By Rubin E. Grant Sonny DiChiara was somewhat awed at the outset of his freshman baseball season at Samford back in February. “The first few games were eye-opening,” DiChiara said. “I couldn’t believe I was playing Division I baseball.”The former Hoover first baseman struggled as he adjusted to college ball, but it didn’t last long. Once he figured things out, he put … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Until Jeri Beck arrived, softball was almost an afterthought at John Carroll Catholic. The Cavaliers fielded a team, but it wasn’t all that competitive. “They weren’t used to winning very many games,” Beck said. “They needed some consistency. They had five different coaches over a six-year period before I came.” Beck had been a successful softball coach … [Read more...]

By Blake Ells Briarwood Christian began the 2019 baseball season by losing its first 11 games. As of March 14, nearly a full month into the season, it was 1-14. Then, the Lions roared back, going 22-7 through region play and into the playoffs to finish as the AHSAA 5A state runners-up. They fell to Springville in the championship game. It’s for that remarkable turnaround … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Jamie Harris knows a special baseball player when he sees him. Several years ago, Harris laid eyes on Colton Lewis and noticed immediately that he was a gifted player. “I had my eye on him when he started coming to our camps when he was 10 or 11 years old,” said Harris, the head baseball coach at Vestavia Hills High School. “You could tell he was going to … [Read more...]

By Blake Ells The past and the future of Spain Park softball unite as one in 2019 as departing senior Maddie Majors and sophomore Annabelle Widra share Player of the Year honors from the Over the Mountain Journal, which are determined by vote of Over the Mountain coaches. The Jaguars season was cut short when the team fell to eventual 7A state champion Hewitt-Trussville. Both … [Read more...]