11 Lions make all-district baseball list
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions claimed 11 spots, including six superlative awards, on the All-District 8-2A baseball team, which was selected by vote of the district coaches. Every regular starter received at least second-team honors.
The Lions went 9-1 to win the district championship and finished 24-5 overall, reaching the regional semifinal round of the playoffs.
Heading up the superlative awards was junior pitcher-infielder Tyler Chapman, who was named district MVP after excelling both at the plate and on the mound. Junior Cole Read was voted Catcher of the Year, and Lion coach David Fairchild was tabbed Coach of the Year.
Albany tied for three superlative awards that ended in a split vote. Junior first baseman Zane Waggoner shared offensive MVP honors with Anson’s Nick Miller. Senior Cole Chapman was named Pitcher of the Year along with Hawley’s Westin Balch. Freshman Calhan Fairchild shared the Newcomer of the Year award with Stamford’s Brayden Jimenez.
First-team selections were senior second baseman Coy Lefevre as a middle infielder with senior Caden Price and Junior Cason Fairchild chosen as outfielders. Named to the second team were senior Keatin Russell at designated hitter, junior Adam Hill as outfielder and freshman Brody Oliver at catcher.
Tyler Chapman batted .483 (42 for 87) to lead the Lions. He had nine doubles, eight triples and a home run and finished with a team-high 39 RBIs.
On the mound, the right-hander went 6-3 with a 1.83 ERA, allowing 11 earned runs over 42 innings. In 15 appearances, he allowed 21 hits with 33 walks while striking out 77. In back-to-back district starts against Stamford and Hawley, he allowed one unearned run on one hit over 12 innings while striking out 30.
Waggoner provided a big bat, leading the Lions in doubles (12) and home runs (five). He batted .393 (33 for 84) with 30 RBIs. During Albany’s playoff run, Waggoner homered in three consecutive games.
Read, who assumed the catching role after playing mostly infield last year, batted .415 (34 for 82) with four doubles and 32 RBIs. His four strikeouts were the lowest among regular batters.
Read was also a key part of the pitching staff, going 8-1 with a save and a 1.93 ERA. Working a team-high 50.2 innings, he allowed 14 earned runs on 32 hits with 33 walks and 78 strikeouts. He pitched 16 consecutive scoreless innings in the playoffs before giving up a run.
Cole Chapman lived up to his billing, going 9-0 with a save and a 2.02 ERA. Over 41.2 innings, he gave up 12 earned runs on 24 hits with 41 walks and 64 strikeouts. At the plate, he batted .302 (26 for 86) with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 30 RBIs.
Calhan Fairchild stepped into a starting role in the outfield and finished with a .313 batting average (15 for 48). He had three doubles and a triple and drove in nine runs.
Lefevre batted .435 (37 for 85) with four doubles, four triples, and 30 RBIs. He led the team with a .529 on-base percentage and was successful on all 15 of his steal attempts.
Price batted .304 (21 for 69) with three doubles, a triple, and 20 RBIs. His 22 walks were second on the team.
Cason Fairchild, who batted leadoff, was the catalyst for the offense. He batted .367 (29 for 79) with seven doubles, a triple, and 15 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .523 with team-high 24 walks. He scored 35 runs and led the Lions with 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts.
Russell batted .203 (13 for 64) with a double, a triple, and 15 RBIs. Hill batted in just eight games, but produced a .412 on-base percentage by walking five times, getting hit by pitches twice and reaching on an error. He had two RBIs. Oliver emerged as the catcher when Read pitched and batted .276 (8 for 29) with four RBIs.
