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The HHS Baseball family is priviledged to have another outstanding
group of young men who have represented HHS Baseball over the years with great class and distinction.
We know that these young men will go far in life, and they will continue to live with class as each becomes
a prized contributor to the future of our country and to the people around them.
Steven Cole is one of Lydia and Richard Cole's three sons who are playing baseball at Huntsville
High School. At 5' 9" and 170 pounds, Steven maximizes his quickness and sure hands while
playing middle infield for the Panthers. Over the five years of playing baseball for Huntsville,
Steven was part of the JV team that won the City Championship (2007) and on two Varsity teams that made it to the
state playoffs with a 27-10 record (2008, 2009). Individually, he was selected First Team All-State (2008)
and All Metro Team (2008), named Huntsville City Player of the Year (2008), member of the 400 Club (2008 with .448 average),
Huntsville's Most Athletic Male Student (2008), selected to the Alabama Coaches Association North All Star Team (2009)
and recognized with the team's Hustle Award (2009). Steven has many great memories of games on the field (winning
Gulf Shores Spring Tournament in 2009) but the camaraderie with the players and the coaches during and after practices is
what Steven cherishes the most. Steven is just as passionate about strength and conditioning as he
is baseball and spends time daily working out.
He also has been a leader on and off campus as well as on the field with
roles as Fellowship of Christian Athletes' president, FCA Camp Leader, Future Stars Baseball Camp Leader, and Huntsville
City Future Leaders Program. As a student-athlete, Steven carries a 3.8 grade point average into graduation.
Upon graduating Steven is interested in continuing his baseball career through the JUCO route and then into a D1 program
if possible. He hopes to play throughout undergraduate school and then eventually attend Law School
at the University of Alabama.
Clay Holcomb - is the son
of Ken and Marcia Holcomb. He has been a member of the HHS baseball team for 4 years where he has amazed
all of us with the ease at which he seem to be able to run like a deer. He
has one brother, Matthew, who is an HHS Class of 2005 Alumnus. Clay is 6’3” and 180 pounds; he plays outfield
and pitches. He has been a member of the HHS baseball program since the 8th grade and received varsity letters as a
sophomore and junior. Clay’s fondest memory was winning the Nike Gulf Shores Tournament as a junior. Baseball
has taught him the values of character, teamwork, and dedication.
Clay maintains a 3.8 GPA in the Honors Program
and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. His other hobbies include golf, ping pong, and fishing.
Clay was named to the ABCA Super 150 after his sophomore year and participated in the Alabama North-South All-Star Game after
his junior year. He was also selected to participate in the Under Armour Pre-Season All-American Tournament as a senior.
His future plans are to attend Troy University on athletic and academic scholarships.
Thomas Kimbrough- is the son of Hal and Karen Kimbrough. He has played all four years at Huntsville High, showing exceptional toughness and determination after
fighting through serous injury during his Freshman year to return to Baseball. His fondest memories
in Huntsville High baseball was the play last summer along with the great friendships he has formed with his
team mates and coaches. Baseball has given him many insights into life including perseverance, discipline,
working together as a team.
In addition to baseball, Thomas is a member of the National Honor Society, the
Huntsville Hospital Youth Leadership Council, and works at Mayfair park as a Little League umpire. He also works
as a volunteer giving his time to such worthy causes as Manna House. In the fall, Thomas will be attending Auburn
University where he has been awarded the Spirit of Auburn University Scholarship.
Tony Schultz -
is the son of John and Sondra Schultz. Tony is 5' 10"
200lb right handed pitcher and has played baseball at HHS all four years. He has developed a mental toughness and
won the team award for most improved player his junior year. Tony's relishes many memories during his
time in baseball including the many lasting friendships he has developed through the sport.
His fondest baseball
memory is coming in to pitch and pick up the win in the championship game last year at the Gulf Shores Tournament. Tony
maintains a 3.2 GPA and has been accepted to both Auburn and Alabama but has not made a final decision on his college plans.
Andrew Smelser- is the son of
Dr. Jim and Karen Smelser. Andrew is a 5’10”, 170 lbs all purpose athlete and a pitcher who has been playing baseball for 13 years including the last
four years for HHS, lettering his junior year. His most memorable baseball event was when the 2008 JV team went 25-1
and won the city championship. He has learned to battle through adversity and develop toughness the past
several years, which he knows will help him in the future. In addition to baseball, Andrew played travel soccer his freshman
year.
Andrew maintains a 3.8 GPA in
the honors program. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Young Republicans, Chemistry club, Latin Honor society,
and a peer tutor. He was selected as a Boys State representative at the University of AL after his junior year.
Along with church youth activities, he has been involved in community volunteer programs, such as Sci-Quest, Hudson-Alpha
Institute, Hand on Huntsville volunteer center, and the Miracle League. He has also been a baseball umpire
for Cove Park and an Upward basketball referee for several years. In the fall, Andrew will be attending the University of Mississippi where he has been accepted
in the pre-pharmacy program and has been awarded an Academic Excellence Scholarship and non-resident scholarship to Ole Miss.
Garrett Thornton- is the son
of Leslie and Lori Thornton. At 5' 9", 165, Garrett plays
infield for the Panthers. He has played baseball since he was 4 years old, and this is Garrett’s fourth year playing
baseball at HHS. He also played freshman football. Whether playing baseball at Mayfair Park or travel baseball
throughout the southeast or just playing wiffel ball in the backyard, Garrett has developed friendships through baseball that
will last a lifetime. He has learned many life lessons throughout his 13 years of playing the game; such as teamwork, humility,
perseverance, and what it means to be a part of something bigger than oneself. His favorite memory from
HHS baseball was his JV year beating Grissom in back to back games to win the City Championship.
Garrett has
been a consistent honor student and has a 3.5 GPA. He is a senior leader with Young Life,
involved in Junior Civitan, Interact Club, a peer tutor at HHS, and a member of First United Methodist Church. Garrett
enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and anything outdoors. He plans to attend the University of Alabama in the fall.
CJ Urban is the son of Greg and Diane Urban. He is an all purpose athlete who can play
any position including infield or outfield. At 5’9” and 160 lbs he is an aggressive base runner who creates
scoring chances for his team. He is also been a consistent relief pitcher for Panther baseball over the past four years.
CJ had an extremely successful 2009 Nike Gulf Shores Invitational tournament where un-officially he was 11 for 18 with 5 doubles
and 10 RBI’s while the varsity won it all for the first time in school history. During this past summer,
CJ also played for the East Cobb Patriots 17U baseball team competing in tournaments in Puerto Rico, Atlanta,
Boston, South Carolina, and New Jersey. In addition to baseball, CJ also has played football (3 year letterman and 2
year starter) since his freshman year playing at quarterback and defensive back positions. His fondest memories are
the friendships he has acquired throughout his 4 years of high school. CJ’s athletic career at
Huntsville High has taught him about humility, perseverance, and staying the course. He has grown with the ups
and the downs that come with the games of Football and Baseball which will carry him through his life.
CJ has a 3.2 GPA while taking many advanced classes, and has been active in area leadership conferences since
his junior year. He has been accepted to UAB, Mississippi State, and Alabama-Tuscaloosa. Still looking for
a place to further his baseball career (he started travel ball at 8 years old back in Knoxville, TN) he will most likely attend
The University of Alabama where his course of study will be business oriented.
Gant Weeks is the son of Glenn and Lisa Weeks. He is a Pitcher for the Panther who has
played during the four years earning a varsity letter his junior season. At the conclusion of his junior
baseball season last year, he was selected by Alabama High School Coaches Association to play in the
Alabama High School North-South All Star game. Gant’s fondest memory as an HHS Panther also
comes from his junior season, when he was called to the mound on short notice to pitch in a close game against Russell County.
In that game, he delivered three shut out, hitless innings to earn the win and the victory for the
Panthers.
When he is not busy with school work, Gant loves
to relax by playing ping pong, or working with automobile sound systems – anything that has to do with subwoofers or
loud exhaust systems. Gant also gives much of his free time in community service through his many tireless
hours of work with such civic organizations as Manna House (a local chapter of the national group dedicated to feeding the
homeless or anyone in need).
Gant has been a consistent
Honor Student throughout his high school years, having maintained an overall GPA of 3.93 since his freshman year.
He is a member of the National Honor Society, Chemistry Club, and Latin Club in which he serves as President.
He was also elected and served as Secretary of Boys State. In addition, he has been nominated for
the Prudential Spirit of Community Scholarship, as well as, being selected to compete on a national level for NHS Scholarships.
Upon graduation, Gant will attend Auburn University and major in Chemistry while he pursues Pre-Dental studies.
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