Locals earn spots on ASWA All-State team

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Alabama Sports Writers Association released the 2017 All-State baseball teams with three local players earning first or second team honors.

In Class 4A, Andalusia High School’s Ethan Wilson earned a spot as first-team outfielder.

“Obviously, his numbers were tremendous this year,” AHS head coach Tyler Dent said. “At the plate and on the mound, he was just impressive all season. He is very deserving of this honor. His work ethic and his mindset on a daily basis are incredible.”

Wilson put up big numbers and led the Bulldogs in nearly every statistical category.

At the plate, Wilson had .495 batting average with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

The junior slugger collected 50 hits, scored 50 runs, hit 12 doubles, four triples and was 16-for-16 on stolen base attempts.

Wilson was 8-2 with 1.58 ERA on the mound and struck out 60 batters in 53 innings pitched.

Andalusia’s Will Clark missed a chunk of time due to injury, but his numbers were still strong enough to be the Class 4A second-team first baseman.

“The most impressive thing about Will was that he missed right at a month with a tweaked hamstring,” Dent said. “He missed all that time and when he came back it was still a nagging issue, but he still managed to put up impressive numbers. To put up the numbers he did while playing through pain, that was really impressive.”

Despite missing time, Clark had a .440 batting average with five home runs, 25 RBIs, 22 hits and 12 runs in 50 at bats.

In Class 1A, Pleasant Home’s Walt Weaver earned a spot as the second-team pitcher after helping lead the Eagles into the second round of the playoffs.

Weaver started eight games for the Eagles and finished with a 6-1 record and an ERA of .057.

In eight starts, Weaver had four shutouts and had 42 strikeouts. Weaver only allowed three earned runs in 37 innings pitched.

Ethan Wilson was one of three local athletes to make the ASWA All-State baseball team.
Josh Dutton/Star-News