Players earn ARN honors

By Donnie A. Lucas

Three Albany High School baseball players were named to positions on the All-Big Country Baseball Team recently, while Albany coach David Fair-child was picked Coach of the Year.

Senior Josh Dyer and sophomore Cade Neve both earned first team honors, while junior Ben West was named to a spot on the second team.

Dyer was selected for the short stop position. He finished the season with a .518 average, bringing in 23 runs on seven doubles, six triples, and four home runs.

“The senior was so feared (by opponents) that he drew 29 walks, including 13 intentional,” according to the Abilene Reporter-News, which selected the teams.

Dyer was named the MVP for District 8-2A.

Neve was named a first team pitcher, with an 11-3 record on the mound. He threw 83 strikeouts and had a 1.56 ERA. He was named first team all-district.

West earned mention as second team pitcher. He finished with a 9-5 record, striking out 124 batters.

The junior was named as Pitcher of the Year by District 8-2A.

Coach David Fairchild was picked as Coach of the Year having guided the Lions to the state tournament two out of the last three seasons.

The coach has led the Albany program 16 years, with the team making the playoffs this year as the second place team out of a district in which all four post-season qualifiers made it to the regional quarterfinals where they battled each other again.

The Lions ended the season with a 23-8 record and lost in the state semifinal to eventual state champion Big Sandy.