Still Cubs
- Updated: May 12, 2023
Tough second day at East Regional leaves young Alexandria team’s season one victory shy of return trip to state tournament
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
ALBERTVILLE — Day 1’s promise at East Regional turned into Day 2’s reality check for young Alexandria, and the positive part of that hits like a line drive off of Pressley Slaton’s bat.
A team that lost so much after coming one victory away from a state championship in 2022 came one victory away from a return trip to the state tournament.
It wasn’t much consolation after losses of 12-0 to Scottsboro and 8-1 to Moody on Friday at Albertville’s Sand Mountain Park, but a program with a proven high ceiling showed a pretty high floor.
“We can just work and get better for next year and hope to do better,” said center fielder Jill Cockrell, the lone returning all-state player from that 2022 state-runner-up team. “I mean, this year, we worked hard to be better than we were.”
Alexandria finished 27-20, including victories of 13-1 over Sardis and 6-4 over St. Clair County in Thursday’s action, which sent the Valley Cubs to Friday’s winners’ bracket final against Scottsboro.
They came very close to a rematch with Sardis in the elimination bracket final. Sardis led Moody 7-0, only to see Moody rally to walk off with an 8-7 victory.
Moody’s momentum carried into the game with Alexandria, and the loss finished a day that veteran Alexandria coach Brian Hess saw coming.
“It was what I expected a little bit because we got a pretty good draw on our side of the bracket,” he said. “When St. Clair beat Moody, which was kind of a shocker — we were expecting to play Moody yesterday — so, when they kind of flipped, it kind of shocked me.
“The two teams we played today, position by position, we just don’t match up very well, and it kind of showed.”
Alexandria’s senior losses from last year included Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 5A player of the year Rylee Gattis, who took her pitching and hitting talents to Carson-Newman University, along with twin sister and catcher Chloe Gattis.
First-team All-State shortstop Ashley Phillips now plays for Jacksonville State University, and Addison Jennings played on for Marion Military Institute.
This year’s Alexandria team featured an 11-player roster with two seniors, first baseman Lauren Weber and pitcher Makenna Prickett. Players playing out of position included Hess’ daughter, Christian, who moved from third base to shortstop out of necessity. Second baseman Clancy Bright moved in from outfield.
“I’m proud of them,” Hess said. “If somebody would’ve come to me February 28 and said, hey, you’re going to win your first two games at regional and have a chance to play in the state, with this bunch, and the way we started, I would’ve laughed. There’s virtually no way that happens.
“They’ve worked hard. They’ve grown together. They’ve gotten better. It’s just we’re a little bit less talented in certain areas than other teams right now, and we’ll get that fixed. It comes with experience.”
Alexandria will return Cockrell, Hess, Bright, Slaton, Allyssa Hunt and freshman catcher Charlee Parris, among others. Slaton also pitches, as does seventh-grader Khloe England.
“Trying to get everybody comfortable in the circle and having to go with a seventh-grader, and that seventh-grader is going to be good, but that’s a lot to ask out of a 12-, 13-year-old kid,” Hess said. “I’m proud of what we have coming back. I think we’ll be fine next year. We’ll get some things ironed out.
“It’s just kind of tough the way it ended today.”
Cover photo: Alexandria players cheer from the dugout during the Valley Cubs’ East Regional game against Moody on Friday. (Photo by Joe Medley)
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