By Stephen Dawkins

When Ab Argent agreed to the job before the 2005 season, he was told he couldn’t win as coach of the Thorsby baseball team.
Six seasons—and 132 wins, six playoff berths, four area championships and three appearances in the state playoff quarterfinals—later, the doubts still motivate Argent.
But perhaps the greatest testament to the job Argent has done is the fact that his players motivate themselves, as evidenced by a commitment to strength training last summer that helped the Rebels earn a ranking as high as No. 2 last season and make the third of those quarterfinal berths.
And the greatest example of that offseason commitment is junior pitcher Cody Carroll , who compiled a 12-2 record with a 1.85 earned run average and 96 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings pitched. His dominance was best demonstrated in a five-inning no-hitter at Ashville and a performance at Vincent in which Carroll was one out away from a perfect game but gave up an infield hit.
“We could’ve played 20 innings and they wouldn’t have been able to hit him,” Argent said.
Carroll is The Clanton Advertiser’s Baseball Player of the Year, and Argent the Coach of the Year.
After the 2009 season, when Thorsby was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round for the first time in Argent’s tenure, coaches and players agreed something more had to be done if the Rebels were going to achieve the success they wanted.
So, each team member began making three visits a week to Cornerstone Fitness and Wellness, where they worked with trainer Barry Baker. The Rebels even continued the routine as they began playing regular season games.
“We told Barry not to cut them any slack, and he didn’t,” Argent said. “In the beginning, it wasn’t any fun. He said, ‘y’all will thank me later.’”
And they did, after the players realized how much their offseason work helped them on the field—and in their heads.
“We had a little more swagger this year than in the past,” Carroll said.
Carroll added 15 pounds of muscle (he weighs 190 pounds) in a year and added about 10 miles an hour to his fastball (he was clocked at 82 mph during the season). Carroll also grew a few inches, yielding a 6’2” frame Argent said college coaches will find attractive.
“His better days of baseball are ahead of him,” Argent said but added that Carroll must continue to work. “If you get content with where you’re at, you’re not going to improve.”
Argent talks like his own baseball future will include much of the same.
THS features varsity players like Carroll who are willing to go the extra mile to be successful, a youth league with all the tools necessary to produce capable players, and a school and community proud of their baseball program and willing to support it.
“I can’t imagine doing anything else, really,” Argent said. “It’s hard for me to believe I’ve ever been anywhere but here.”
But Argent said the best part about his job is that Thorsby isn’t so big or stressful that his daughters, 9-year-old Adi and 4-year-old Sarah Beth, can’t be a part of the program.
Adi wakes up ready for the day’s game and even gets in on the strategy.
“We’re up in Lexington, quarterfinals of the playoffs, and I’m sitting there on the bucket, into the game, and there’s this tap on my shoulder,” Argent said. “I turn around, and it’s her. She says, “What (pitch) do we got called? I look at her for a minute, and I say, ‘fastball away.’
“It’s one of those moments you just can’t explain.”

By Scott Mims

A new athletic training facility was once just wishful thinking among coaches at Thorsby School.
But it is soon to be a dream come true.
Thanks to the efforts of the school’s booster club, parents, students and other generous individuals, plans are underway for a structure that will provide breathing room for the school’s athletic programs.
Once complete, the building will house multiple weight stations, practice equipment and more.
“It’s going to make it possible for us to get all our kids from every sport into one facility to be able to work them out, and that’s huge,” said Billy Jackson, Thorsby’s athletic director and football coach.
The building will measure 75- by 85-feet. One side will house approximately 14 weight training stations—doubling the capacity of the existing field house. On the other side will be batting cages, practice pitching mounds and other types of equipment. The building will also contain restrooms and a coach’s office.
Currently, there is not enough room for the school’s 200-plus athletes to train under one roof simultaneously. In order for everyone to get time in the weight room, varsity and junior varsity must alternate training days.
“Weightlifting is the backbone of any program,” Jackson said. “If your kids are not working out and getting stronger, everyone else is. It’s tough to compete with the bigger schools.”
An indoor training area will also come in handy on rainy days, especially for the school’s baseball team. It will end the inconvenience of splitting the students into groups between the field house and gymnasium.
The old field house, which was built in the early 1990s, will likely be turned into a full locker room.
“I think it will be very beneficial to all sports here at Thorsby,” said baseball coach Ab Argent. “It’s something we desperately need. We need a bigger area to accommodate our kids—male and female athletes.”
School Principal Russ Bryan thanked Sen. Hank Erwin for a $10,000 gift toward the facility. He also thanked the athletic booster club for helping the school reach out and locate resources to fund the project.
An architect is working on plans to present to the Board of Education and the State Building Committee in June.

By Stephen Dawkins

Thorsby pitcher Cody Carroll was one of only two Chilton County players chosen to advance from Saturday’s East/West Baseball event.
The other was Chance Calloway of Chilton County High School.
Both Calloway and Carroll, two juniors, pitched for the West team and stifled the East while on the mound.
Calloway pitched the fourth and fifth innings of the first game of a doubleheader at Clanton’s Jack Hayes Field. He allowed one hit and no runs while striking out three.
Carroll started Game 2. He walked the first batter he faced, Prattville’s Tyler Spivey, and then struck out the side.
The East scored a run against Carroll in the second inning, but it was unearned, as the West committed two errors in the frame. Carroll totaled five strikeouts.
The West dominated the two games, winning 12-1 and 15-4, which was reflected by the list of those selected to advance to the next round.
Chosen from the West, in addition to Calloway and Carroll, were Braten Dill and Kevin McNorton of Shelby County and Trent Posey of Calera. Chosen from the East were Jordan Freeman of Prattville and Justin McAfee of Dallas County.
Chilton County’s Adam Minor was named as a reserve after going 3-for-4 at the plate in two games with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.
The seven players advancing from Saturday’s area game will compete on May 29 in the region competition, also to be held at Jack Hayes Field. They will join seven players from the Tuscaloosa area and six players from the Demopolis area to form the West team that will face an East team composed of 10 players from the Tallassee area game and 10 players from the Montgomery area game.

By Stephen Dawkins

If lights are installed at Verbena’s baseball and softball fields, as the Chilton County Board of Education at its Tuesday meeting voted to allow, Thorsby’s baseball field would be the only varsity baseball or softball facility in the county without lights.

Though coaches agreed on the benefits of a lighted field, they also agreed on the significant cost.

Rick Wilson with the Verbena booster club said he thinks lights could be installed on both fields for about $25,000.

But there should eventually be a return on the investment. Jemison installed lights on its baseball field before the 2006 season, a move coach Jason Easterling said paid immediate dividends.

“I went from $300-$400 gates to $800 or even $1,000,” Easterling said, “because it allows you to play later—more people can make it. And people come by and see the lights are on and stop by to see what’s going on.”

Verbena baseball coach Tommy Headley said his players are probably excited about the prospect of playing home games under the lights but said they would be used only when appropriate.

“We’re not going to play games in February at night” because of the usual low evening temperatures, Headley said. “The only reason we would use lights at the beginning of the season would be to finish a game.”

Thorsby coach Ab Argent said people involved with the baseball program discuss lights every year.

“Yeah, it would be nice to have lights,” Argent said. “But if we just had some money and I got to pick what we used it for, I’d say the indoor hitting facility. We can use the indoor hitting facility year-round.”

Argent might get his wish. School officials have discussed the construction of a new athletic facility, which would include a weight room and batting cages, adjacent to the current field house.

Thorsby baseball has an advantage over Verbena because of the town’s Richard Wood Park. Thorsby’s middle school and junior high teams both were allowed to play at youth league fields. Meanwhile, the only opportunity for Verbena’s junior high team to play was to travel with the varsity to away games and play either before or after the big boys—because Verbena has no youth league park and home doubleheaders with the varsity can’t be squeezed into daylight hours.

The junior high Red Devils played seven games this last season. Thorsby’s junior high squad played more than 20 games, Argent said.

Verbena’s booster club will raise the money necessary for the lights through fundraisers. Wilson said those involved with athletics at the school worked a concession stand at Auburn University home football games last season and raised about $14,000, which was split up among the various athletic programs, including cheerleading and band.

Wilson said he hopes Verbena can work both Auburn and University of Alabama games this fall and said that school athletic director Mike Harris had agreed a percentage of the money raised could go toward the light project.

The plan is have lights installed on both fields by the beginning of the next baseball and softball season.

Then, possibly, Verbena can look forward to more admission money—and a higher power bill to add to the list of expenses.

“With baseball, you’ve got to pay for fertilizer, watering the grass, equipment, gas for the buses,” Argent said. “Every time you turn around…more money.”

By Stephen Dawkins

Though their seasons are long over with, five North Chilton baseball players will take the field Saturday for a chance to possibly impress college scouts but to definitely raise money for a good cause.
The annual East/West Baseball event is a fundraiser for the Alabama Lions Sight Conservation effort, which helps provide eye care for indigent patients.
“Originally, the two things were to show off the kids and to get money for sight conservation,” said Danny Carter of the Clanton Evening Lions Club, which will host Saturday’s game at Jack Hayes Field.
Each of the two teams in the area game will be composed of 20 players.
Jemison senior outfielder Jacob Chapman and junior catcher/first baseman Scott Clements will participate. Representing Thorsby will be senior outfielder Evan Bryan, senior pitcher/infielder Brantley Bice and junior pitcher Cody Carroll.
The teams will play two six-inning games beginning at 1 p.m.
Seven players from the game will advance to the Central Alabama regional game, also to be played in Clanton, on May 22, according to district coordinator Don Hand.
Those seven will join six from the Demopolis area game and seven from the Tuscaloosa area game to form the West team that will face an East team composed of 10 players from the Tallassee area game and 10 players from the Montgomery area game.
Sixteen players from the regional game will advance to the state level played in Birmingham on June 5-6.
Admission will be $5 for adults and $3 for school age children.
Carter said his club usually raises from $1,500 to $2,000 each year through the games.
“The parents are the ones that really drive it because they always come and watch their kids,” Carter said. “We can use all the support we can get.”

The Thorsby Rebels fell one run shy of the state baseball semifinals Saturday, as they were eclipsed by the Lexington Golden Bears 8-7 in nine innings.

It was the deciding Game 3 of a quarterfinal series played at Lexington, in Lauderdale County. The Rebels won the first game Friday 4-2, and the Bears took the second game 9-4.

Thorsby coach Ab Argent said Saturday’s game was “a classic. It was great, great high school baseball.”

Thorsby went up 1-0 in the first, but Lexington answered quickly with two runs. The third inning was big for the Rebels as they went up 7-2, but Lexington tied it up in the bottom of the third.

No one would score again until the bottom of the ninth.

Thorsby junior Shane Beam pitched the entire nine innings.

“He got stronger as the game went on, and he grew up some out there on the mound for us,” Argent said.

Argent said it was one of those games where the teams were so evenly matched that you hated to see anyone lose.

“Our kids competed hard and just came up a little short. I was pleased with the effort. I thought they represented their school and county well,” he said.

The Rebels end their 2010 season with a record of 30-6.

By Stephen Dawkins

Three weeks ago, the Thorsby baseball team had won 25 games, lost only four and was ranked No. 2 out of the state’s Class 2A teams.
That’s a pretty successful season by anyone’s standards.
But the Rebels didn’t spend much time patting themselves on the back. They knew their real challenge lay ahead of them: the state playoffs.
“It’s like I’ve told them all week,” Thorsby coach Ab Argent said as he prepared his team to host Ranburne in the second playoff round, “We’ve done a good job getting to this point: winning the area, winning in the first round, putting ourselves in a position to host the second round. But you’re going to be judged by what you do in the playoffs.”
The Rebels on Friday got it done and live to practice for another round as the competition continues to improve.
It’s difficult to say whether this Thorsby team has what it takes to win a state championship, but it is difficult to find a weakness. Ace pitcher Cody Carroll shut down Ranburne in Game 1 on Friday and received plenty of support in a 10-0 win, showing what the Rebels can do when they play their best.
Game 2 was more of a struggle, with Thorsby fighting back from a deficit to take a 17-15 decision and end the series, a result that was a little bit of payback from last year, when Ranburne ended Thorsby’s season.
These Rebels are showing what this time of the year in high school sports is all about. The playoffs present an opportunity for a team and/or individual player to create a legacy, to do something the people associated with the school will always remember.
A fine example can be found using the same classrooms as the baseball players. Thorsby track and field athlete Sade’ Archie last year won two event championships at the state meet, the school’s first titles in the sport.
It’s too early to know if the Rebels can do it, but at least they realize the opportunity that’s in front of them.

– Dawkins is the assistant managing editor for The North Chilton Advertiser.

By Stephen Dawkins

At this point in the high school baseball season, the basics have been covered hundreds of times.
“Either you can hit and throw by now or you can’t,” said Thorsby coach Ab Argent, whose No. 2 Rebels (27-4) will welcome Ranburne (18-6) on Friday for a second-round playoff series.
The trouble, Argent said, is keeping players focused on games at the end of the week while keeping them from getting too excited too soon.
That might be especially difficult for this series because Ranburne knocked Thorsby out of last year’s playoffs.
Ranburne, a traditional power, is good again, but Argent said he believes Thorsby has several things going its way.
First, the Rebels get to play at home.
“Any time you’re in the playoffs, you would rather be at home than on the road,” Argent said. “And I really believe our kids are starting to peak at the right time and gaining a little confidence.”
Friday’s games will be at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. A third game would be played at noon Saturday if necessary.
If Saturday’s game is rained out, it would be rescheduled for Monday, Argent said.
“It’s like I’ve told them all week, we’ve done a good job getting to this point: winning the area, winning in the first round, putting ourselves in a position to host the second round. But you’re going to be judged by what you do in the playoffs.
“They understand. At this stage, you either get it done or you pack up your equipment and go home.”
The Rebels know what they’ll have to do to keep playing.
“We’ve got to come out and play our best to have a chance,” senior Evan Bryan said. “We just have to take it one game at a time.”

By Scott Mims

The Thorsby Rebels pummeled the Woodland Bobcats 10-0 and 22-5 to take their first round playoff series Friday, and they made it look easy.
In Game 1, Brantley Bice and Tanner Bush split 4 RBI in the first inning, and Blake Elkins’ double scored another. Evan Bryan was hit by a pitch, sending Cody Carroll home and giving the No. 2 Rebels a 6-0 lead.
Matt Morgan batted in two runs in Game 1, and Carroll struck out six of 15 Woodland batters.
Shane Beam pitched in the fifth inning and struck out one batter.
Thorsby coach Ab Argent said the team continued to hit and pitch well Friday.
“I’m just pleased with the way our kids played today. I think we’re starting to peak at the right time, and our kids are starting to play with a little confidence,” he said.
Woodland started off strong in Game 2 as Zach Barron picked up a single and scored on a passed ball. Tyler Napier plated two runs on a single to left field, putting Woodland up 3-0.
But the Rebels wouldn’t stand for it for long. Morgan answered with a grand slam, driving in Cory Woodall, Bush and Wesley Smitherman. The Rebels scored four more in the second inning, making it 8-3.
Bush doubled to right center in the fourth inning; he ended up garnering 5 RBI in Game 2.
Woodall and Jace Maddox each had 2 RBI in the fifth, and Stephen Mims hit it to the left field wall to drive in the final run of the game.
Bice pitched the full five innings, throwing 88 pitches and striking out six batters.
Next Friday, the Rebels (27-4) face the winner of the Shades Mountain Christian- Ranburne series.
“It’s only going to get tougher from here,” Argent said. “Our kids are aware of what’s out there. Hopefully, we can just keep it rolling.”

By Stephen Dawkins

Thorsby this week will roll into the playoffs, but coach Ab Argent warns that his team’s first-round opponent will be much more than a speed bump.

Argent’s Rebels boast a No. 2 ranking, a six-game winning streak and a 25-4 overall record, while Woodland might be overlooked because of its 9-18 record.

But Argent hopes his team doesn’t fall into that trap when Woodland visits for a first-round playoff series beginning at 1 p.m. Friday.

“They’re a lot better than their record indicates,” Argent said.

The Bobcats have been better than .500 since opening the season with an 11-game losing streak and even won at their area’s champion, Ranburne, on March 30.

Woodland will rely on the combination of leadoff man Zach Barron and No. 3 hitter Trey Fetner.

Barron, the team’s shortstop, sets the table for Fetner, who leads Woodland in batting average (.528), hits (38), RBI (26), doubles (10) home runs (three), and stolen bases (22).

Thorsby’s pitching staff, which Argent calls as good as any he’s seen this season, will have to keep Barron off the base paths and keep Fetner, who will either catch or play center field, from doing too much damage.

Argent said Shane Beam, Brantley Bice and Cody Carroll are all likely to toe the rubber at some point during the best-of-three series. If necessary, Game 3 would be played at noon on Saturday.

Ranburne eliminated Thorsby in the first round last season.

“This is where it gets fun,” Argent said. “Some teams start getting weeded out. Those that can play under a little pressure are the ones that get it done.

“Hopefully, we’re one of those.”