By Ron Ingram/AHSSA
Westbrook Christian first-year head baseball coach Ricky Ray Clayton found out the hard way on his first day on the job last year just how good Brodie Johnson, one of the nine seniors he inherited on this year’s team, could swing the bat.
Johnson had three hits in Tuesday’s opening game 13-3 victory over Bibb County in the AHSAA Class 4A State Baseball championship series and finished game two with three more hits as the Warriors (28-11) won the Class 4A state championship with a 10-2 victory.
The senior explained how they met.
“We were out on the field and I had a wood bat in my hand,” he said. “Coach was walking up behind me when I swung the bat and hit him real hard – knocked him out. I was worried I might not get to be on his team, but he called me that night and told me not to worry about it.”
That introduction was one made in heaven, according to testimonies of players and their coach. The team dedicated the season, the success and the celebration to their faith.
Johnson also pitched game two Wednesday at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium on the Jacksonville State University campus. He scattered six hits, walked only one and have five strikeouts. Just as impressing was his 98 pitches thrown with 65 strikes.
“This has been a senior led team,” said Clayton. “I was very fortunate to have nine seniors on the team when I took the job. That’s unheard of. Each of these seniors have had their own moments in the team’s success.”
The Warriors pecked away in game two scoring runs in every inning but the first. The Choctaws (26-14), coached by Kevin May, were still in striking distance posted two runs in the bottom fourth inning to cut the Warriors’ early lead to 4-2. Westbrook Christian’s Johnson worked out if the inning getting the third out fly to left field with the bases loaded.
After a 60-minute rain delay, the top of fifth got underway Westbrook drove across another run when batter Jacob Maples stroked a two-out, two-strike single to right center field to plate another run to give the Warriors a 5-2 lead. The Warriors picked up two insurance runs in the top of sixth when Emmett Daniel drilled hard grounder past third base to drive in two runs.
Johnson, 6-of-9 hitting in the series, pitched the complete game to get the earn and the Class 4A State Championship Series MVP award. He also had a big defensive play from the mound in the bottom of the sixth when he snagged a high-bouncing grounder back up the middle and beat the runner to first base when his first baseman was pulled way off the bag on the hit and was unable to cover to shut down another Bibb County rally.
Westbrook Christian finished with 13 hits with Johnson collecting two doubles and a single. Brady Ryan, Jacob Maples, and Bo Kilgo had two hits each. Kilgo drove in four runs from his No. 9 batting slot for the Warriors.
Kaige Watkins and Grant Burkes had two hits each for Bibb County. Burkes had a double for one RBI and Dylan Kornegay had a single and RBI for the Choctaws. Pitcher Ethan McMillan pitched six innings to get the loss.
The AHSAA Class 3A State Baseball Championships featuring defending state champion Glenwood School and Gordo High School, was scheduled to play game two of the best-two-of three series at 4 p.m., Wednesday at JSU.
All games in each of the seven state championship series are being live video streamed by the NFHS Network’s subscriber-based platform. Legendary college sports broadcaster Eli Gold is in the booth for all the AHSAA baseball games played at Jacksonville.
