By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE — Some have said, including the Alabama Sports Writers Association, that there is no tougher path to the state playoffs than the one winding thorough Class 7A, Area 6.
The area, like others throughout the state, is comprised of four teams fighting for two postseason slots. A closer look reveals that unlike other areas in the state, Area 6 is occupied entirely by top 10 teams.
According to Vestavia Hills’ head coach Tommy Walker, running the six-game Area 6 gauntlet will be “fun.”
The Hewitt-Trussville baseball team
file photo by Ron Burkett
“Everybody’s got something they do well,” Walker said.
With Week 1 of area play in the books, the four-team field of Hewitt-Trussville, Mountain Brook, Spain Park and Vestavia Hills is either batting 1,000 or 0 for the year. No. 2 Mountain Brook and No. 7 Vestavia Hills swept their series openers.
No. 1 Hewitt-Trussville fell twice to the Rebels last week, losing 5-3 at home and following that up with a 7-0 defeat on the road.
No. 4 Spain Park met the same fate in its series with the Spartans. Last Tuesday, Mountain Brook squeezed out a 1-0 road win before playing host to the Jaguars in an 8-0 drubbing last Thursday.
Here are the current Area 6 standings with two series remaining: T-1 Mountain Brook (18-3, 2-0), T-1 Vestavia Hills (15-6, 2-0), T-3 Hewitt-Trussville (14-3, 0-2) and T-3 Spain Park (13-8, 0-2).
Walker points to pitching and defense as the keys to surviving the area schedule and reaching the playoffs.
“Whoever can pitch and play defense, because everybody’s good, everybody’s got certain things,” Walker said. “Mountain Brook’s got probably the best collection of position players of everyone. It did hurt Trussville with (Cameron) Moore being out. I mean, that guy’s a 90-plus arm as a sophomore.”
The Huskies will get back to area play April 9 when Mountain Brook comes for a visit. Coming away on the wrong end of another series sweep isn’t an option for Hewitt-Trussville if it wants its season to reach the playoffs.
That same night, Vestavia Hills visits Spain Park for the beginning of a critical second series. Like Hewitt-Trussville, the Jaguars are in a must-win situation with only four area games remaining.
Huskies’ center fielder Quin Jackson isn’t lacking confidence following his team’s sluggish start. He pointed out that the program has started slow in area play the last two years and it hasn’t prevented it from reaching the postseason.
“It’s going to take the whole team to buy in, not one single player, it’s going to take the whole Hewitt-Trussville team to just buy in and come together as a team, and we’re going to get the job done,” Jackson said.
