A star player for one of the state’s top teams, Stanhope Elmore baseball player Colton Walls has been voted the ITG Next Alabama April 2023 Male Athlete of the Month. Coming as a result of his on-field play during March, Walls received 50.66% of the possible votes over a list that included three additional finalists.
For a team that has been ranked among the Top 10 of our Class 1A-7A rankings throughout the 2023 season, Walls’ impact toward the Mustangs’ success has been evident all year. However, this was especially evident in March, a month in which the Stanhope Elmore baseball team went 10-3.
During March, Walls hit for an eye-opening .583 AVG (21-for-36), collecting at least one hit in 10 games. Of those 10 games, nine were multi-hit, while Walls also added 22 RBI with 3 home runs and 6 doubles.
Walls had an impressive seven-game stretch offensively from March 14-30, when he had 16 hits and 18 RBI. This also marked the beginning of what would become a 12-game hitting streak that carried over into April.
Walls also made five appearances on the mound in March, allowing only one earned run in 25.2 innings of work. With the Mustangs winning each game he pitched, Walls recorded a 35:4 K:BB ratio during that span.
“Colton has been a centerpiece of our lineup and our pitching staff for the past four years,” Stanhope Elmore head baseball coach DK Shuman said. “He has been a versatile player for us who has been able to move around to different positions to allow us to get our best nine players on the field.
“After playing first base as a freshman, then third base as a sophomore and junior, he has taken over as our primary catcher this year and done a tremendous job defensively,” Shuman added. “He has been selfless in these transitions because he cares more about the team than his own personal accolades.”
For the season overall, the senior was slashing .500/.607/.806 as of Saturday, April 22, while also owning an impressive 1.414 OPS with 4 HR, 35 RBI, and 15 doubles.
In 40.2 innings of work on the mound, Walls, a Troy commit, has posted an overall 6-0 record with a 0.34 ERA and a 55:7 K:BB ratio. Stanhope Elmore baseball opponents are batting .119 against Walls, with the right-hander having allowed only two earned runs all year.
“Colton is a special player because of a number of different factors,” Shuman said. “Obviously the ability and talent is there, but he doesn’t rely on talent alone; he works. There’s an old saying in baseball that goes, ‘Hitters hit.’ He is a prime example of this. He’s in the cage all the time – even during football season, when he was our starting tight end and long-snapper.
“This work ethic is a big part of what makes him successful both at the plate and on the mound. The separating factor that takes him from being a great player to a special player is his competitiveness. He plays with visible passion and wants to win, not just for himself, but for his teammates.”
Congratulations again to Stanhope Elmore baseball player Colton Walls, the ITG Next Alabama April 2023 Male Athlete of the Month, on a phenomenal month and season overall.
