By Robert Wilson
FLOWOOD – Hartfield Academy has state championships in football, girls and boys basketball, girls and boys soccer, volleyball and softball since the Rankin County private school started in 2012, but one of its most successful sports has yet to finish on top.
The Hawks’ baseball program, led by fifth-year coach Justin Smith, has been so close and last year came within one game of winning its first state championship in school history.
One of the top pitchers in Mississippi – Presbyterian Christian School right-hander and Southern Miss commitment Bankston Walters – pitched his second complete game in four days and allowed only one earned run to defeat Hartfield 9-4 in the deciding game of the best-of-three series for the MAIS Class 6A state championship last season to keep Hartfield from its first state baseball title in school history.
Hartfield came into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and had been ranked as high as No. 1 in Mississippi and No. 34 in the country by MaxPreps and won 22 of its first 24 games. The Hawks lost six of their last 12 games and finished 28-8.
It was the third state runner-up finish – the first one for Smith and two by former Hartfield coach Chuck Box, now the director of program development for the University of Texas – for Hartfield.
This is a new year and the Hawks have their sights on the MAIS Class 4A state title and showed they have talent to make a run with this week’s three-game sweep to Jackson Prep in a non-district Class 4A series.
Hartfield – which has three returning starters, including senior outfielder-pitcher and Southern Miss signee Henry Abt, a member of the Box Sports Academy/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – won 15-2 Tuesday at Prep, and 5-1 and 10-3 in Thursday’s doubleheader here at Hartfield.
Smith was the conference player of the year and was a part of three consecutive MAIS state championships at Hillcrest Christian School, helped Hinds Community College to the junior college state championship and made the all-state and played outfield for Nicholls State, but has yet to have that championship feeling as a coach.
“We haven’t won one yet,” said Smith about winning the elusive championship. “It’s definitely apart of mission and vision statement for our program. To compete annually for championships. We work specifically on small goals that will develop our guys so we can put ourselves in a position to compete annually for championships.”
If the Hawks keep playing like they did this week, they will have a shot at history.
They had two outstanding performances from their starting pitchers in Thursday’s doubleheader sweep. Junior right-hander Noah Flynn allowed only 2 hits, 1 earned run and had 9 strikeouts and only 2 walks in 5 innings in the first game and junior right-hander Seth Dyess allowed 1 hit, 0 earned runs, with 4 strikeouts and only 1 walk in 3 1/3 innings in the second game. Freshman reliever Aden Bell finished up the second game and allowed 0 hits and 0 runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Junior designated hitter JP Shimfessel and junior second baseman Luke Wesson – son of former Major League Baseball player and Brandon High star Barry Wesson – had two hits each for Hartfield in the first game. Senior right fielder Grayson Vance had two hits and four runs batted in and Wesson had thee hits in the second game.
Wesson had three hits to lead Hartfield in the first game of the series Tuesday. Senior right-hander and Southern Miss signee Taylor Latham – a member of the Box Sports Academy/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – allowed only 1 hit and 1 earned run with 9 strikeouts and only 2 walks in 5 innings to earn the pitching victory,
Hartfield – ranked No. 5 in Mississippi and No. 4 in MAIS Class 4A by MaxPreps – improved to 11-4-2 this season had defeated Prep for the seventh consecutive time. The Hawks haven’t lost to the Patriots since the 2024 season.
Prep – ranked No. 54 in Mississippi and No. 11 in MAIS Class 4A – dropped to 8-12 and lost its ninth straight game. Prep hasn’t won a game since a 17-14 decision over MHSAA Class 7A Hernando Feb. 28 at Prep.
“The series with Prep is always going to be tough one,” Smith said. “Prep is always going to be a tough one. Both teams have a lot of talent. I’m just happy with the energy and focus our guys played with. I’m really proud of the way our guys have performed and played this season. Coming into this season with only three retuning starters, I knew we would be challenged early and new guys in our lineup are performing well.”
Senior outfielder-pitcher and Southern Miss signee Henry Abt – one of those three returning starters – leads the team with a .537 batting average, on pace to break the school record of .469 by Bran Boyd in 2021. He also has 29 runs scored, 19 RBIs, 3 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. Abt was the Box Sports Academy/Mississippi Scoreboard Player of the Week after hitting .909 (10 of 11 at bats) in three games in the Battle on the Beach on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last week. He is a member of the Elite 11 team like Latham.
“Going into the series we came out ready to play and playing like our hair was on fire,” Abt said. “Everyone on the team did their job and played a role in the wins. We played as a team and won as a team. After the win Tuesday, we weren’t satisfied and wanted more. Leading up to the point, we have been through some tough games and it’s prepared us for where we are now. I expect nothing less from our team for the rest of the season as we are coming together and our chemistry will keep getting stronger.”
Abt isn’t the only Hawk swinging a hot bat. Wesson is hitting .431, junior third baseman Gabriel Estel .400, senior catcher Coleman Yoder .348, Vance .340, and Shimfessel .314.
Latham is 3-0 with a 1.05 earned run average, Dyess 2-0 with 0.00 ERA and Flynn is 2-1 with a .4.57 ERA.
Meanwhile, Prep hasn’t had much success since National Player of the Year and Major League Baseball first-round pick Konnor Griffin left campus after the 2024 season. Prep finished 20-15-1 and lost to Jackson Academy in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs last season to end its seven-year state championship run.
And this year’s latest slump has been even rougher. Prep was 8-3 after a win over Hernando, but has been on one of the longest losing streaks in school history.
It was tough this week against Hartfield. Prep had only 9 hits, 6 runs, struck out 28 times (24 in Thursday’s doubleheader), made 7 errors and allowed 7 unearned runs, 12 walks and hit 5 batters in the three game series.
Prep coach Brent Heavener – who won seven state titles in his first eight years as head coach (only missing the covid year) – is still optimistic his team can turn around the season.
“The good thing is no matter what your overall record is we are 0-0 going into division play next week (with a three game series with Oak Forest, La.),” said Heavener in an interview with Russ Robinson on the Prep livestream network after the doubleheader. “That’s what we’ve got to take care of. We’ve got to get through our division and get to playing good baseball. Then, when we see some of these teams again, we’ve got to make sure we are ready to go. We are going to get back and get better. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Nobody likes to gets swept and that’s not what we wanted to do this week, but it happened. Now, it’s how you respond. We’ve got to check our ego a little bit and make sure we are ready to play and get it turned on for next week. Everybody has to take it personal and say, ‘I’ve got to better.’ And we will. This season is not over by any means. The fun part is just getting started.”
There are some bright spots.
Senior outfielder Peter Primos leads Prep with a .382 batting average. Senior shortstop-outfielder and Florida signee Kevin Roberts – a member of the Preseason Elite 11 Team like Abt and Latham – is hitting .360 followed by sophomore third baseman Sam Milner .352, sophomore second baseman Kam Roberts (Kevin’s brother) .305 and junior shortstop Luke Essary .304.
Senior right-hander Aiden Rowe leads Prep pitching with a 1.54 ERA in 13 2/3 innings in four appearances.
