*Story by Josh Podoris*
MUNFORD, Ala. – The Fayetteville Wolves baseball program experienced a memorable Thursday night as they defeated the Munford Lions 11-1 to claim the Talladega County Tournament title.
In previous years, the Talladega County Baseball Tournament had been split into two brackets with larger schools on one side and smaller schools on the other. Recently, however, coaches agreed to return to a single county tournament that included every school. Classification size did not bother Fayetteville as the Wolves were the last team standing and had the honor of lifting the championship trophy at the end of the tournament.
Senior Ethan Jones, a Lawson State Community College commit, got the start on the mound for the Wolves and proved to be the only arm Fayetteville needed. Jones went the distance and delivered a dominant performance over seven innings. He allowed only two hits and one earned run while striking out 13 batters.
Jones also delivered the biggest hit of the night at the plate. In the third inning, he blasted a two run home run over the left field fence to give the Wolves a 3-1 lead.
“I was focused in and running on adrenaline,” Jones said. “I’m happy to help our team win the game.” He added with a smile, “I’ll be sore tomorrow but it’s worth it.”
The Wolves never looked back and stayed consistent at the plate, finishing with 11 runs on 11 hits. Several Fayetteville players had strong nights offensively. Brenton Cantrell collected three hits while Connor Crumpton, Ethan Jones, and Blake McDaniel each added two hits. Carter Goins and Adan Hernandez also helped keep the offense moving by drawing two walks apiece.
Coach Matt Collier was pleased with his team’s performance throughout the tournament.
“I’m so proud of all of our guys,” Collier said. “They played hard all week and put themselves in a position to win. Winning the tournament is something we wanted to do, and it is a step along the way of what we expect to be a competitive season.”
When asked what the Talladega County Tournament title meant to him, Collier emphasized the people around the program.
“It’s cool, I can’t lie about that,” Collier said, “but there’s absolutely no way we can win it without all of the players, our great assistant coaches, our great parents and fans, and the support from our administration. I encourage anyone to come out and support the guys this season because we have great kids. The dugout is always cheerful and supportive and I look forward to us continuing to work hard the rest of the way.”
The Wolves had several players recognized for their performances during the tournament. Six Fayetteville players were named to the All Tournament Team, including Connor Crumpton, Carter Goins, Cam Hammonds, Brayden Wood, and Brenton Cantrell, who was named Offensive Most Valuable Player.
Ethan Jones was also honored as the Defensive Most Valuable Player.
Fayetteville baseball has a strong tradition and has won several small school county championships over the years. This marks the first time Fayetteville has won the county championship with all schools competing in the same tournament.
The Wolves return to action on Saturday, March 7 at home in a tri-header against Thorsby and Shelby County. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
For me personally, it makes the night even more special to see my dear friend Matt Collier leading the program and to watch a group of players I was fortunate to coach celebrate a championship together.
