Year honors for racking up strikeouts to help the Hornets dismantle the top teams of Class 6A. Across 59.1 innings, he earned a 0.94 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while securing 11.6 strikeouts per seven innings thanks to his 98 strikeouts against just eight earned runs and 33 walks. Hughes also finished with a .447 batting average and .529 on-base percentage in a great year at the plate.

Pitcher: Wyatt Williams, junior, Thompson. Williams’ 90-mph pitches made him a tough opponent for the best hitters in Class 7A, and he finished the year with a 1.50 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 86 strikeouts across 52.2 innings against just 12 earned runs and 23 walks. He also racked up a Hitter of the Year-worthy stat line, averaging .450 with a .494 on-base percentage and a .764 slugging percentage while earning 68 RBI off 63 hits and striking out just 16 times.

Pitcher: Aiden Poe, senior, Vincent. The reigning 2A Pitcher of the Year and Air Force signee capped off his Jackets career with a state crown and put together multiple key starts down the stretch to finish 12-1 with a 1.19 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP despite racking up a county-high 94.1 innings. The co-Pitcher of the Year once again reigns as the county strikeout champ with 128 punch-outs against 16 walks. Poe also slashed .450/.563/.661 with a 1.223 OPS thanks to 49 hits, 35 RBI, 10 doubles and three home runs against just 14 strikeouts.

Pitcher: Landon Archer, sophomore, Vincent. After a promising freshman season, Archer came into his own this season as one of the best underclassman arms in the state. He finished the year 8-2 with a 1.64 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, earning 80 strikeouts against 13 earned runs and 33 walks in 55.1 innings. That included a Game 1 gem which earned him state championship MVP honors. Archer also excelled at the plate as a catcher and batted .345 with 40 hits and 29 RBI alongside a .429 on-base percentage.

Catcher: Parker Daniels, junior, Briarwood Christian. The North All-Star selection kept the plate clear with just three errors all season and helped the offense with a .361 average, .482 on-base percentage and .491 slugging percentage off 39 hits, 26 RBI, eight doubles and two home runs.

First Base: Cooper Pennington, junior, Shelby County. Pennington could’ve easily commanded a pitching spot as well with his 1.81 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 54 innings, but he was just as impactful at the plate. He batted .355 with a .523 on-base percentage and .559 slugging percentage, earning 25 RBI off 33 hits including 10 doubles and three home runs.

Second Base: Dylan Heald, senior, Indian Springs. Despite featuring in just 21 games, Heald made the most of his time as he was top-two in the county in four different categories. The senior led Shelby County with a .537 average and 1.306 OPS while finishing second to just Wyatt Williams in on-base percentage and slugging with .583 and .722 respectively. He earned 21 RBI and 20 runs off 29 hits with five doubles and 16 stolen bases in 54 plate appearances.

Shortstop: Seth Staggs, senior, Briarwood Christian. In addition to holding down a crucial spot on the defense, Staggs finished as the Lions’ top hitter with a .403 average, .490 on-base percentage and .565 slugging percentage. Staggs earned 50 hits during the year, including 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs, and racked up 24 RBI and 45 runs.

Third Base: Noah Eady, senior, Oak Mountain. Eady led the Eagles offense with a .346 average, .395 slugging percentage and a .452 slugging percentage, securing those rates with 36 hits, 28 RBI and eight doubles.

Outfielder: Casen Fields, senior, Vincent. Fields provided strong senior leadership for the Jackets but also starred as one of the top hitters in the county once again. He averaged .405 with a .510 on-base percentage and .603 slugging percentage while amassing an OPS of 1.113. Fields finished his senior season with 26 RBI and 50 runs off 49 hits, including seven doubles and five home runs, and was 31-for-32 on stolen bases.

Outfielder: Grayson Gulde, senior, Vincent. Gulde brought the power to the Jackets lineup this year, slugging .705 with a .591 on-base percentage while averaging .442 and earning the second-highest OPS in the county at 1.296. He racked up 39 runs and 34 RBI off 42 hits, including 13 doubles and four home runs, and showed his speed with 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

Outfielder: Jaiden Brown, senior, Calera. Brown was a run-scoring force for the Eagles in their run to the quarterfinals and finished his senior season with 26 RBI and 28 runs off 40 hits, including seven doubles and three triples. As a result, the Tuskegee signee ended the year with a .364 average, .463 on-base percentage and .482 slugging percentage for a .945 OPS.

Designated Hitter: Cade Mims, senior, Chelsea. In addition to anchoring the plate as a catcher, Mims delivered big moments inside the batter’s box with 28 RBI and 25 runs off 38 hits, sending 10 balls for doubles and two for home runs. He ended the season with a .311 average, .393 on-base percentage, .443 slugging percentage and .836 OPS, and he went 20-for-24 on stolen base attempts.

Designated Hitter: Bentley Howell, freshman, Montevallo. As just a freshman hitting up in Class 5A, Howell finished with a .392 average, .492 on-base percentage and a .412 slugging percentage thanks to his 20 hits, 13 RBI, 14 runs and just six strikeouts on 51 plate appearances.

Utility: Ma’Kale Holden, senior, Thompson. The Alabama signee capped his career in emphatic fashion with a 2.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 55 innings, going 5-2 in the process. When not on the mound, he featured as a designated hitter and finished with a .324 average, .513 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage. Holden earned 31 runs and 31 RBI off 34 hits with eight doubles and five home runs.

Utility: Paxton Stallings, senior, Chelsea. Stallings was one of the top shutdown bullpen arms in the state during the playoffs as he finished with 52 strikeouts against 15 earned runs and 14 walks in 49 innings. As a third baseman though, he earned a .909 fielding percentage while slugging .416 with a .426 on-base rate, securing 29 RBI and 24 runs off 26 hits, including seven doubles and three home runs.

 

Second Team

Pitcher: Brayden Dockery, junior, Helena. Dockery went toe-to-toe with some of the best arms in the area and held his own, racking up 76 strikeouts against 14 walks to finish with 8.2 strikeouts per seven innings. He ended the year with a 2.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP after giving up 26 earned runs in 65 innings.

Pitcher: Jackson Price, junior, Chelsea. Price proved to be a potent member of the Hornets’ one-two pitching punch as he went 9-2 with a 1.92 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 61 strikeouts against 21 walks and 16 earned runs in 58.1 innings. He made his name on the playoff stage including with a five-inning no-hitter against Calera to stave off elimination in the quarterfinals.

Pitcher: Ivan Hand, freshman, Briarwood Christian. Hand went a perfect 8-0 in his nine starts as a freshman and amassed a 1.46 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 52 strikeouts in 48 innings. He allowed just 10 earned runs and 14 walks to establish himself as a name to watch going forward.

Pitcher: Grayson Duckworth, senior, Montevallo. Duckworth kept opposing batters at bay to help the Bulldogs offense keep pace with their new Class 5A opposition. He earned a 1.70 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, and just eight of the 22 runs he faced in 33 innings were earned. Duckworth also struck out 41 batters against 12 walks.

Catcher: Nick Peters, senior, Helena. Peters finished the year with a .306 average, .454 on-base percentage and .505 slugging percentage. He had 27 RBI off 34 hits, 14 of which were doubles along with two home runs, but his most impressive stat may be his .996 fielding percentage behind the plate.

First Base: Ethan McElrath, senior, Vincent. McElrath closed his career with a .340 average for the 2025 season, including a .492 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging percentage for an OPS of 1.032. He earned those numbers off 34 hits with 34 RBI, 27 runs, 11 doubles and three home runs, and on defense, he earned a .968 fielding percentage with just four errors all year.

Second Base: Dalton Ash, senior, Calera. Ash was one of the biggest bats for the Eagles in their run to the quarterfinals, averaging .321 with a .428 on-base percentage and .420 slugging percentage. He earned those numbers off 36 hits, 24 RBI, seven doubles and two triples and struck out just four times all year.

Shortstop: Rhys Jones, junior, Spain Park. A North-South All-Star selection for 2025, Jones made his mark for the Jags throughout the season to help anchor the middle infield. He finished the season with a .309 average, .472 on-base percentage and .855 OPS after earning 25 hits, 15 RBI and 24 runs in 81 at-bats, helping him secure a commitment to UAB ahead of his senior season.

Third Base: AJ Johnson, senior, Calera. Johnson was a two-way help for the Eagles this season but did damage at the plate with 22 RBI and 23 runs off 26 hits, six of which were doubles and three more were home runs. He also went 22-for-26 on stolen bases while finishing with a .352 on-base percentage and a .462 slugging percentage.

Outfielder: Anderson Harris, senior, Thompson. Harris held down the outfield with a .936 fielding percentage and was a consistent force at the plate with a .363 average, .496 on-base percentage and .451 slugging percentage for a .946 OPS. He earned those figures thanks to 32 runs and 14 RBI off 33 hits, five of which went for doubles, and he was 20-for-25 on stolen base attempts.

Outfielder: Joe Cross, junior, Spain Park. Cross impacted the offense in a big way for the Jags with 26 RBI and 21 runs off his 35 hits, finishing with a .365 average, .431 on-base percentage, .438 slugging percentage and a .869 OPS. He also finished the season with 10 stolen bases off 18 attempts.

Outfielder: Jarret Scott, senior, Helena. Scott brought the extra-base power for the Huskies offense with 10 doubles and three triples off 38 hits, and he finished the year with 35 runs, 19 RBI and 13 stolen bases. At the plate, he had a .322 average, .456 on-base percentage, .458 slugging percentage and a .913 OPS, and on defense, he earned a .973 fielding percentage.

Designated Hitter: Will Clark, senior, Briarwood Christian. Despite missing 15 games due to an injury, last year’s North-South selection made an impact in the games which he did play in for the Lions. Clark finished with a .324 average, .435 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage for a .935 OPS. In addition to his 25 RBI, 14 runs and 22 hits off 68 at-bats, he had a perfect fielding percentage with no errors in the outfield.

Designated Hitter: Kegan Johnson, freshman, Calera. In just his freshman year, Johnson delivered 21 RBI and 33 runs off 34 hits and 28 walks for a .340 average, .492 on-base percentage, .420 slugging percentage and a .912 OPS. He also stole 12 bases on 16 attempts.

Utility: Calvin Johnson, junior, Vincent. Johnson stepped up as a key pitching option for the Jackets and delivered multiple key playoff performances including against Sumiton Christian and Mars Hill Bible. He finished with a 2.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 45 strikeouts against just 14 earned runs in 43.1 innings. He was also a major member of the defense, working at shortstop to ensure Vincent didn’t lose a step when Poe started.

Utility: Tucker Bradberry, senior, Westminster OM. The veteran fuel behind a historic season for the Knights, Bradberry was a two-way force at the plate and on the mound. He finished 6-3 with a 1.84 ERA and 84 strikeouts against 36 walks, and he earned a .320 average with 24 hits against just eight strikeouts.

 

Honorable Mention: Houston Hartsfield, Briarwood Christian. Aiden Agee, Calera. DJ White, Calera. Mack Breazeale, Chelsea. Aiden Craven, Chelsea. Chase Lackey, Chelsea. Luke Neill, Chelsea. Brody Butler, Helena. Brett Cannon, Helena. Justin Mullenix, Helena. Braydon Kendrick, Helena. Edward Davis, Indian Springs. Sebastian Bermudez, Indian Springs. Will Dunn, Indian Springs. Jackson Geisen, Indian Springs. Timothy Katz, Indian Springs. Gus Whatley, Indian Springs. Ethan Juarez, Montevallo. Ben Heath, Oak Mountain. Gabe Jones, Oak Mountain. Baker Williams, Oak Mountain. William Yoder, Oak Mountain. Ryan Hurd, Pelham. Andrew Petrock, Pelham. Blake Woodall, Pelham. Nate Byrne, Shelby County. Skylar Smith, Shelby County. Charlie Kramer, Spain Park. Patrick McQueeney, Spain Park. Max Vinson, Spain Park. Cooper Fuller, Thompson. Cooper Mills, Thompson. Gabe Romero, Thompson. David Sellers, Westminster OM.