West Alabama Watchman All-County Baseball Team

C – Mason Rogers, Sr. – Demopolis – Rogers paced the Tigers in multiple key categories in 2013. The LBW signee hit a robust .465 with a .513 on-base percentage. His four homers are tops in the county and his 32 RBIs are second on the team. Rogers scored 37 runs, which ties him for first in the county in that category, and converted all 15 of his stolen base attempts, which puts him second in the county in steals and first in SB percentage. Additionally, Rogers controlled the run game better than anybody around, throwing out potential base stealers with an astoundingly high efficiency.

1B – Tait Sanford, So. – Marengo Academy – Sanford hit .338 to lead all first basemen in the county. He finished the season with three homers and 35 RBIs to go along with 20 runs scored in only 68 at-bats.

2B – Matt Eicher, Jr. – Demopolis – Eicher took over the leadoff spot for the Tigers about a third of the way through the season. In his first varsity season, Eicher did nothing short of deliver the goods game in and game out. He finished the season with a .400 batting average, good enough for second on the team and fourth in the county. But his team leading .500 on-base percentage – good enough for second in the county – allowed him to consistently set the table for DHS.

SS – Brett Davis, Sr. – Sweet Water – The face of Sweet Water athletics for 2012-2013, Davis finished second in the county in batting average with an impressive .433 mark. He led his team in doubles and triples to go along with a team-high 35 RBIs. And a .500 OBP means he was on base in half of his total plate appearances. And his .639 slugging percentage was nearly 200 points higher than his next closest teammate. Add to all that the fact that Davis’ defense is stellar and you’ve got one impressive player.

3B – Wesley Anderson, Sr. – Demopolis – Anderson quietly proved himself a big bat for the Tigers, sliding into the cleanup spot before season’s end. Anderson hit .365 with two homers – both marks good enough for second on the team – and scored 27 runs. But the number that landed him in this spot was 39, as in 39 RBIs. That mark is tops on the Tigers and second in the county.

OF – Brant Lewis, Jr. – Marengo Academy – Lewis logged time at short, on the mound and in the outfield this season. He finished with a county-high 40 RBIs to go along with, eight stolen bases, eight doubles, three triples and three homers. Put all of that with a .410 batting average and a .471 OBP and you have a real standout season for the Longhorn junior.

OF – Brock Montgomery, Sr. – Demopolis – Montgomery had 45 strikeouts on the mound this year and nearly made our list as a pitcher. However, he also proved to be easily one of the most well-rounded outfielders in the county. Montgomery is fantastic in the outfield and proved a strong contact hitter at the plate with 35 runs scored to go along with a team-leading nine doubles.

OF – Wyatt Hale, Jr. – OF – Marengo Academy – Hale hit .319 on the year, but managed 20 walks to help assemble a .467 on-base percentage, giving him plenty of opportunity to cause problems on the base paths. He managed to do just that, tying for the county lead in steals with 16. Hale also scored 27 times for the Longhorns.

DH – Tra Prichett, Sr. – Sweet Water – Prichett went well under the radar but finished as one of the best players in county. He is our DH because Mason Rogers has the catcher’s spot on lock. But Prichett, who is no slouch on defense either, turned in the highest on-base percentage in the county with a .545 mark. He also scored 37 runs, a mark that ties him for tops in the county.

DH – Devin Stroud, Sr. – Demopolis – Stroud is one of the better stories on the season. He passed on shoulder surgery in order to play his senior campaign. And while his batting average says very little about how valuable he was to the Tigers, he did finish tied for seventh in the county with 20 RBIs. Stroud also found himself on base at a .431 clip, enabling him to score 23 runs this season. Rarely used on the mound, Stroud also proved capable when called upon, working to a 2.25 ERA in 6 and two-thirds innings that included nine strikeouts and two saves.

P – Will Tucker, Sr. – Demopolis – Tucker put up a county best 5-0 mark on the hill for the Tigers. A control pitcher who lives off location, Tucker worked 37 and two-thirds innings against some of the best teams the Tigers saw in 2013. In the process, he worked his way to a 2.79 ERA, the lowest of anyone in the county with at least 20 innings of work. Tucker only fanned 19 batters, but proved cerebral on the mound, issuing only seven walks and consistently working out of jams.

P – Harris Etheridge, Fr. – Sweet Water – Etheridge was surprisingly effective on the bump for the Bulldogs this season. His 3-5 record does no justice to the season that he strung together. Etheridge worked 41 innings, struck out 40 batters and put together a 3.24 ERA. But the most impressive number for Etheridge was the .178 batting average to which he limited his opponents.

P – Tanner Luker, Jr. – Sweet Water – Luker was awfully close to making this team at his defensive position on the hot corner. For posterity’s sake, he finished the year with a .369 batting average and 34 RBIs. But we like him on the mound a lot. The workhorse of the Bulldogs, Luker led the county in innings pitched with 43 and a third. More of a pitch-to-contact type, he only struck out 22 batters on the year. Still, Luker compiled a 3.23 ERA through 11 starts on the bump, finishing with a 5-3 record. Luker tossed 589 pitches on the year, throwing 68 percent of them for strikes.

P – Michael Brooker, Jr. – Demopolis – Brooker was part of an ensemble cast of pitchers that helped the Tigers to a 23-8 record this year. He worked a total of 28 and two-thirds innings this season while striking out 30 and pitching his way to a 3.46 ERA.

P – Hayden Huckabee, Fr. – Marengo Academy – One of only two freshmen on this list, Huckabee did considerable work on the mound for a Longhorn team that made it to the second round of the state playoffs. Huckabee compiled a 5-3 record while striking out 42 batters over 34 innings as the lead arm for the Longhorns and working his way to a 3.17 ERA.

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