Greenhill, Thomas headline county All-Staters
Two Franklin County baseball players were awarded high honors with the release of the 2017 All-State lists.
Cody Greenhill, the spearhead of Russellville’s state championship team, was named 5A Player of the Year and 5A Pitcher of the Year by the Alabama Sportswriters Association. Peyton Thomas, the power-hitting leader of the Phil Campbell Bobcats, was named 2A Hitter of the Year.
Greenhill, an Auburn signee, went 12-2 in the 2017 season, striking out 144 batters, walking 18 and only giving up ten earned runs with 0.74 earned run average. He also led the Tigers at the plate with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Thomas, a rising senior for the Bobcats, hit .437 on the season with 12 home runs, 12 doubles and a .568 on base percentage.
A state championship run usually yields individual honors, and this year was no different, as four Russellville baseball players, including Greenhill, made the 5A All-State team. Joining Greenhill on the First Team was senior outfielder Judd Ward. Ward had a batting average of .407 and scored 58 runs. Chad Wray, a senior pitcher, earned second team honors, going 8-3 for Russellville, striking out 96 with a 2.59 ERA. Skylar Holland, a senior utility player, earned Honorable Mention, batting .340 with six home runs and 45 RBIs.
Thomas was the only local player to make the 2A All-State First Team. His teammate, senior first baseman Hayden Copeland, earned Second Team honors. Also earning Second Team honors was Red Bay’s Kolby Bragwell, a sophomore designated hitter, who batted .375 with 26 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Red Bay senior Chandler Allen earned Honorable Mention as one of the Tigers’ pitchers, striking out 100 batters and allowing only 11 earned runs with a 1.38 ERA.
Softball
Tharptown senior outfielder Kaylee Bain earned 1A All-State Second Team honors, batting .484 with 22 stolen bases. This marks her fifth time in six years as a varsity player to earn All-State honors.
Bain’s teammate at Tharptown Shaylee Wieting, a freshman, earned Honorable Mention for her play at second base, batting .433 with 28 stolen bases. Vina junior Abby Hester earned Honorable Mention as a utility player batting .481 and having stolen 57 bases. Lila Blackburn, an eighth grader at Red Bay, earned Honorable Mention in 2A as a catcher, batting .574 for the Tigers.
