Oxford, AL – A day after learning about the new rankings of the No. 1 ranking, then the dramas of Pell City. Yellow Jackets settle into the home stretch of last week of the regular season.
By Joe Medley
Hayes Harrison might have liked to stay in bed all night Thursday in order to replay his stunning grand slam victory at Pell City repeatedly in his head. This is the part of playing for the team that is a No. 1 team, with big hopes and a lot of games scheduled … not enough time to enjoy a night of basking. “I was thrilled and we made it home early,” said the Oxford senior and All-Calhoun County 4A-6A player for the season. “I was exhausted and sure, I went to bed knowing that there was a doubleheader scheduled for today and tomorrow.” This has been a type of day for Oxford baseball.
Fresh off beating Pell City, 7-3 on Wednesday and 4-2 the following day, to win the crucial class 6A, Area 13 series, Oxford came home and split a doubleheader that was not in the area with Dothan the following day, falling 7-1 before winning 13-3 over 6 innings of play on Choccolocco Park. This was only 36 hours after Oxford’s Yellow Jackets awoke Thursday morning to learn that they had overtaken Hartselle to earn the number. one ranking in the Class 6A of the Alabama Sports Writers Association poll. It’s not the first time where the Yellow Jackets. The team’s victory at their first Perfect Game Nationals in early March earned them a week to be ranked No. 1 . in Prep Baseball Report 6A rankings and power rankings that cover all leagues.
Their most recent No. 1 ranking has eight games remaining in the regular season , and three weeks to go before the playoffs. Oxford has a strong lead over the 6A league at 21-6. It’s not the time to celebrate the team that is competing for stakes. Oxford head coach Wes Brooks barrels up rankings talking points by calling out Nick Saban. “It’s hilarious,” Brooks says with a smile. “You can refer to it as”rat poison.”
At No. one in The top spot in the PBR, Oxford gave up six runs in the opening innings at Spain Park. The day after they swept Pell City, Harrison’s two-out grand slam on a 3-1 count in the seventh inning of Game 2 serving as the main event, Oxford lost Friday’s opener against the unranked Dothan. “The children will probably not need me to make that statement,” Brooks said. “They’ve had that same speech before. He’s probably not right nor that Nick Saban is right, however, if you take a look at the rankings, you’ll end up losing 7-1 to an opponent who’s .500. “Baseball is a sport that can be humbling. It’s either humble or going to be, so you must be a player with respect.” R.J. Brooks the one-hit home run proved to be Oxford’s best in Friday’s opening game against Dothan. [read more…]
