By TIM GAYLE
Tyler Robertson had a good year in 2017. He earned Capital City Conference Player of the Year honors as a junior and was the only player from this area selected to play for the South team in the Alabama All-Stars Sports Week.
For an encore, his 2018 performance was even better.
Robertson helped Saint James into the football playoffs with his performance as a wide receiver and punt returner and guided the Trojans to the Area 4 championship in baseball with a strong performance on the mound.
“Last year, they did not make the playoffs and for them to bounce back, I think T.R. was a big reason they bounced back,” Trinity coach Ken Whittle observed. “What impressed me about T.R. was that (1-0) game against us (at Trinity). It’s 0-0 and T.R. is batting third. He goes up there, recognizes we’re a little behind the third-base bag and bunts the baseball. How many kids batting third or fourth, leading off an inning, would have bunted for a base hit? I say very, very, very few. He knew the game, he knew one run might be the difference in the game.”
Capital City Conference coaches agreed with Whittle’s evaluation, selecting Robertson as the 2018 CCC Player of the Year in a poll conducted by the Montgomery Independent.
“He was a lot more dominant this year on the mound than he was last year,” Saint James coach Keith Lucky said. “He matured a little bit, number one, and he worked hard in the weight room. He got a lot stronger. And I attribute that to playing football. His work ethic was a lot different this year. He was more driven and more focused on what he was doing. On the mound, he was a bulldog. You just weren’t going to beat him. That’s what his mentality was.”
In 15 games, Robertson pitched 66 innings and faced 250 batters, allowing just six earned runs and four walks. He was 8-1, losing to Dale County in the second round of the 4A state playoffs, striking out 81 batters this season in compiling an 0.64 earned run average.
Robertson, who signed with Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, is joined on the all-CCC team by fellow Trojan outfielders Shaw Woodson, the team’s leadoff batter, and Stephen Sadie, who didn’t have a great year at the plate but was selected by fellow coaches as much for his role as the Trojans’ third pitcher.
The other all-CCC pitchers were the one-two punch of Trinity juniors Cam Lovrich and Trace Bright. The Wildcats’ third pitcher, Tyler Britton, was a unanimous selection to the team at first base. Trinity third baseman Chantz Henry also made the team.
A trio of Alabama Christian players made the team as well, including Reese Solar, who alternated between second base and shortstop; ace pitcher and shortstop Grayson Evans; and catcher Ford Hilyer, who had as much impact as a pitcher this season.
Rounding out the team were Montgomery Academy shortstop and ace pitcher Brown Simmons, who earned selection to the team as a designated hitter after batting .476 this season, and Catholic sophomore outfielder Christian Ivey.
2018 All-CCC BASEBALL TEAM
1B – Tyler Britton, Jr., Trinity
2B – Reese Solar, Jr., Alabama Christian
3B – Chantz Henry, Jr., Trinity
SS – Grayson Evans, Sr., Alabama Christian
C – Ford Hilyer, Sr., Alabama Christian
DH – Brown Simmons, Sr., Montgomery Academy
OF – Shaw Woodson, Sr., Saint James
OF — Christian Ivey, So., Catholic
OF – Stephen Sadie, Sr., Saint James
P — Cam Lovrich, Jr., Trinity
P — Tyler Bright, Jr., Trinity
P – T.R. Robertson, Sr., Saint James
Player of the Year – T.R. Robertson, Saint James
Coach of the Year – Keith Lucky, Saint James
Honorable Mention – Will Aaron, So., SS, Trinity; Jackson Davis, Sr., P-OF, Trinity; Kevin Doh, Sr., OF, Montgomery Academy; Mitchell Madore, Sr., P-INF, Saint James; Matthew Robinson, Jr., 1B, Saint James; Steven Price, Sr., 1B-P, Catholic; Ryan Roche, Sr., OF, Saint James; Nolan Sasser, Jr., 2B, Trinity; Charlie Snipes, Jr., OF, Montgomery Academy; McKay Taylor, Sr., OF, Trinity; John Thompson, Sr., OF, Alabama Christian; Mason Young, Sr., 3B, Montgomery Academy
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