AISA FINALS: Lowndes Academy takes home title after impressive sweep of Wilcox
Lowndes Academy is jumping for joy after winning the AISA Class A state title at Paterson Field on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Lowndes Academy coach Shane Moye knew what type of talent he had on the Rebels’ baseball team.
On Tuesday, everyone else saw it as well.
The Rebels pounded Wilcox Academy 11-1 and 12-1 in the Alabama Independent School Association Class A championship series at Paterson Field, winning its first championship since 2007.
“It’s awesome, just what we’ve accomplished in all sports, both boys and girls this year,” Moye said. “It’s been fun for all the coaches to be a part of it. This is the third time we’ve been here since I’ve been at Lowndes and to get it done is awesome.”
The players rushed the field in a mad dash for the trophy at the conclusion of the game, but it’s not like they haven’t become familiar with the AISA championship policy. Over the course of the school year, Lowndes won championships in football, girls’ basketball, softball and baseball, while finishing second in volleyball and boys’ basketball.
“It’s been amazing,” senior Clay Duncan said. “Football, we won it; volleyball, we came in as runner-up; basketball, the girls won it. It’s just been an amazing year. Then coming back and winning baseball and softball, it’s just amazing. There’s no words to describe it.”
Duncan was the hottest of the Rebel batters on Tuesday, going 5 for 7, including an inside-the-park home run in a nine-run sixth inning that drove in three runs and finished off the Cougars.
Lowndes (30-12) started out the season looking very ordinary but finished the year with a special determination that fought off several challenges by the Cougars and left them scoreless virtually every time. In the first game, Wilcox had runners on second and third in the first, fourth and sixth innings, only scoring a run in the fourth.
In the second game, runners were in scoring position in the first, fourth and sixth innings, but Wilcox managed only a single run in the fourth after two batters were hit by pitches and two drew walks, forcing in a run.
“We were actually 4-8 and we ended up the season winning 24 of our last 28, so we only lost four games after spring break,” Moye said. “We knew we had a good team, we just weren’t clicking. We made a few changes, moved some kids to different positions, went on a trip for spring break and just bonded. We started playing as a team.”
Duncan said the team hit its lowest point in a doubleheader loss at Monroe Academy, but there haven’t been many lows since.
“We started the season off horrible,” he said. “We went on a 24-game winning streak or something like that, lost to Abbeville but that didn’t stop us. We kept on going. We actually became a family after going to Monroe and that’s how we got here, sticking together.”
Walker McQueen went 3 for 6 in the two games on Tuesday while Dominic Dougan went 3 for 7 with an RBI and Grant Casey went 3 for 7 with four RBIs.
Many of the same players celebrated a football state championship with Moye across the street at Cramton Bowl in November, but the Lowndes Academy coach said his team needed an early-season attitude adjustment to accomplish the same feat in baseball.
“Baseball is about mental toughness and being able to deal with failure,” he said. “We were struggling with it at first, but we got through it. These kids are so fun. I am so glad to be a part of what they’ve accomplished the last three years. To add baseball to it is just awesome.”
Joining Duncan on the all-tournament team were teammates Noah Smith, Dougan, McQueen and the Wilcox trio of J.P. Beck, Matt Bush and Landon Agee.