WEST POINT — The Oak Hill Academy and Hebron Christian baseball teams combined to put seven players on the All-Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) teams, which were released earlier this month.
In Class AA, Oak Hill Academy’s Collins Brown, Ken “Buddy” Dill, Heath Ford, and Drew Riley were recognized, while in Class A, Hebron Christian’s Channing Tapley was named Player of the Year. Payton Griffin (pitcher) and Clay Faulkner (infield) also were named to the team. Coach Todd Griffin, The Dispatch’s All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, was named Coach of the Year.
In Class AAA, Starkville Academy outfielder Colt Chrestman was named All-MAIS.
The honors were especially pleasing for coach Griffin, who guided the program to its first state championship. He said the senior core of Tapley, Griffin, and Faulkner was a driving force behind the team’s run.
Tapley was the team’s primary pitcher and catcher. He led the team with a .561 batting average. He also hit three home runs, had eight doubles, and had an .860 slugging percentage. In 32 innings, he went 7-0 with a 0.87 ERA. He struck out 76.
Tapley also was a member of the All-MAIS basketball team and an All-Star and an All-State, All-Region, and All-District performer in baseball as well as an All-District performer and the team MVP in football. He had 40 touchdowns and 33 two-point conversion as well as a team-high 129 tackles.
“Channing being voted MVP in the state, his stats pretty much speak for themselves,” Griffin said. “No one tried to steal on him (at catcher), and offensively and defensively he was just stellar. I could always count on him.
Faulkner, who played shortstop and was a pitcher, hit .431 with six doubles and a .523 slugging percentage. He was 3-2 with a 1.22 ERA in 23 innings. He struck out 42.
Faulkner also was a basketball All-Star, an All-MAIS Player of the Year, as well as an All-Region, All-District, and an All-District recipient in football.
“I could put him anywhere in the field and he would get the job done,” Griffin said. “Without a doubt he was the best natural-born athlete on the team.”
Griffin, who played shortstop, catcher and was a pitcher, hit .439 with 11 doubles, one home run, and a .652 slugging percentage. In 72 innings, he was 8-2 with a 0.59 ERA and 144 strikeouts. He moved in at catcher after senior Landon Hill injured his hand.
Griffin was a baseball All-Star and All-District in basketball and football.
“We knew we could count on his pitching to win us big games,” coach Griffin said.
All three players raised their levels in the playoff to lead the baseball program to its first state title. Faulkner, Griffin, and Tapley combined to hit .603 with 12 doubles and a .793 slugging percentage. In 40 innings, they went 6-0 with 87 strikeouts.
“Those three were pillars on the team,” Griffin said. “They definitely led by example when it came to practice when it came to actually anything. Whenever I needed someone to step up or set example for the younger ones. But their work ethic, I couldn’t ask for anything better. I was very, very blessed to have such a special group of kids this year.”
Oak Hill Academy coach Mitch Bohon had an equally special group of players. He said senior Caleb Roberson, an All-MAIS pick in football, also could have been selected in baseball. As it was all five players made Bohon’s first year as head coach of the baseball team a lot more enjoyable.
“They are just a really special group to me because they worked really hard and they deserved what they got,” Bohon said. “With the two coming back, they will be a really big part of what we have got going on in the future. They are going to be the cornerstone next year. They have a chance to lead us to do some really special things.”
Ford, who will play baseball at Coahoma Community College, hit .480, drove in 27 runs, and stole 25 bases. Riley, who will join Ford at CCC, hit .466 hit two home runs, drove in 33, and stole 22 bases.
Dill, who will be a senior, hit .325 with two home runs, 30 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He anchored the infield at shortstop.
Brown, who will be a junior, hit .483 with nine home runs, 38 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. He was the team’s starting catcher.
“Both of them have a chance to play really competitive college baseball,” Bohon said. “Buddy has a couple of junior college offers, and Collins is starting to get interest from a lot of schools around here and a lot of four-year schools, as well as Buddy. I think both of them have a chance to play and contribute early to whatever college they go to because their ceiling is really high in terms of their athletic talent.”
Dill said he played with Brown, Ford, and Riley for a number of years and won a lot of games, which added to the sense of accomplishment in the final season for Ford and Riley. Unfortunately, he said the memory of a three-game series loss to Canton Academy in the Class AA playoffs stung and still sticks with him.
Dill said one good thing is he and Brown will have a chance to make another run at a state title in 2017. He knows he and Brown will have to raise their level of play and take on an even bigger leadership role.
“I think we’re going to have to lead because we’re going to be young,” Dill said. “I think we’ll be fine. We’re going to have to step up and show them how to do it.”
Chrestman, who will play baseball at Northeast Mississippi C.C., also was a standout in football and track and field.
As a senior on the football team, Chrestman had 33 catches for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 91 tackles (49 solo) and four interceptions. He also punted and had an average of 47 yards per kick.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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