Class 6A baseball: Hartselle edges Spain Park in dramatic fashion for 11th state title

Hartselle baseball is once again the standard-bearer for Class 6A. By edging No. 2 Spain Park 2-1 in a tense, drama-filled Game 2 at Jacksonville State’s Jim Case Stadium, the fifth-ranked Tigers secured their 11th state championship in program history.

Senior standout Asher Doepel, who earned MVP honors for the second consecutive year, proved to be the heartbeat of the Tigers' victory. Doepel pitched the final two innings to collect the win and played a crucial role in the offense, scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning.

A Season of Resurgence

Under head coach Brad Phillips, Hartselle (33-11) overcame a middling start to the season to finish in dominant fashion. After hovering near .500 through their first 22 games, the Tigers ripped off 22 straight wins to end the year, finishing their postseason run with a perfect 10-0 record.

"We had our struggles earlier in the year," Phillips said. "Now, we’ve won 22 in a row. It says a lot about these guys, especially this senior bunch. They played extremely tough competition, and now it has paid off."

A Series Defined by Drama

The championship series was a nail-biter from start to finish, with both games decided by a single run. The Tigers took the opener 9-8 on Wednesday in Oxford before Thursday’s defensive standoff.

The finale featured significant tension in the bottom of the seventh inning. With runners on first and second, Spain Park's Joe Cross swung at a Doepel pitch that appeared to strike him in the batter’s box. While the initial no-call led to a frantic base-running sequence where the Jaguars appeared to score a walk-off run, the officiating crew eventually converged, confirmed the hit-by-pitch, and returned the runners to their bases. Doepel subsequently struck out Cross to keep the game alive.

Closing the Deal

The deadlock finally broke in the eighth. After Doepel walked and advanced on an error, Cole Miles drew a bases-loaded walk on a full-count pitch from Spain Park reliever Brody Smith, plating the winning run. Doepel retired the side in the bottom half of the inning to clinch the title.

Spain Park coach Will Smith acknowledged his team's resolve in a tough loss, noting, "I wouldn’t trade this group for any group I’ve had the opportunity to coach. This group laid it on the line every single day."

Quick Hits

• Hartselle's 11 state titles rank second all-time in AHSAA history.
• Spain Park’s Michael Johnson was the lone player to record multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3.
• Tigers starter Connor Stiles excelled on the mound, tossing six innings and allowing just one unearned run on five hits.