By Loyd McIntosh Photos by Jordan Wald
Homewood baseball is on a roll. Head coach Lee Hall has the Patriots playing some of their best ball in years, and the team is racking up the wins and rankings to prove it. At the time of this writing (April 4), Homewood is 21-5, is the top ranked team in the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll, No. 5 in the Prep Baseball Report (PBR) state poll and has outscored its opponents 220-57.
In fact, this might be the best team Hall has had since taking over at Homewood for the 2018 season, a campaign that saw the Patriots sport a 29-11 overall record and advanced to the Elite 8 of the AHSAA 6A state tournament.
Built around a core of a dozen senior leaders who have been playing together since they were middle schoolers in Homewood’s rec league, Hall said they have fully embraced the younger players on the squad, creating that magical team chemistry that coaches wish they could bottle and save for a rainy day. “I think what’s working is the fact that we have a senior class of 12 kids who have tons of experience playing at the varsity level,” says Hall. “At one point, six of those guys were in the lineup for us as freshmen.”
Hall adds, “We’ve also got juniors who the seniors have fully embraced. There’s no separation, no cliques. It’s just one group, and that’s been huge. You win and lose in the clubhouse. What happens away from coaches determines how you play on the field.”
Coach Hall says Homewood’s strengths consist primarily in pitching, defense and base running. His pitchers attack the zone, the defense makes quality plays and limit errors, especially up the middle, and they focus on smart, efficient offense. “We’ve built everything around pitching and defense, especially being strong up the middle,” Hall says. “We’re very strong defensively, and our pitchers throw strike one.”
One of the anchors of Homewood’s success is shortstop and pitcher Levi Nikolai, a player who has been a major contributor for five years. He was inserted into the starting lineup at shortstop as an eighth grader. Additionally, Nikolai has been a solid relief pitcher, coming into games mostly as a closer. Nikolai’s versatility gives the Patriots flexibility on the mound while maintaining a steady presence in the infield. “We’ve used him as a closer through his junior year, but now we’re building him up to possibly start as we get closer to the playoffs,” Hall says.
On the mound, senior Ben Roberts has set the tone with consistency and efficiency. A durable starter, Hall says, “he’s a strike-throwing machine,” that forces contact and trusts his defense to make plays. “He’s not a big strikeout guy, but he’s going to make something happen within three pitches.”
Another piece of the puzzle in the final weeks of the season could be Cooper Sain, a center fielder and starting pitcher. Recovering from a back injury, Sain’s return down the stretch will add depth on the mound as the postseason approaches. “He’s made some adjustments, and his last two outings have been really good,” Hall says. “When you’ve got a guy throwing mid-80s later in the year that you haven’t used much, that’s a big boost.”
Other key contributors include catcher Cooper Mullins, who has provided stability since his freshman season, and a strong infield anchored by William Tanner at second base.
Regarding the team’s potential, Hall believes they are built for a deep run and have the potential to win Homewood’s first state baseball championship. However, not only does he believe it, but the players believe it as well. “At the beginning of the year, we let the players set their goals, and they chose to win a state championship,” says Hall. “They’ve earned that right. They’ve put in the work on their own summer and fall. A lot of these seniors have been starters for three or four years. They’ve been through ups and downs, and now they’re ready.”
