By Robert Wilson
Hartfield Academy’s Wiggy Ball signed with Division I Louisiana-Monroe and will be playing basketball for the Warhawks next fall.
But first, Ball wants to help his Hawks win a state baseball championship, and the senior left-hander had an outstanding performance on the mound Thursday night in a crucial third and deciding game of the MAIS Class 6A semifinals.
Ball, normally a closer, made his first start this season, and allowed only two hits, no earned runs with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings to lead No. 1 seed Hartfield to a 6-1 victory over No. 5 seed Jackson Academy to advance to the championship series before an estimated 1,000 at Hartfield’s Hawk Park in Flowood.
Hartfield won its school record 27th game against only six defeats and will try to win its first 6A state baseball title next week against No. 3 seed Presbyterian Christian School, which swept No. 2 seed Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the other semifinal series. Hartfield, in its fourth season at 6A, has never made it to the championship series.
JA, under first-year coach and former 11-year major league veteran outfielder Corey Dickerson, finished 21-15, and won 21 games for only the second time since 2018.
Hartfield won Game 1 6-2 Monday at Hartfield and JA won Game 2 6-5 Wednesday at JA to set up Thursday night’s elimination at Hartfield.
The 6-foot-2 Ball was a star on the basketball court at Hartfield. Ball, a sure-handed point guard with excellent court vision, averaged 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and led the Hawks to a 23-7 record, a 6A state runner-up finish and an Overall Tournament semifinal finish this season as a senior. He was named to the third team on the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson basketball team.
Ball’s talent caught the attention of first-year Louisiana Monroe coach Phil Cunningham, a former Mississippi State assistant, and Ball signed with the Warhawks.
But Thursday night, Ball was just as good on the diamond. He was dominating, using his fastball and slider to get JA batters out. Only two Raiders – leadoff hitter and senior second baseman Josh Dockins and freshman third baseman Jed Rodden – had hits off Ball. Dockins led off the first inning with a single and Rodden got a single in the second inning. Ball didn’t allow a hit for the next 3 2/3 innings. He earned his second pitching victory of the season. Ball has a 2.66 earned run average in 26 1/3 innings in 14 appearances this year.
Louisiana-Monroe coach Michael Federico, a former Southern Miss assistant, might be asking Ball to come out for baseball.
“Starting Wiggy in Game 3 was a fairly easy decision, based on his availability due to the need to pitch him in the first two games,” Hartfield coach Justin Smith said. “Also, Wiggy is battle tested. He’s done it for basketball and baseball. His performance tonight was electric. Once he settled into the game and got his off-speed pitches going, the strikeouts followed.”
“I found out I was starting when I woke up this morning from a text from Coach Smith,” said Ball, whose father, Bill, was JA’s boys basketball coach for 18 seasons and won two Overall championships and is the winningest boys coach in school history. “After the first inning, I knew I had my best tonight. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise I started the game since our normal Game 3 pitcher was injured (Woods Roberson has a shoulder injury). Once we put up a five spot in the first inning, it settled me down. I’m really excited that Hartfield is playing for another state championship and proud of our team.”
Hartfield bounced back from Wednesday night’s loss to JA when the Raiders scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 6-5 to force a third game.
The Hawks scored five runs in the first inning Thursday night.
Junior right fielder and Jacksonville, Ala., State commitment Henry Abt hit a run-scoring single, senior first baseman Sam Oakley hit a two RBI triple, and junior catcher Coleman Yoder hit a two RBI single to give Hartfield a 5-0 lead.
Senior shortstop and Jacksonville State signee JP Abt, Henry’s brother, hit a solo home run in the second inning for a 6-0 lead.
“I believe were able to have such a great start because of how awesome the chemistry is in our program,” said Henry Abt, who had two hits and is hitting .396 this season. “Our guys feed off each other’s success and everyone in the program has full trust and confidence in all of our players in moments. What our team has is something special and that’s why we are here right now is because how much grit and trust our players have. Even putting that aside though Wiggy pitched amazing, and he had a feel for all of his pitches throughout the whole outing. I’m very proud of him to step up in such a big game and never had a doubt that he wouldn’t perform as well as he did.”
Hartfield junior right-hander Latham Bynum allowed two hits and no runs for the final 1 1/3 innings to clinch the victory. He has a 1.62 ERA in 21 2/3 innings in 13 appearances this season.
