By Lee Davis
Fifteen seasons have passed since the late Sammy Dunn delivered Vestavia Hills its last baseball state championship.
Since that time, the Rebels usually have had respectable teams but couldn’t quite reach their former position as one of Alabama’s elite powers.
That changed in 2015.
Under Coach Tommy Walker, Vestavia posted a 24-12 record and ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class 7A. The bid for the blue trophy eventually ended against highly-regarded Thompson in the state semifinals.
The championship run may have fallen short, but the message was clear: Vestavia baseball was back.
The Rebels’ resurgence is reflected by the 2015 All Over the Mountain baseball team, chosen by an exclusive Over the Mountain Journal poll of the area head baseball coaches. Six Vestavia players qualified for the team.
The Mountain Brook Spartans also had a memorable 2015 season, spending most of the year at the top of the Class 7A rankings on the way to a 30-7 record. A major reason for the Spartans’ success was the play of senior catcher Jack McPherson. McPherson was chosen as the 2015 Over the Mountain Player of the Year.
He batted a hefty .451 with 50 RBIs and eight home runs. McPherson also participated in all 37 games, despite playing one of the most difficult – and injury prone – positions in all of baseball. He will play for Auburn University next season.
“It’s an honor to be chosen Player of the Year for this area, because everyone knows the high quality of the baseball that is played here,” McPherson said. “All the teams we face have great players. But just like every other honor, it’s really about the team and not one individual.”
Mountain Brook coach Lee Gann said McPherson has been a major cog in the Spartans’ recent run of baseball successes.
“Jack had a fantastic year for us both offensively and defensively,” Gann said. “He’s a three-year starter at catcher and was named team Most Valuable Player and permanent team captain in both his junior and senior seasons. We’ll miss him a lot next year, but he’s going to do great things at Auburn.”
McPherson’s teammates qualifying for the team are Luke Hartman and Drew Odum. Representing the Rebels are Trey Akins, J.D. Gann, Sam Harvey, Carter Jacobs, Coleman Kitchens and Sonny Potter.
Other members of the team include Harrison Cain, Carson Cupo, Carson Eddy and Pierce Merry, Briarwood; Alex Hammond and Adam Stewart, Homewood; Caleb Gilbert and Aaron Hill, Hoover; Matthew Cerfolio, John Carroll Catholic; Blake Schilleci, Oak Mountain; Harrison Boozer, Shades Mountain Christian; and Rodney Anderson and Mason Duke, Spain Park.
Walker was chosen by his peers as 2015 Coach of the Year shortly before resigning as head coach at Vestavia.
