Oxford, AL – Fresh from the addition of three college recruits Oxford’s baseball team of ’23 will be awarded 2 more honors at the the NFHS/ALABCA dinner on Friday.
by Joe Medley
Oxford’s 2023 state championship baseball team has recently added three college recruits along with Oxford’s 2023 state-championship team Yellow Jackets will receive two important awards on Friday.
Wes Brooks will receive National Federation of State High Schools Association/Alabama Baseball Coaches Association’s coach of year award and ALABCA Sammy Dunn Award.
Hayes Harrison, the 2023 Alabama Sports Writers Association Mr. Baseball, and Gatorade Award-winning player in Alabama is the recipient of ALABCA player of the year.
These awards are given at the NFHS/ALABCA awards dinner Friday, at Birmingham’s Wynfrey Hotel.
“A Coach is as effective as his players and assistant coaches therefore, this award goes to the entire of the members of the Oxford football family, for their outstanding hard work and commitment that went into making this season possible and it possible to win this prize,” Brooks said.
This is a month following three of the seniors who are currently in high school signed up to play in college: Carter Johnson (Alabama), R.J. Brooks (Jacksonville State) and Forrest Heacock (Snead State Community College).
The signings took place on November. 10, the 2023 Oxford State championship team in Class 6A have produced eight. Five senior players from the 2023 season signed contracts in the past year: Sam Robertson (Auburn), Peyton Watts (Troy), Drew McCormick (Jacksonville State), Hayes Harrison (Northwest Shoals Community College) and Jackson Crow (East Mississippi Community College).
Three other members of that team have signed on: Eli Bozeman and Hudson Gilman (Jacksonville State) and Nick Richardson (South Alabama).
Johnson was one of the 40 players selected for the 18U Team USA training camp roster during the summer.
Oxford ended the 2023 season winning the second class 6A state title, matching the school record for most wins of 39 victories. Oxford’s Yellow Jackets won their final 19 games, which included the entire playoff series.
The team was presented with its championship rings in November. 10.
Brooks his 18-year tenure as the Oxford’s coach also included State championships for Class 6A in both 2023 and 2012. Brooks was promoted to the administration in May and assumed full-time responsibilities as the supervisor of safety, operations, and athletics at Oxford City Schools.
Oxford hired the former Austin Peay State University head coach as well as Jacksonville State assistant Travis Janssen to take over from Brooks.
“I am very thankful and thankful to Barry Dean and the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association for this award and am grateful to be acknowledged by being awarded the Sammy Dunn Memorial Award!” Brooks said. “Coach Dunn was one of the very first coaches in Alabama who made baseball a huge deal. In this region of the country, he’s called the Godfather of the high-school baseball.
“The coach Dunn legacy continues to live on from year to year, not just in this state, but across the nation.”
Harrison scored 13-0 with the 1.28 ERA as a senior. The lefty threw out 82 batters, while allowing 11 walks and 43 hits during 71 innings.
On the plate He hit .382 and had nine doubles with 38 RBIs as well as an .497 at-bat percentage.
