Benefiting from experience

The Vestavia Hills High School baseball team had every excuse in the book last year.

The Rebels had to compensate for a handful of injuries and seemingly anything that could go wrong did throughout the season. One day, the stadium lights failed to power on. Another, the bus broke down. The list went on and on.

“Our mantra turned into, ‘So what, next pitch,’” said Vestavia Hills coach Jamie Harris. “So much happened that it became laughable.”

Instead of succumbing to the adversity and a 5-8 start to the season, Vestavia Hills used the situation to its advantage. Young players were forced to step up and gained experience. Overcoming many obstacles made the pressures of the latter part of the season seem not as daunting.

“I think it kind of helped us in the end,” Harris said. “Our kids got used to being uncomfortable.”

In their final regular season series, the Rebels had to sweep Thompson in a doubleheader just to qualify for the postseason after dropping the first game of the series. They were in the same position in the first two rounds of the playoffs as well, rallying to win the final two games of series against Sparkman and Oak Mountain.

Vestavia’s run came to an end in the semifinals, as Hoover — the eventual state champion — pulled off the sweep. Even in those two games, the Rebels took the lead into the seventh inning both times.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys competed,” Harris said. “Obviously, we had a chance to win it all.”

The most noteworthy void Vestavia Hills will have to replace this spring is on the mound. Powerful right-hander Caden Lemons was drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Brewers and Josh Stevens signed with Huntingdon College. 

Junior lefty Colton Lewis (who also plays first base and in the outfield) was one of the team’s top starters last spring and is expected to log a great deal of innings. Garrison Cherry also started several games last year and will see his role increase. 

Bo Minor played a critical role out of the bullpen for the Rebels at the back end of games and returns for his senior year. Wilson Enslen and Jack Mason are two guys that should provide additional innings.

The Rebels have an oddity on their roster this spring, with the starting third baseman from 2016 and 2017 both returning. Luke Whitaker was the Rebels third baseman his sophomore season before missing all of last season with injury. William Schaffeld stepped into that role admirably, and both are back for their senior years.

Infielder Christian Cusimano graduated last spring and is continuing his baseball career at Louisiana-Lafayette. The Rebels will need to also replace his leadership and production.

Harris said he expects outfielder Chris Dugas to have a big year. Dugas served the role as the team’s fourth outfielder and will step into a starting role and likely hit towards the top of the order. Will Hoffman is a senior outfielder that should have a big presence as well. Ben Saway is a junior infielder expected to have a chance to play a good deal as well.

Andrew Knight returns as the team’s primary catcher, but Harris said he can “literally play every position on the field.” Hinton Livings is a solid defensive catcher that will contribute behind the plate.

Many of those players got their chance last spring, and Harris hopes the lessons learned will carry over to this season.

“They got a ton of experience,” he said. “I don’t think the lights are going to be too bright for those guys.”