By Rubin E. Grant
Mason Blasche didn’t approach his senior season on the Hoover baseball team with any statistical goals in mind.
“I just wanted to have fun playing baseball,” he said. “I wanted to improve on what I did last year, but I didn’t have any set amount of numbers I wanted to put up.”
A third baseman/pitcher, Blasche excelled at the plate and on the mound. He batted .392 with a 1.137 OPS. He had 19 extra-base hits (12 doubles, two triples, five home runs), 35 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander also pitched 54 2/3 innings, posting a 4-2 record with three saves, a 2.21 earned-run average and 53 strikeouts as he helped the Bucs reach the Class 7A quarterfinals and finish with a 24-18 record while playing against a high level of competition.
For his performance, Blasche was voted the 2024 OTM Baseball Player of the Year in balloting by Over the Mountain baseball coaches.
“That’s pretty cool,” Blasche said. “I think I had a good year. As a team, we overcame a lot. I thought the challenges we faced were more important than the wins and losses.”
Hoover baseball coach Adam Moseley describes Blasche as a five-tool player.
“He’s a heck of a baseball player and he’s really good on the mound,” Moseley said. “He can hit for power and average, and he can run.
“He’s kind of a throwback. He doesn’t get too high or two low. He takes a consistent approach every day.”
Moseley also praised Blasche for the way he carries himself as a Christian athlete.
“He’s one of the strongest believers I’ve ever had as a coach,” Moseley said. “He lives his faith. I know coaches say it all the time, but he’s a better person than player. He’s just a special kid.”
Blasche is headed to Samford to play in college.
“I really felt connected to the coaches and I liked the campus and community at Samford,” Blasche said. “I thought it was the place I fit in best. Plus, I get to be back with two my former teammates from Hoover, Cade Carr and Will Lawrence.”
Samford coach Tony David is glad to add to his collection of Bucs.
“Mason continues our Hoover pipeline,” David said at the time of Blasche’s signing. “He will be a true two-way guy that will pitch and hit for us. He has real power at the plate and moves well enough to play the hot corner. Coach Moseley does a great job at Hoover High School with those guys.”
All-OTM Team
Blasche heads up the 2024 All-OTM Baseball Team. He is one of five Bucs voted to the team, joining sophomore shortstop Jaxson Wood, senior outfielder Camdyn Teague and pitchers Will Adams, a sophomore, and William Andre, a junior.
Wood, who has committed to Tennessee, batted .358 with 24 RBIs, 30 runs and 11 stolen bases; Teague, who is headed to Washington and Lee University, hit .315 with 13 stolen bases; Adams, who is committed to Alabama, posted a 6-4 record with a 2.38 ERA while recording 86 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings pitched; and Andre had a 5-2 record with a 2.15 ERA.
Mountain Brook, which reached the Class 6A quarterfinals and finished with a 30-8 record, also landed five players on the team: outfielders John Robicheaux and Hunter Keller, second baseman James Graphos and pitchers Caleb Barnett and Kenneth Diddell.
Robicheaux, who is headed to Samford, hit .427 with 33 RBIs and 16 stolen bases and posted a 7-3 record with 2.64 ERA on the mound; Graphos, who is headed to Shelton State Community College, batted .372 with 12 doubles, 33 steals and 26 RBIs; Keller hit .336 with 22 steals; Barnett, who has committed to Alabama, was 7-0 with a sparkling 1.04 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched, and he hit .383 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs; and Diddell, who also is heading to Shelton State, had 11 saves to set the state record for career saves with 23, while posting a 1.33 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 21 innings.
Spain Park, Homewood and John Carroll Catholic placed four players each on the team.
Representing Spain Park are first baseman James Battersby, catcher Coleman Gray, outfielder Matthew Widra, and pitcher CJ Gross. Battersby had 26 RBIs and 22 steals; Gray, who is headed to Snead State Community College, had a .496 OBP and 29 RBIs; Widra, who is going to South Alabama, hit four home runs and had 36 RBIs; Gross, who has committed to Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, went 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA.
Representing Homewood are shortstop Levi Nickoli, utility player Jack Ross, outfielder Jeremiah Gary, and pitcher Cooper Sain. Nickoli, a sophomore shortstop/pitcher who is committed to Auburn, hit .299 with seven doubles, five home runs, 23 RBIs and 18 stolen bases, and he had five saves with a 1.59 ERA; Ross, who played first base, third base and pitched, hit .284 with nine doubles, six homers and 34 RBIs, and posted an 8-2 record with a 1.88 ERA; Gray, who is headed to Coastal Alabama Community College North, hit .351 with 16 stolen bases; and Sain was 6-0 with a 1.34 ERA.
Representing John Carroll are second baseman Jackson Miller, outfielder Aden Malpass, pitcher Noah Smith and designated hitter Carson McFadden. Miller, who is headed to Southern Union State Community College, hit .333 with 30 RBIs, 35 runs and 13 steals, and he made only one error; Malpass, who is going to Missouri, hit .391 with 26 RBIs and 22 steals; Smith, who also is headed to Southern Union, recorded 63 strikeouts in 39 innings and had a 2.80 ERA; and McFadden hit .436 with a .536 OBP, 31 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.
Vestavia Hills had three players selected to the team: catcher John Paul Head, outfielder William Tonsmeire, and pitcher Chase Rafferty. Head, who is going to UAB, hit .359 with a .500 OBP and a 1.051 OPS; Tonsmeire, who has committed to Southern Miss, hit .306 with 12 doubles and 18 steals; and Rafferty posted a 5-1 record with a 1.86 ERA.
Briarwood Christian and Oak Mountain have two players each on the team.
Third baseman Jake Souders and outfielder Jackson Barnes were selected from Briarwood.
Souders, who is headed to Samford, hit .408 with a .546 OBP and 1.222 OPS. Barnes, who is going to Brewton-Parker College, hit .357 with a .477 OBP and .877 OPS.
Pitcher Bryson Morman and utility player Kevin Jasinski were chosen from Oak Mountain. Morman, who is headed to Coastal Alabama South, had a 1.23 ERA, put together a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings, recorded 64 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings and pitched two shutouts and a complete game no-hitter. Jasinski hit .280 with six doubles and four home runs.
Coach of the Year
Spain Park’s Will Smith was voted 2024 OTM Baseball Coach of the Year after leading the Jaguars to a 26-13 record and a Class 7A playoff berth. They were eliminated in three games in the first round by Thompson, losing the deciding third game of the best-of-three series 13-12 on a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of the extra inning contest.
“He had a tremendous team in 2023 and lost almost everyone,” Oak Mountain coach Derek Irons said. “He took a nearly completely new team and had an incredible season with them. That’s directly attributable to great coaching.”
Smith appreciates the recognition.
“I think it’s a tremendous honor,” Smith said. “The biggest thing is it’s voted on by your peers, so to have them vote for me means the world to me.
“But it’s about the team more than it is about me. We had a young and inexperienced team, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was amazed by how quickly they jelled and how competitive they were. They did everything we asked and more. They played hard and played for each other.”
