By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

A legend of college baseball will speak at Thorsby High School on Feb. 7.

Ron Polk, known as “the Father of SEC baseball,” will be the featured attraction at a banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 7.

“We’ve got a lot of people throughout the county that are into the game of baseball,” said Thorsby coach Ab Argent, who is organizing the event. “What are the chances, No. 1, of Ron Polk coming to Chilton County, and then to have the chance to come out and listen to him.”

Polk was inducted to the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. He won 1,373 games in 35 seasons as a head coach, with 1,139 of those wins coming in 29 seasons at Mississippi State University.

Currently serving as an assistant coach at UAB, Polk ranks eighth on the list of all-time wins among college coaches, and his teams have won five Southeastern Conference championships, made 23 NCAA tournament appearances and have reached the College World Series nine times.

Polk said the stop at Thorsby is one of 28 he will make in January-February 2012.

“It’s a lot of entertainment,” he said. “I use stories from past ballclubs. I try not to bore anybody. I’ll give a message that I hope they will receive very well.”

The banquet will include a meal from 5:30-6:45 p.m. in the school cafeteria and then Polk’s speech in the auditorium.

Tickets will be sold for $10 for those wishing to partake in the meal and the speech. Argent said the money will be used to pay for the food and to present Polk with a gift for his time.

Those wishing only to hear Polk should arrive at the auditorium by 7 p.m. and would pay $5 for admittance.

For more information, call Argent at (205) 955-1003. Tickets should be available soon at the school.

“It’s just a great opportunity for people throughout the county, not just Thorsby people,” Argent said. “We encourage any dads to come out and bring your kids. Everyone is welcome to come.”

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

After the best season in school history, the Thorsby baseball team is well represented on the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s All-State Baseball Team.

Senior pitcher Cody Carroll and junior utility infielder Jason Price were both named to the first team for Class 2A, and Ab Argent was named Coach of the Year.

“It’s nice to see our kids getting recognized for the work they put into it,” Argent said. “It’s good for our baseball program in general and the community.”

Argent said he thinks Thorsby’s deep runs in the state playoffs the past few years has brought more attention to the program.

Both Carroll and Price also made the first team last season.

This year, Carroll led the Rebels with 79 2/3 innings pitched, 115 strikeouts, a 12-1 record and a 2.55 earned run average.

He recorded a perfect game on April 8 against Isabella.

Price posted team bests in batting average (.577), slugging percentage (.821), on-base percentage (.644), runs batted in (50), walks (23), doubles (22) and hits (71).

The Class 2A All-State team follows:

P: Dillon Williams, American Christian, Sr.

P: Carlos Delgado, Leroy, Sr.

P: Cody Carroll, Thorsby, Sr.

P: Glenn Irby, Mars Hill, So.

C: Jacob Mayfield, Westbrook Christian, Sr.

1B: Thomas Burrows, Mars Hill, So.

2B: Micah Johnson, Hatton, Sr.

SS: Josh Rouse, Sumiton Christian, Sr.

3B: Hunter Payne, Sumiton Christian, Sr.

OF: Trey Chambers, Mobile Christian, Sr.

OF: Jo-El Bennett, Houston Academy, Sr.

OF: Ajay Snow, Leroy, Sr.

UTL: Sammie Coates, Leroy, Sr.

UTL: Jason Price, Thorsby, Jr.

DH: Luke Brackin, Hatton, Sr.

DH: Jesse Giddens, Lineville, Sr.

Player of the Year: Ajay Snow, Leroy

Pitcher of the Year: Dillon Williams, American Christian

Hitter of the Year: Ajay Snow, Leroy

Coach of the Year: Ab Argent, Thorsby

By Drew Granthum | Staff Writer

Thorsby’s Cody Carroll recently announced his intention to sign a baseball scholarship to Wallace Community College in Selma.

Carroll posted a 12-1 record with a 2.55 ERA this season for the Rebels. In 79.2 innings pitched, he struck out 115 batters, and allowed only 22 walks during Thorsby’s historic season. The team reached the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

He said he planned to continue pitching at Wallace and wherever he went after that.

“I hope to pitch for them, and play for them for a year or two, then transfer out to a bigger school,” he said.

Thorsby coach Ab Argent had nothing but praise for Carroll, the 2010 Clanton Advertiser Player of The Year.

“They’re getting a good pitcher, a good kid,” he said. “He meant a lot to our program. He’s a hard worker and comes from a good family.

Argent also said Carroll has the potential to become even better at the collegiate level.

“He’s got a lot of upside, and not a lot of innings pitched,” he said. “I wish we had him another year, and I wish him well.”

Carroll, who also had offers from Auburn-Montgomery and Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, said he chose Wallace because they would pay for tuition and books.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Jason Price enjoyed a breakout season in 2011, the result of a year of experience and an offseason spent in his personal batting cage.

And Price’s emergence was perhaps the most significant reason behind the Thorsby baseball team advancing to the semifinal round of the state playoffs for the first time in school history.

Price is The Clanton Advertiser’s Baseball Player of the Year, and his coach, Ab Argent, is the Coach of the Year.

Price, a righthanded hitter who plays first base and third base as well as pitch and catch, grew up playing baseball but suffered a major setback days before his freshman season in the form of a broken bone in his arm.

He missed all but one game that year, so 2010, his sophomore season, was his first on the varsity level. Price was good, leading the team with a .427 batting average as the Rebels played all the way to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs before falling in heartbreaking fashion at Lexington.

Fueled by his team’s exit and the thought that he was capable of playing better, Price spent his offseason in the batting cage at his home. He and teammate Stuart Scott, who was preparing for his first varsity action, threw to each other at least a couple of hours every day.

“We wanted to be better,” Price said. “I felt a lot more comfortable in the box.”

The work paid off: In 2011, Price led THS with a .577 average, .821 slugging percentage, .644 on-base percentage, 50 runs batted in, 23 walks, 22 doubles and 71 hits. His season batting average ranks eighth all-time in the state regardless of classification for those with a minimum of 100 at-bats, according to the Alabama High School Athletic Association website.

Price succeeded despite eventually paying for all the extra work.

Since about halfway through the season, he was playing through a pinched nerve, a bulging disc in his lower back and a hip that kept popping out of place.

“I didn’t feel it during the games because my adrenaline was going,” he said.

Price is understandably proud of his performance but perhaps more so that of the team, as the Rebels took the next step, defeating Houston Academy in the quarterfinals to become one of the last four 2A teams left in the state.

It was a milestone for the school and for Argent, who gets the most out of his players year after year by being demanding on the field but loyal to his players off the field.

Price said Argent’s style fits well with the 2011 group of Rebels, who are laid back.

“We probably wouldn’t be near as good as we were (without being pushed by Argent),” Price said.

Now there will be another offseason of working toward lofty goals.

“We want to go even further,” Price said.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Stephen Mims of Thorsby was named the Chilton County team’s Most Valuable Player at Saturday’s East-West Baseball exhibition event.

Mims’ Chilton County all-star team fell to Shelby County, 6-5, and to Autauga County, 10-3.

Chilton County got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning of the second game, trailing 3-0, when Jemison’s Kyle Dennis singled through the right side of the infield to score Maplesville’s James Madsen.

Chilton County scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Mims pitched in Chilton County’s first game of the day.

Teammate Cody Carroll pitched against Autauga, giving up three runs and striking out two in two innings of work.

Other North Chilton County players selected for the game included: Alex Campbell of Jemison, Jace Maddox of Thorsby, Cruz Martinez of Jemison and Jason Price of Thorsby.

By Justin Averette | Managing Editor

Thorsby’s historic season ended Saturday with a 14-3, five-inning loss against Leroy in the Class 2A state semifinals.

The Rebels lost both games of the best-of-three series but were unashamed of the effort they gave in their first-ever semifinal appearance.

Host Thorsby fought back from a 12-run deficit in Game 1 on May 13 to force an extra inning before Leroy won, 19-14. And THS trailed just 6-3 in the bottom of the third inning of Game 2 before it was suspended because of weather and impending darkness.

But the visiting Bears on Saturday played the part of the top-ranked team in Class 2A, demonstrating dominant hitting and pitching.

Leroy scored four runs in both the bottom of the third and fourth innings to build its lead.

A deep home run off the bat of Christian Snow gave Leroy an 11-run lead.

Thorsby batters had no hits in the fourth but did get two singles in the fifth; however, the team couldn’t get the runners home and avoid the 10-run rule.

Carlos Delgado was the winning pitcher for Leroy. He allowed three hits and struck out six as the Bears advanced to the state finals for the fourth time in the last five years.

Leroy will face American Christian Academy for the state championship.

–Assistant Managing Editor Stephen Dawkins contributed to this report.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby’s first appearance in the semifinal round of the state baseball playoffs produced a heartbreaker and a cliffhanger.

The Rebels fought back from deficits of 11-0 and 14-2 in Game 1 to tie the score at 14 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but a three-run home run in the eighth inning by Leroy’s Justin Besteda gave the visitors a 19-4 win.

Leroy led Game 2, 6-3, in the bottom of the third inning, when play was suspended because of lightning and darkness.

The teams will pick up where they left off at noon Saturday.

THS must come back in order to avoid elimination in the best-of-three series, but they set a precedent in the first game of the day.

The Rebels trailed 5-0 after one inning and 11-0 after two and a half innings—with ace Cody Carroll on the mound and with the Bears opting not to start their best pitcher, Carlos Delgado.

But Stephen Mims led off the bottom of the third inning with a walk, and Parker Bryan and Matt Morgan both wound up scoring.

Brantly Maddox came in to pitch the fourth inning and held the visitors to three runs in the next four innings, allowing his teammates a chance to get back in the game by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning—on nothing but singles and walks—and four more runs in the sixth to tie the game at 14.

With one out in the top of the seventh inning and runners on first and second, THS third baseman Blake Elkins snagged a hard hit ground ball off the bat of Christian Snow, stepped on his base and fired across the diamond to first in time for an inning ending double play.

But the Rebels went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, and their golden opportunity was gone.

Chris Ervin and A.J. Portis singled off Maddox in the bottom of the eighth before Besteda hit one over the fence in left-center field.

The Bears tacked on another run before Thorsby could retire the side.

A lack of control plagued Thorsby pitching in Game 2, as Leroy built a 6-1 lead by taking six walks in the first inning and scoring on three wild pitches.

Thorsby’s first run was scored by Morgan, and the Rebels cut into the lead in the top of the third inning.

Mims led off the half-inning and was hit by a pitch, and Parker Bryan followed with a single, allowing Mims to score from second base.

Bryan scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Morgan.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

To get ready for the fire they’re sure to see Friday, the Thorsby baseball team cranked up the heat in practices this week.

Class 2A No. 1 Leroy, who will visit Thorsby in the semifinal round of the state playoffs, features as many as three pitchers who approach 90 mph on the radar gun, but with an underdog mentality, homefield advantage and help from a school down the road, don’t expect the Rebels to be intimidated.

“They’re ready to go play,” THS coach Ab Argent said about his team. “There’s a big challenge ahead of us but also a big opportunity.”

Thorsby will surely see Leroy’s top two pitchers—Carlos Delgado and Sammie Coates, who signed to play football at Auburn but could be taken in the Major League Baseball draft—in the weekend series, which will include games at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Friday and a decisive Game 3 at noon Saturday if necessary.

To give his hitters a look at the type of arms they will face, Argent this week enlisted the help of Chilton County High School ace pitcher Chance Calloway and assistant coach Ryan Ellison.

Calloway and Ellison, who starred at Isabella and played college baseball at Troy University, threw against Thorsby batters.

“You get to this stage, you try to mix it up a little bit,” Argent said. “At the same time, what we’ve done has worked, so we haven’t changed too much.”

Though this year marks the furthest Thorsby has ever advanced in the playoffs, Argent said the Rebels are eager to prove they belong among the state’s elite teams.

“We’ve heard from everybody about how good Leroy is,” Argent said. “They are a good team, and we sure do respect them, I promise you that.

“But our kids look at it like we haven’t been given respect. You have to earn respect. They feel we’ve been a good program through the years, and I think we have been. We’re trying to establish ourselves as an elite program.”

Argent said pitching and defense have been consistent for the team this season and that the hitting has improved in the later part of the year.

Ace Cody Carroll has been as dominant as expected, and Argent has several options after him, including southpaw Stephen Mims, Shane Beam, Jason Price and Matt Morgan.

Carroll, in fact, didn’t start either of the two quarterfinal round games against Houston Academy last week but did appear for three innings of relief work.

“I kind of just go on feeling, who I think is throwing best at the time,” Argent said.

The defense has excelled because young players have stepped up in prime positions, like sophomore Parker Bryan at shortstop, junior Mims in center field, sophomore Stuart Scott in left field and freshman Morgan at catcher.

“I think he’s the best catcher in 2A baseball,” Argent said. “I ask a lot of Matt, and I tell myself sometimes, ‘He’s just a ninth grader.’”

Veterans Price (first base), Wesley Smitherman (second), Blake Elkins (third) and Jace Maddox (right field) have been as solid as expected, if not more so.

“Elkins and Price played huge on the corners last week,” Argent said.

The Rebels and their fans know how good they are, and they have the opportunity to prove it to everyone else.

“What more could you ask for than the semifinals at home versus the No. 1 team,” Argent asked. “We look forward to seeing how we stack up.”

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby scored a combined seven runs in the final inning of both its games Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the Class 2A state baseball playoffs for the first time in school history.

The Rebels scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 1 against visiting Houston Academy to win, 8-7, and scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning of Game 2 to win, 15-11.

Saturday’s action delighted what has become a baseball community and satisfied a group of players and coaches who have been close to this plateau—most of this year’s team was around for last year’s best-of-three series loss at Lexington, where THS won one game but lost two by a combined three runs.

“It felt good getting the monkey off our back,” said Thorsby coach Ab Argent, who has led the Rebels to the quarterfinals four times in his seven seasons.

Thorsby will host Class 2A No. 1 Leroy—last year’s state runner up—in a best-of-three series for the right play for the state championship. A doubleheader will be played at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Friday, and a third game would be played if necessary at noon on Saturday.

Leroy features ace pitcher Carlos Delgado, 6’5” pitcher/centerfielder/leadoff batter Sammie Coates—who signed to play football with Auburn but could be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft—and slugging brothers Ajay and Christian Snow.

Ajay Snow is batting .628, and Christian is batting .500. The two—who hit No. 3 and 4 in the lineup, respectively—have combined for 24 home runs and 117 runs batted in.

“They’re as good as advertised,” Argent said about the Bears.

But the Rebels haven’t lost a game at home since March 20, 2010, and gained much confidence with their performance in the quarterfinal round.

“I thought the difference [in the series win over Houston Academy] was our home field advantage,” Argent said. “We look for more of that this weekend obviously.”

Thorsby also needed a deep pitching staff and timely hits to knock the Raiders out of the playoffs.

Houston Academy, as expected, started ace pitcher Jo-El Bennett in Game 1. Argent was more creative with his ace, Cody Carroll.

Left-handed pitcher Stephen Mims started the first game of the series for the hosts and turned in a solid performance: three runs on four hits and four walks allowed in five innings pitched while striking out eight.

Carroll took over on the mound with a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning but wasn’t helped by his defense, as two errors in the top of the seventh helped Houston Academy take a 7-6 lead.

Jace Maddox led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, and Jason Price followed with another single.

Brantley Maddox came in to run for Price in what may have been the best decision of the game.

With runners on first and second, Blake Elkins ripped a single through the left side of the infield. The ball got past the leftfielder, allowing Jace Maddox to score easily and Brantley Maddox to slide in under a tag for the winning run.

Price and Elkins both went 3-for-4 in the game, and Wesley Smitherman went 3-for-3.

Bennett, who will play college baseball at Troy, was walked or pitched around every plate appearance.

“Our whole game plan was to not let him beat us,” Argent said.

The Thorsby coach again opted to hold out his ace, starting Shane Beam in Game 2.

Beam was effective for four innings before giving way to Price, who allowed only two hits in two innings. But one of those was a game-tying grand slam off the bat of Houston Academy’s Cameron Choquette.

Matt Morgan pitched a scoreless seventh and became the winning pitcher as the Rebels—playing as the visiting team—scored five runs in the top of the eighth.

Elkins, Smitherman, Andrew Farris, Stuart Scott and Mims all crossed the plate in the inning, capped by a two-run single off the bat of Morgan.

Carroll worked the bottom of the eighth and struck out the last batter he faced to begin the celebration.

Morgan went 5-for-6, Price went 4-for-6 and Elkins went 3-for-5.

By Stephen Dawkins | Assistant Managing Editor

Thorsby earned a second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state playoffs with Wednesday’s 9-5 win at Horseshoe Bend.

The game marked the Rebels’ third trip to HBHS in three days because Tuesday’s game—which would have been the decisive game of the best-of-three series—was rained out.

So, Thorsby went back Wednesday and relied on its pitching depth to earn the win.

THS will host Houston Academy in the third round of the state playoffs. The best-of-three series will begin at noon Saturday with another game following the first.

If necessary, a third game would be played Monday.

The Rebels (30-6, the exact same mark as at this point last season) led 5-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, but the hosts scored four runs and had the bases loaded with one out when Shane Beam relieved Stephen Mims on the mound.

Beam worked out of the jam and finished the game.

“Anytime you go on the road in the playoffs, it’s hard,” THS Coach Ab Argent said. “I thought Shane stepped up late for us. Our kids battled from the get-go.

“Our goal was to get back to the quarterfinals again, and we did that,” Argent said.

Mims had held HBHS in check until the fourth; he allowed two hits and eight walks while striking out five.

Jace Maddox started the scoring by driving in Jason Price in the first inning.

In the second, Cody Carroll plated Wesley Smitherman with a sacrifice fly, Parker Bryan’s single brought home Mims, Bryan touched the plate and Maddox scored on a balk by the Horseshoe Bend pitcher.

Smitherman and Morgan scored in the third inning, but the Rebels wouldn’t score again until the top of the seventh, when Mims scored on an error and Bryan was brought in by a Price single.