If Piedmont baseball coach Matt Deerman had someone he had to say was “our guy” last season, junior Jack Hayes would definitely be that guy.

Hayes did a little bit of everything for the Class 3A state runner-up Bulldogs (36-7). He pitched, caught, and played on both corners of the infield. He went 8-0 on the mound, including game one of the state championship series against Trinity, with a 1.08 ERA and 49 strikeouts.

At the plate, Hayes batted .472 with 17 doubles, 11 home runs, 26 walks, 11 hit by pitches, six stolen bases, 28 runs and 64 RBIs.

Hayes’ numbers not only made him a first-team selection as a utility player on the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State Baseball Team, but they also earned him the 3A Player of the Year.

In all, the ASWA recognized 14 area baseball players for their efforts last season. The all-state baseball selections were released early Sunday morning. Piedmont had the most with five, including four first-teamers in Hayes (utility), Cassius Fairs (pitcher), Austin Estes (infield) and Max Hanson (outfield). McClane Mohon was chosen as a second-team infielder.

Fairs, a senior, went 8-2 on the mound with 49 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA. Estes, a senior, batted .404 with six doubles, five triples, a home run, 47 stolen bases, 25 walks, 69 runs and 31 RBIs. Hanson, a junior, had a .376 batting average with 11 doubles, two triples, 11 stolen bases, 17 walks, 52 runs and 41 RBIs. Mohon, a sophomore, managed a .432 batting average with 15 doubles, three home runs, a triple, 15 stolen bases, 14 walks, 11 hit by pitches, 49 runs and 40 RBIs.

Staying in Class 3A, Collinsville’s Keaton DeBoard was named a second-team outfielder. DeBoard, a junior, batted .404 with five doubles, three home runs, three triples, 15 stolen bases, 10 walks, 28 runs and 17 RBIs.

Class 4A Cherokee County had three players honored including first-team utility Connor Wilson. Infielder Jeb Crane and outfielder Malachi Horton were selected honorable mention.

Wilson, a junior, batted .559 with 12 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 24 walks, 20 runs and 33 RBIs. Crane, a sophomore, collected a .462 batting average with 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 10 stolen bases, 32 walks, 10 hit by pitches, 32 runs and 18 RBIs. Horton, a junior, had a .355 batting average with three doubles, a triple, 25 walks, 18 stolen bases, 33 runs and 12 RBIs.

Class 2A Spring Garden had a second-team outfielder in Chaz Pope. The Panthers also had an honorable mention in pitcher Landon Gowens.

Pope, a senior, batted .409 with nine doubles, five home runs, two triples, 26 stolen bases, 14 hit by pitches, 47 runs and 30 RBIs. Gowens, also a senior, went 7-3 on the mound 72 strikeouts and a 3.78 ERA.

Staying in Class 2A, Sand Rock had a second-team outfielder in Austin Yoder. Yoder, a junior, batted .488 with six doubles, a triple, eight walks, 15 runs and 12 RBIs.

In Class 1A, Cedar Bluff’s Jacob Burleson was selected as a second-team utility player. Burleson, a senior, batted .309 with five doubles, a home run, a triple, 10 stolen bases, 10 hit by pitches, 14 walks, 24 runs and 12 RBIs. He was also 7-2 on the mound 74 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA.

Gaylesville’s Kyler Bradley earned an honorable mention at utility. Bradley, a sophomore, batted .368 with nine doubles, a triple, 40 stolen bases, 30 runs and 16 RBIs.

You can see the complete ASWA All-State Baseball Teams on the WEIS radio website.