He's Mr. Baseball

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
BIRMINGHAM - Hartselle’s Luke Bole had won just about every award given to a high school baseball player.
He’s already been named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s all-state team as a designated hitter.
He was the ASWA’s Class 5A Hitter of the Year. He was chosen as the most valuable player in Class 5A.
He also was named the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama.
The Tigers’ senior added to his list of accomplishments Sunday when he was presented with the Mr. Baseball award during the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s awards banquet at the Sheraton Civic Center.
Bole led the Tigers to a 50-9 record and a Class 5A state championship - the first for Hartselle since the 2000 season.
He did it both on the mound and at the plate, too. Bole led the Tigers in five offensive categories this season, including a state-record 20 homers that tied McAdory’s Bo Jackson. He also drove in 73 runs in 59 games.
On the mound, Bole went 11-4 with a 1.89 earned run average. He finished with 111 strikeouts in just 88.2 innings.
Bole may have saved his best for last, though.
He hit .500 in 11 playoff games with 16 hits, six homers and a .638 on-base percentage.
He also went 4-1 on the mound, losing only to Briarwood Christian 2-1.
Hartselle head coach William Booth, who has coached a long list of college and professional players during his career, believes that Bole is one of the best to ever wear a Tigers’ uniform.
Bole finished up his prep career ranked as the 11th best prospect for the Major League draft. Baseball America has the Tigers’ pitcher ranked second among high school players behind Cleburne County pitcher C.C. Watson.