North Division

The PBR Alabama staff takes a look into the North Division of the Alabama Community College Conference for 2019. 

Bevill State Bears

The Bears come into 2019 with high hopes of getting back to the ACCC Conference Tournament held in Ozark, AL. After missing out on the tournament in 2018, Bevill State returns some core players from last year’s team who logged some significant playing time and experience that will only help them this year. One of those players is sophomore Walker Nolen from Saraland HS. As a freshman for the Bears, Nolen hit .254 with 9 2B’s, 3 HR’s, and 22 RBI’s. The latter 3 statistics led the team in 2018. Another position player returning for the Bears is sophomore IF/RHP Jared Barnes from James Clemens HS in Madison, AL. In 2018, Barnes hit .266 with 5 2B’s, 1 HR, and 13 RBI’s. Barnes also logged the 2^nd most innings (61 IP) on the mound for the Bears as well. Sophomore IF/RHP Brandon Rickman returns this year after having the 2^nd highest BA on the team at .278. The Bears look to be more of threat in 2019 with a very experienced roster.

Calhoun Warhawks

After making it back to the ACCC Conference Tournament in 2018, the Warhawks have many new faces in 2019. After spending a few seasons as an assistant coach as Motlow Community College in Tennessee, Cody Gaskill replaces long-time head coach Mike Burns at the helm. The Warhawks lost a lot of talent to graduation, but are very optimistic about the incoming freshman and returning sophomores. They will get back their everyday starting 2B Ladarius Woods from Decatur HS, who hit 3 HR’s with 25 RBI’s in 2018. Woods also hit for the cycle in Game 1 of a DH against Bevill State last year. Calhoun was also bitten by the “injury bug” in 2018, losing OF Jacob Foster, RHP/C/3B Colt Dozier, OF/2B Jonathan Coleman, and SS Andrew Stemple to various injuries. All four of these players return in 2019 in hopes of a healthy and successful season. Before being injured, Foster was one of the best hitters for the Warhawks, hitting .329 with 6 2B’s and 7 RBI’s. Stemple and Coleman also showed potential before getting injured. Dozier missed all of his freshman campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Although he was never able to play, he showed some juice during scrimmages, etc. while his arm was recovering. These four players will be relied on by Gaskill and Co. to carry some of the load offensively. On the mound, the Warhawks have a familiar face in RHP Carter Vickers coming back after carrying much of the load in 2018. As a freshman, Vickers was 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA and 43 K’s. The Warhawks have the pieces and leadership to make it back to Ozark in 2019.

Central Alabama Trojans

The Trojans have many familiar faces coming back for the 2019 season after missing out on the ACCC Conference Tournament last year. This roster is filled with many returning sophomores, many of whom played significant roles in 2018. One of those returning sophomores is INF Luis DeLeon from Providence, Rhode Island. In his first year of college ball, DeLeon was a bright spot offensively for Trojans. Leading the way in almost every offensively statistic, he hit .275 with 8 2B’s, 1 3B, 2 HR’s, 26 BB’s and 12 SB’s. The Trojans will be looking for a similar season from DeLeon in 2019. MIF Jeremy Almaguer also had a productive 2018 campaign as a freshman, hitting .264 with 8 2B’s, 1 3B and 18 RBI’s. Almaguer is a San Antonio, Texas native. On the mound for the Trojans, they return their ace in LHP Mason Meyer. A Newman, Georgia native, Meyer was 5-1 with 75.2 IP, 2.74 ERA and 56 K’s as a freshman. Having him back will be big for this Trojans.

Lawson State Cougars

The Cougars finished 2018 with a 25-30-1 record, but don’t let that record fool you. Lawson State got hot at the right time and made a little run in the ACCC Conference Tournament. Now it is a new year, and Head Coach Blake Davis hopes that his ballclub can feed off the way they ended things last year. Offensively, they return a significant amount of starters that gained some experience as freshmen. This includes OF Jackson Tate from Montgomery, AL. As a freshman, Tate put up some serious numbers, hitting .328 with 10 2B’s, 4 3B’s, 9 HR’s, 46 RBI’s and a .447 OBP. The Cougars are excited to see what Tate has in store for his sophomore campaign. Another returning sophomore for Lawson State is INF Cory Mason from Buckhorn HS in New Market, AL. Mason hit .308 with 13 2B’s and 25 RBI’s in 2018. One arm the Cougars have returning on the bump is Daniel Buice from Winder, GA. In his first year, Buice was 1-1 with a 3.96 ERA and 32 K’s. With these returning sophomores, the Cougars are excited to mix in the incoming freshmen for this year. Lawson State did an exceptional job on the recruiting trail this year.

Marion Military Tigers

Marion just missed out on the ACCC Conference Tournament in 2018, placing 6^th in the North Division. They started out the year hot, but struggled down the stretch losing their last 8 out of 9 games. Last year, the Tigers were known for their offensive, and that seems to be the case again this year. As a team in 2018, they hit a combined .317. This year, the Tigers return 5 players that hit above the .300 mark in 2018. These players include: UT Matthew Marfice (.311), OF David Sweat (.367), IF Devne Daniel (.348), C Cole Beck (.333) and C Samuel Clement (.327). They should be able to put up numbers with anyone in their league. Marquez Oates should be a bright spot for the Tigers on the mound. Oates posted a 3-3 record with a 2.33 ERA, 46 K’s and only 9 BB’s in 2018. The Tigers have high aspirations to get back to the tournament in Ozark and definitely possess the offensive firepower to do so.

Shelton State Bucs

Shelton State comes off a terrific season in 2018, going 38-19 overall with a 26-6 record in conference play. They earned the 2^nd seed out of the North, finishing just behind Wallace-Hanceville by 2 games. The Bucs made it all the way to the semifinals before getting beat by Wallace-Hanceville in the nightcap by a score of 11-4, placing 3^rd in the tournament. Legendary Head Coach Bobby Sprowl hopes that they are able to build off the way they finished last season. Sophomore SS Garrett Farquhar from Hoover HS returns for the Bucs after having a monster freshman campaign. Farquhar hit .331 with 8 2B’s, 2 3B’s, 1 HR and 32 RBI’s in 2018 while playing very solid defensively. Shelton will miss CF Keegan Morrow and LHP Austin Bohannon, who both signed to play at UAB. Nevertheless, the Bucs are looking to make it back to Ozark and make a deeper run in the tournament in 2019.

Snead State Parsons

1^st year Head Coach Casey Underwood is very excited to see what his club has in store for the 2019 season. Underwood replaces Gerry Ledbetter, who was the Parsons’ head coach for 26 seasons. Ledbetter will still be involved with the team as an assistant. Returning for Snead State will be OF Caleb Floyd from Oak Mountain HS. As a freshman, Floyd led the team in H’s (63), 2B’s (14), 3B (2) and BA (.384). Floyd and the Parsons hope for a similar season out of him in 2019. Another key returner for Underwood will be INF Jacob Rich from Spain Park HS. Rich finished just below the .300 clip at .299. Another notable for the Parsons will be C Jacob Bobo from Etowah HS after hitting .308 last year. On the mound, LHP Cameron Furr from Hewitt-Trussville HS hopes to build off of his freshman year after logging 52 IP. Snead State has enough returners and a mix of freshmen to have a successful season this year.

Southern Union Bison

The Bison lose most of their offensive production from 2018, but have a few returning sophomores and some impressive incoming freshman that will carry the load for Southern Union this year. One of those returning sophomores is INF Miles Minge. Miles provided a spark in the lineup last year for the Bison, hitting .353 with 55 H’s, 28 RBI’s and 25 SB’s. Coach “Jabo” Jordan will be looking for the same type season out of him in 2019. On the mound, Southern Union will have to replace one of the top pitchers in the league in LHP Beau Healy. Healy signed his LOI to play for the Mercer Bears after one year in Wadley, AL. One arm that Coach Jordan is counting on to fill that role is LHP Chase Raines. Raines logged some meaningful innings (45 IP) in 2018. The Bison are looking to get back to Ozark in 2019 after placing 3^rd in the North Division last year.

Wallace-Hanceville Lions

Last but definitely not least in the North is Wallace-Hanceville from Hanceville, AL. The Lions are considered a powerhouse in the state of Alabama. Coach Randy Putman is regarded as one of the top coaches ACCC history, as he eclipsed the 1,000 wins mark in 2017. Last year, the Lions finished with an overall record of 47-10-1 and a conference record of 28-4. This year, they return some key pieces from 2018’s team. Two of these players are C Easton Kirk and C Brady Sherill. Last year, Kirk hit .364 with 16 2B’s, 10 HR’s and 51 RBI’s. He is a Troy University signee. Not to be outdone, Sherril put up monster numbers as well, hitting .416 with 5 HR’s, 52 RBI’s and 39 BB’s. On the mound, RHP Garrett Brown returns after signing with Samford University in December. Brown was 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 72 K’s in 2018. He will look to replace Blake Rivera, who signed in the 4^th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. The Lions will be in the thick of it again in 2019.

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