Astrong run in the first two rounds of the Lion’s Club East-West Baseball series has helped Danville rising senior Cole Veazey advance to the state championship game to be played at Samford in June.
The Danville standout will play for one of four teams competing for the state title June 4-5.
The East-West All-Star Baseball series is a way for players to showcase their talent in front of college and professional scouts.
The state series came to Birmingham in 1943 and has produced a long list of future college all-Americans and professional players.
Veazey hopes to add his name to that illustrious list.
Veazey had a pair of doubles in the three-game second-round series last weekend. He also scored two runs and drove in a run.
He also showed his versatility by throwing four no-hit innings during the three-game series at Austin High School.
“The competition is really tough and it just keeps getting tougher,” Veazey said. “The deeper you get, the better the competition. This is the best of the best.”
Veazey has already put his name out around the Southeast as one of the state’s top players. As a junior, he hit .432 with 10 doubles, 26 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Also, in eight appearances, Veazey finished with a 3-1 record on the mound with a 2.54 ERA.
With a solid junior season under his belt, Veazey has begun to attract interest from several schools, including Faulkner and Pensacola Junior College. He hopes that a strong showing in the state East-West finals will give him some added options.
“I know I want to keep playing baseball and go as far as I can go,” Veazey said.

Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com