AISA BASEBALL: Lowndes Academy does it again with championship sweep of Wilcox
The Rebels of Lowndes Academy hoist the championship trophy after sweeping Wilcox Academy in Tuesday’s Class A final at Paterson Field. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
It was a group that made showed potential long before they ever became contributors to Lowndes Academy athletics, but no one would know just how much of an impact the players -- who completed their athletic eligibility on Tuesday -- were about to make.
On Tuesday, as they hoisted their fifth state championship trophy, Clayton Hussey recalled those long-ago dreams of building Lowndes back into an annual championship contender.
“This is what we wanted,” he said. “When we started our 10th-grade year, we had good seniors who wanted to win. They were willing to put in the work. Since then, we just go to work. When those lights turn on, it’s game on. Doesn’t matter who’s in front of us, who our competition is, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
After sweeping Wilcox Academy in the AISA Class A championship series at Paterson Field, junior Ashton Yelder reflected on the legacy his senior teammates created.
“They left their heart behind,” Yelder said. “Those guys taught us to play ball the right way. Last week, third round of the playoffs, we were down 10-3 and those guys said, ‘We’re not losing.’ We came back and won 12-10 in the last inning. There’s a bunch of dogs out here.”
The early moments of Tuesday’s series didn’t look promising for Lowndes Academy.
Yelder, the Lowndes starter, had allowed a one-out single, then a walk, then hit the next two batters to force in a run. Reliever Cooper Dansby then surrendered a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single and suddenly the Rebels were trailing 5-2 and wondering if their pitching could gain control of the game
“We weren’t worried,” Hussey said. “You can’t put your head down. Ashton knew he didn’t have the day, he became the best supporter. Cooper Dansby stepped up for us. That was big time. It’s just next man up. We all have each other’s back.”
Lowndes rallied with seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings to win the opener 11-7, then used Hussey’s performance on the mound to secure a 2-0 win in the second game. For Lowndes Academy (32-7), it marks the fifth state championship over the last three years and its third over the Wildcats (19-12), including the 2023 and 2024 baseball finals and the 2023 football finals. The Rebels also have a runner-up finish in basketball in 2023.
“This is awesome,” Hussey said. “It’s my last time ever playing. Sports means the world to me and it’s the last time I’ll ever do it. I don’t even know how to describe this. It has been one heck of a ride. It’s what I always dreamed of doing when I was a little kid.”
Yelder drew four walks and scored four times in the two games, plating a huge insurance run in the sixth inning of the second game after a leadoff triple.
“Baseball’s one of those games where you’re not going to have it every day,” Yelder said. “It’s a team sport. One guy’s not having it, but I’ve got eight other players who have my back. With baseball, one day it’s your day, the next day it’s your teammate’s so you’ve just got to live for it.”
Hussey, meanwhile, was 6 for 7 at the plate in addition to pitching a two-hitter in the second game.
“He’s awesome,” Lowndes Academy coach Shane Moye said. “I don’t know how many hits he had. Then he pitched outstanding -- a 75-pitch, complete game shutout.”
While many of the state’s smaller athletic programs, like Lowndes, rely heavily on a player or two, the Rebels seem to have options. When Yelder, potentially the best baseball player on a talented team, struggled immediately, Moye had other players who could deliver.
“Ashton’s been a good pitcher all year, probably one of our best,” Moye said. “You could just tell he didn’t have it. We brought Cooper in and Cooper’s been an unbelievable asset for our program. He’s just a bulldog. He went in there and fought. Then we had a 10th grader (Braydn Stokes) come in and shut the door. It was a full team effort today, for sure.”
After rolling in the late innings of the first game to put up 11 runs, the Rebels suddenly struggled for any offense in the second game, managing just four hits.
“They gave us all we wanted,” Moye said. “Very well coached. The kid they just pitched (Steele Swanner) was in the eighth grade and we only had two hits going into the (last) inning. He did a great job keeping us off balance. Our kids just keep fighting. They just fight. I’m just here. They make me look good.”
Moye has five rings thanks to his amazing group of seniors, winning three consecutive titles in football and now back-to-back titles in baseball.
“They just continue to find ways to win,” Moye said. “They’re used to it. They amaze me every day. You can’t ever doubt them.”
Making the all-tournament team were Swanner, Ty Vick and Turner Jordan of Wilcox, along with Dansby, Hussey, Grant Casey and Bradyn Stokes of Lowndes.