Five players receive ASWA All-State baseball nods, Red Bay’s Hand named Class 2A Coach of the Year
It was a good year for baseball in Franklin County and that fact was reiterated when five local players and one head coach were recognized by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) which announced its 2026 All-State baseball teams and yearly awards on June 13.
Red Bay led the way in county player selections with two while Belgreen, Phil Campbell and Russellville all had one All-State nod apiece. RBHS head coach Donovan Hand was named the Class 2A Coach of the Year.
Representing the Red Bay Tigers on the Class 2A All-State team were senior Jeremiah Thorne, a First Team infielder, and junior Carson McGee, who was tapped as a Second Team pitcher.
Thorne had a phenomenal final season with the Tigers, especially with the bat in his hands. Finishing with a monster .452 batting average and a .536 on-base percentage, Thorne led his team in hits, drove in 29 runs and hit three home runs. And although he was picked as a First Team infielder, Thorne, an Honorable Mention pitcher last season, also showed his quality on the mound, recording around 90 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA in his last campaign.
McGee earned his spot on the All-State Second Team as one of the Tigers’ aces in 2026. In over 60 innings of work, the junior struck out 96 batters and allowed just 17 earned runs to finish with a 1.91 ERA. McGee had an 8-2 record and also added a save. At the plate, McGee, who hit for a .354 average, helped himself out with 38 RBI and four home runs.
“They’re both very deserving,” the RBHS head coach Hand said of Thorne and McGee.
“Jeremiah won our team MVP award this year. His numbers this year were astronomical, and he’s had one of the best careers here since I’ve been here,” Hand said. “He was our leader both on the mound and at the plate. He earned everything he’s got so I’m happy for him.
“Carson, on the pitching side of things, had one of the better years that you can possibly have. He pitched against every good team that we played this year,” he added.
“I’m glad these guys have been recognized for what they’ve done. Obviously baseball is a team sport and they did it as a team, but there are also some individuals that do things to help the team win more often than not, so, again, really proud of these guys.”
Another highlight of Red Bay’s selections was Hand himself who was named the Class 2A Coach of the Year for the second time in three years after leading the Tigers to another semifinal appearance this postseason. RBHS ended the campaign with a No. 6 ranking, a final 25-8 record, and as champions of Franklin County and Class 2A Area 10.
Hand, who was last named the Class 2A Coach of the Year in 2024, told the FFP he was humbled by the selection and praised his coaching staff and players for the jobs they did this past season.
“I’ve told some other people it should be ‘Program of the Year,’ not ‘Coach of the Year,’” Hand said. “We lost five seniors last year, but we found a way to get ourselves back to the final four while navigating a pretty grueling schedule for the 2A level; so, I’m honored and humbled by (the award) but our coaching staff—Kelby Hallmark, Jamie Purser, Darren Hand—they do a great job with me. We do this thing as a unit.
“The last two teams have been special but this year’s team was really, really special because of the adversity they had to go through and having to grow up on the fly, so you’re glad to see your coaching staff do a good job of getting kids ready to go and be recognized for it.
“I don’t want to take this for granted because you never know when it will happen, but to be recognized two out of three years is an honor for me and a testament to this program because it’s getting to be a very good and consistent one,” he added.
Franklin County’s other All-State selections were Russellville’s Brayden Entrekin, Belgreen’s Colton Ashton and Phil Campbell’s Chandler Benford.
Beside Thorne, Russellville’s Entrekin was the other All-State First Team player from Franklin County. Representing the Golden Tigers in the Class 5A ranks, Entrekin was named a First Team outfielder for 2026.
Coming off his sophomore season, Entrekin is already a two-time All-State player having been named a Second Team outfielder last year.
In his latest campaign, despite missing a few weeks with injury, Entrekin contributed massively with a .425 batting average and an on-base percentage over .500 while recording five home runs, 31 RBI and 18 runs scored. Entrekin, picked as an outfielder, also had a great year on the mound for the Golden Tigers with a 5-1 record, a 1.50 ERA, and 56 strikeouts.
Entrekin’s performances helped RHS reach the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Next is Belgreen’s Ashton who received the nod as a Class 2A Second Team outfielder.
In 2026, Ashton was almost unbeatable when he came up to the plate. The sophomore hit for a remarkable .637 average and found himself on base after 69 percent of his plate appearances. Additionally, Ashton, who struck out just five times all year, recorded 17 RBI, scored 45 runs, and stole 51 bases.
An Honorable Mention last season, Ashton is just the second All-State player in program history following Will King’s Second Team selection in 2024.
Rounding out the local All-State selections is Phil Campbell’s Benford. In Class 3A, the junior represented Phil Campbell on the All-State roster as a Second Team infielder.
The leadoff batter for the Bobcats this past campaign, Benford finished the year with a .440 batting average and an on-base percentage of .587 while hitting nine doubles, recording 23 RBI, scoring 53 runs and swiping 49 bags.
“I’m super proud of him. He had a great year for us,” PCHS head coach Griffin Harris said. “We moved him to the leadoff spot, and he really did a great job in that role.
“I’m definitely excited to have him back for another year,” Harris added.
Benford’s performances helped Phil Campbell reach the second round of the AHSAA playoffs. He is the first All-State selection from PCHS since 2023.