Robert Wilson spent 23 years at The Clarion-Ledger/Jackson Daily News as a sportswriter with more than half of those years covering high school sports, mostly in the Metro Jackson area. He helped choose the All-Metro teams in various sports for more than a decade. Wilson rebirthed this team with the Mississippi Scoreboard All-Metro Jackson Baseball Team with 28 players and a Coach and Player of the Year. This is the sixth annual team. With the help of high school and college coaches, Wilson selected the best players and coach for the 2025 season from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties.
The All Metro Jackson baseball team will be published Thursday
By Robert Wilson
Madison Central’s Patrick Robey and Hartfield Academy’s JP Abt – the 2025 Performance Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Coach and Player of the Year respectively – carried their teams back to the state championship series for the first time in four years this season.
Robey coached Madison Central to a 27-8 record, a No. 2 ranking in Mississippi and a No. 44 national ranking by MaxPreps and led the Jaguars to the MHSAA Class 7A state championship for the first state title since 2021.
Abt, a senior shortstop-pitcher and Jacksonville, Ala., State signee, led Hartfield to a MAIS Class 6A state runner-up finish and an appearance in a state championship series for the first time since 2021.
Robey, a Taylorsville High, Jones County Junior College and Delta State graduate, took his mostly junior group from last year’s 22-10 team, which was eliminated in two games by Oxford in the quarterfinals, and put together a tremendous season, surpassing expectations and went all the way, winning eight of 10 playoff games and defeating defending state champion Brandon in three games in the state title series.
This was Robey’s third state championship team in nine seasons at Madison Central, the first one in 2016 and the second one in 2021 when the Jaguars finished ranked No. 1 in the nation and Robey was named National Coach of the Year.
But this team – without any stars like high school and college All-American and 2024 major league first-round draft pick Braden Montgomery, and Mississippi State all-time career home run leader Hunter Hines when Madison Central won the state in 2021– might be Robey’s most satisfying season.
“This was by far the hardest state championship to win, but the sweetest,” Robey said. “These kids just play good baseball. They are all so close and just want to win. A different hero each game. What a journey. I’m so glad these kids and their families got to experience this moment.”
The third and deciding game of the state championship series – a 5-1 victory over Brandon – was a perfect example of Madison Central’s season of a different hero each game. Senior designated hitter Addison Jayroe came through on the biggest stage and was named the series’ Most Valuable Player. He hit a two-run home run – his third of the season – in the first inning to give Madison Central an all-important 2-0 lead and his double led to another run in the fifth inning. Then, seniors Boggan Foster and Cam McCain combined for a two-hitter against a dangerous Brandon lineup, which came in averaging eight runs a game and with a .326 team batting average.
McCain, son of longtime Millsaps College assistant baseball coach Cody McCain, is a great example of the unselfishness of Madison Central’s players.
“Cam patiently sat in the dugout waiting on his chance to close the door,” Robey said. “He may play, he may not play. Cam simply sits and learns and asks questions when he is not in the game, trying to make himself better all the while encouraging everyone around him.”
Robey was a shortstop-third baseman at Taylorsville High, Jones County Junior College (all state junior college in 1996), and Delta State (all Gulf South Conference in 1997) when he played for Mike Kinnison. He was a graduate assistant under Kinnison for two seasons and one year as an assistant at East Central Community College. Robey was head coach at South Panola for 10 seasons (six playoff appearances) and Lafayette for three years (three district titles and a state semifinal appearance) before coming to Madison Central nine years ago.
Madison Central wasn’t talked about as a favorite for the state championship when the season began.
“We didn’t return much success from last year at the dish or on the bump,” Robey said. “We never really talked about a championship. We just always talked about championship preparation. It’s a daily habit, cliché I guess but we tell our kids how you do anything is how you do everything. Be all in. Manage your time, master our routine, and make a positive impact and finish. Some of our standouts were Ryan Delaney, our utility guy, and (pitcher) Hayden Wilson. Ryan (son of Tri-County Academy girls basketball coach Rod Delaney) was one of our glue guys. He didn’t care who got the credit, Ryan did what was asked and always a positive dude in the clubhouse. Wilson listened and owned his performance every outing. I could give so many examples of ‘a different dude each game.’ Really, to me it was the guys willing to wear the hit by pitch, (senior third baseman) Sanders Ainsworth, (senior catcher-first baseman) Walker Robey (Coach Robey’s son), or the guy willing to be a defensive stud like (senior outfielder) Owen Zenor, knowing he would likely be pinch hit for late in the game or even be DHed for. We had a lot of selfless dudes this year.”
Robey won his third state championship in nine years. Not many coaches in Mississippi can match that accomplishment.
“Every one of my championship runs have been different,” Robey said. “This team was ultra-challenging because we had to manage so many different personalities. We had a handful of guys that had to be petted on and maybe were not necessarily ‘all in.’ And then we had the great majority that just wanted to win the game. The definition of a team and the ultimate job of a coach is to get 80 percent of your guys doing the right thing 80 percent of the time and I feel like we as a staff were able to do that. We didn’t have a bunch of kids that were ranked by the ’pay for your ranking’ organizations. We had a bunch of kids that played for one another. A few will play college and maybe pro ball one day, a lot will just go to school, and some will drive heavy machinery the rest of their lives.”
Senior catcher and Meridian CC signee Landon Deslatte led Madison Central with a .378 batting average. Senior outfielder and Jones County JC signee Warren Hutchinson hit .377 and senior third baseman and Jones County JC signee Sanders Ainsworth was next at .370. Ainsworth led the team with 12 doubles and 34 runs batted in and Hutchinson with 38 runs scored. Junior right-hander and Pearl River CC commitment Gavin Parrow had an 8-0 pitching record and senior right-hander and Hinds CC signee Cam McCain had a team-high four saves.
Madison Central finished 6-2 to win Class 7A, Region 2 and went 8-2 in the state playoffs, beating DeSoto Central in three games, Oxford in two games, Tupelo in two games and Brandon in three games.
Robey has a solid staff, associate head coach Hunter Twitty (offense), pitching coach JP Elkins, infielders coach Jerry Dupuy (the 2024 national assistant coach of the year), and catching coach Frank Hutton.
“Coach Robey does a great job of letting us assistant coaches do our jobs,” said Twitty, who has been with Robey for seven years. “He doesn’t micromanage us and lets us do our thing as long as it fits within the scope of what we are trying to do as a program. Coach Robey also does a great job of keeping things simple for the guys. A lot of times coaches can overcomplicate things and overcoach to a degree, but he does a good job of simplifying things and letting the kids play to their strengths.”
“I think Coach Robey used the game of baseball to show us how the gam of life works out,” Madison Central senior outfielder Warren Hutchinson said. “He always made sure that we get the little things down right and the big things will fall into place if we do the little things. He also emphasized the fact that baseball is a game of failure, bad stuff is going to happen. You have to learn how to deal with the bad, reflect on it, and still go to work the next day. It’s not about what happens to you, but it’s about how you respond to what happens.”
“Coach Robey is a coach that does things the right way and loves his players,” Northwest Rankin coach KK Aldridge said. “We talk regularly, and we both give each other encouragement when things are tough, and congratulate each other after big wins. It’s good to have like-minded coaches that you can talk baseball wit, but even better is when you have guys like Patrick that you can talk faith, family and life with. He did a tremendous job this year of staying the course and getting his team to play the best at the right time. When you do things the right way, that tends to happen.”
Robey and his wife, Ginger, will be celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary June 15. Robby’s parents, Ken and Patti Robey, live in Philadelphia, Miss. Robey’s sister, Heather Ballard, and her family live in Starkville. The Robeys has two children, son Walker and daughter Cora. Walker was a senior catcher and first baseman on this year’s Madison Central team and signed with Murray State. Cora is a rising sophomore and a cheerleader and honor student at Madison Central.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Abt had an outstanding season. Named the MAIS Class 6A Player of the Year, Abt led all 6A players with 8 home runs, 46 runs batted in, 43 hits, .746 slugging percentage and 14 doubles. He was tied for fourth with 2 triples, fourth with six pitching victories, fifth with 68 strikeouts and sixth lowest among starters with a 2.53 earned run average.
Even more impressive considering that MAIS Class 6A was one of the toughest leagues in the state, with five of the six teams ranked No. 36 or higher in Mississippi by MaxPreps.
Hartfield finished with a 28-8 overall record and a 12-3 conference mark and won the regular season title before losing to Presbyterian Christian School in three games in the championship series. The Hawks reached their first championship series since moving up to 6A four years ago, and the first one since 2021.
“JP has a special God give talent as a baseball player,” Hartfield coach Justin Smith said. “He has really focused in on the developmental factor of the game and I believe that showed this year with the way he has performed. JP was an awesome player to coach and a great teammate to his team. I can’t wait to watch what he does at Jacksonville State.”
“The reason we had the season we had was because of senior leadership and work ethic,” said Abt, whose first and middle names are John Phillip, but has been called JP since he was around seven years old. “This team worked harder than anybody else and had coaches that bought in every day. I credit most of my success to my dad (John Abt, who played at Terry High and was a part of Hinds Community College’s Junior College World Series team in 1999). He has taught me everything I know inside the game. I also credit my teammates and coaches for picking me up when I needed it. The win at Lakeland Cup (a non-conference, 11-2 win over seven-time defending MAIS Class 6A state champion Jackson Prep to end a 15-game losing streak to Prep on March 18), it gave us the confidence that we could win the conference. It was what we needed for conference play.”
Abt also played football and basketball at Brandon Middle School before he decided to concentrate on baseball and transferred to Hartfield beginning his junior season.
Abt and his father, John, aren’t the only baseball players in the family. Abt’s younger brother, Henry, is a junior outfielder and Jacksonville State commitment and had an outstanding season as well and was high in 6A in many categories. Henry – a first team outfielder on the Metro Jackson team – finished tied for second in hits (42) and triples (3), third in batting average (.393), fifth in slugging percentage (.617) and RBIs (30) and tied for eighth in doubles (9) and home runs (3).
JP Abt had many clutch hits and pitches this season, possibly the biggest was his walk off, two run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 6-5 win over Prep April 8 at Hartfield. It gave Hartfield its seventh consecutive conference win. Hartfield was then ranked No. 1 in Mississippi and No. 34 in the country by MaxPreps.
“JP is the ultimate competitor,” Hartfield senior pitcher Wiggy Ball said. “Whenever we needed a big hit in a pressure situation, he always delivered. JP led by example every day and never put himself above the team. What goes unseen is the hard work in the weight room and at practice. He definitely left a positive legacy for Hartfield baseball.”
“I’m very blessed to have JP not only as a teammate but as a brother, too because he is always building me up and making me a better player and person all together,” Henry Abt said. “What makes him a great teammate is his leadership and how humble he is. JP leads by example whether that is on the field or off the field and has extreme passion and love for the game. He is always pushing me and other teammates to strive for more and he is an awesome competitor. I have learned so much about the game and life from him and I am thankful to have played with him this season and be able to play in the future with him.”
“JP is always competing in everything,” said Prep senior outfielder and Northwest Mississippi CC signee Russell Robbins, who is one of JP Abt’s best friends and was a teammate of Abt’s when they both played at Brandon. “From video games together or on the field. It felt nice to be able to play against each other and laugh it all off in the end.”
“I can’t say enough about JP and the year that he had,” Prep coach Brent Heavener said. “He was a fierce competitor and wanted to do whatever it took to help his team find a way to win. JP was dominant on the mound every time he pitched, and he was a tough out at the plate. He’s the kind of guy you like to compete against.”
Abt is the son of John and Leslie Abt. John was a Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen pitcher for Terry High and pitched for Hinds Community College in the Junior College World Series. Leslie graduated from Brandon High and Belhaven. Abt’s brother, Henry, is a junior on the Hartfield baseball team and is a Jacksonville, Ala., State commitment. Abt’s uncle, Walker Williams, was the Mississippi Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year at Brandon High. Abt’s cousin, Emily Dixon, won the state girls soccer championship at Northwest Rankin this season. Aunt Laura Britt was a cheerleader at University of Alabama-Birmingham and is a sports reporter in the Bay Area in California.
PAST WINNERS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2024: Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep
2023: Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep
2022: Nick Monistere, Northwest Rankin
2021: Braden Montgomery, Madison Central
2020: Kellum Clark, Brandon
COACH OF THE YEAR
2024: Mark Fanning, St. Andrew’s
2023: Sam Starnes, Pisgah
2022: Steve Renfrow, East Rankin Academy
2021: KK Aldridge, Northwest Rankin
2020: Brian Jones, Pearl
