Franklin County players earn All-State honors

By Bart Moss

For the FCT

Several Franklin County baseball and softball players earned All-State honors from the Alabama High School Sports Writers Association recently, marking excellence in athletics from these local students.

Baseball:

Phil Campbell sophomore Peyton Thomas tops the list in baseball, earning first team All-State honors in Class 2A. Thomas, who played much of the year with a nagging injury, was the Bobcats’ second baseman. He had a .429 batting average with nine home runs, 36 RBIs, 48 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

Red Bay senior Troy Borden earned second team All-State honors in class 2A. Borden was the Tigers’ third baseman. He had a batting average of .431 with 50 hits, 41 RBIs, three home runs and 14 doubles.

Softball:

Tharptown had three players earn All-State honors, beginning with senior shortstop Haley Malone. Malone earned first team All-State honors in Class 2A. She had a batting average of .519 with seven triples and 16 doubles, 28 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

Senior Kaitlyn Vandiver and junior Kaylee Bain earned Honorable Mention honors. Vandiver had a batting average of .500, three home runs, 17 doubles and 44 RBIs. Bain, the Wildcats’ centerfielder, had a .439 batting average, 27 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Bain was unable to finish the latter part of the season for the Wildcats due to an illness.

Vina’s Abby Hester earned second team All-State honors in Class 1A. Hester, a sophomore, is the Red Devils’ catcher. She threw out 27 base runners. She had a batting average of .475 and stole 48 bases.