MONTGOMERY, Ala. — North-South All-Star squads for the upcoming 27th annual AHSAA North-South All-Star Baseball competition have been selected. The two 18-member teams comprised of 2024 rising seniors were announced by Brandon Dean, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) Monday.
The AHSADCA, which operates under the auspices of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) will also host all-star games basketball, softball, volleyball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, cross country, tennis and golf during the All-Star Week, July 17-21. Fall sports and winter sports all-star teams have already been announced.
The 64th annual North-South All-Star Football Game was played last December at Mobile with the South winning 42-7.
Coaches for the 2023 All-Star baseball squads are: (North) Mark Garner, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa; Brandon Stocks, Fayette County; Keith Lucky, Saint James, administrative coach; (South) Chris Jacks, Gulf Shores; Richie Brooks, Benjamin Russell and Ken Whittle, Trinity Presbyterian (retired), administrative coach.
The South All-Star boys’ team features four players who competed in the 2023 AHSAA Stat Baseball Championship Series last week Oxford and Jacksonville. Caden Collier played shortstop for Class 2A state champion Ariton hitting .365 with two homers and 37 RBIs in 2023. Drey Barrett pitched and played in the infield for Class 5A state champion Holtville. He hurled the championship- clinching win over Sardis to finish 6-3 on the year. He hit .381 with five home runs and 43 RBIs. Landon Beaver played first base for Class 7A state runner-up Central-Phenix City. He batted .385 with four homers and 39 RBIs. Alex Sherman pitched for Class 4A state runner-up UMS-Wright. The Bulldogs’ hurler was 8-3 on the season with a 1.26 ERA and 96 strikeouts.
The North All-Stars feature three players who competed in the 2023 State Baseball Championship Series last week. Gordo outfielder-pitcher Landon Fike helped the Green Wave finish runner-up in Class 3A. He was 6-1 on the mound and batted .3`5 with one homer and 19 RBIs on the year. Oxford shortstop-pitcher Carter Johnson sparked the Yellow Jackets to the Class 6A state championship hitting .398 with five homers, nine triples and 36 RBIs. He tied an AHSAA stace record socking three triples in one game during the regular season. Vestavia Hills’ catcher John Paul Head was a key member of the Rebels’ first state title since 2000. He batted .351 with three homers and 35 RBIs.
2023 ALL-STAR BASEBALL ROSTERS
The North-South all-star baseball competition is scheduled for Monday, July17 at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. Live streamed by the NFHS Network and AHSAA TV Network.
The South won game one last year 7-6 and the teams tied 3-3 in the second game. The North leads the series 23-15-2.
