Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Vestavia Hills’ William Tonsmeire (35) hits the ball in game one of a third-round playoff series against Thompson in May 2023.
The Vestavia Hills High School baseball program reached the mountaintop last spring for the first time since 2000.
Now, the challenge is to stay there. The Rebels had a run of dominance in the 1990s, winning nine state championships in a 10-year span under legendary head coach Sammy Dunn. That would be impossible to replicate, but the Rebels at least feel like they are back where they belong.
“It was a special year,” Vestavia Hills head coach Jamie Harris said of the 2023 season. “I wouldn’t change anything about it.”
Harris and several coaches on staff were part of that dynasty as players, meaning the program carries an extra sense of importance to them.
“It’s not a job for us; it’s a huge part of our lives,” Harris said.
With that being said, Vestavia Hills will be looking this season to replace many of those key players who helped lift the Rebels to the title last year. But the standard has long been set and the expectations within the program remain the same.
“They know what a practice is supposed to look like, they know what the focus is supposed to be, they know what the pressure is,” Harris said. “Once you get it rolling and kids get the taste of a winning culture, that feeds on itself.”
There are only a few players returning to this year’s team who played a significant amount of time last spring. John Paul Head was the team’s starting third baseman but will move behind the plate and be the team’s catcher. He has signed to catch at UAB and should give the Rebels a strong option in that role.
“We had the luxury of having two senior catchers last year that made it where we could leave him at third,” Harris said. “He looks the part every day at practice.”
William Tonsmeire, a Southern Miss commit, started in left field as a sophomore. He is likely to man center field this spring and Harris believes he could be one of the top outfielders in the state.
Mason Perrigo is back for another year on varsity and has played many positions during his time. He should slot in at shortstop and will be a bat the Rebels rely heavily on.
Caden Taylor is an outfielder committed to Northwest Shoals Community College. He will also provide juice in the middle of the lineup.
The Rebels have 11 seniors this year. In addition to Head, Perrigo and Taylor, there is also Dean Walker, Charlie Ingram, Sam Snowden, Matthew Ledbetter, Cannon Cherry, Clark Dickerson, Miles Plugge and Will Bourland.
Harris is also high on a few of the junior pitchers expected to have big years: Bruce Littleton, Chase Rafferty and Colin Jones.
“You can hem and haw about the guys you’re missing, but you can be excited about molding and shaping a new team. We’re doing the latter,” Harris said.
Vestavia knows as well as any program how difficult Class 7A baseball is in the Birmingham metro, between Areas 5 and 6. The Rebels are in Area 5 with Hoover, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County, and finishing in the top two to qualify for the playoffs is by no means an easy task.
“It’s going to be hard,” Harris said.
