If anyone doesn’t believe there is plenty of talent on the baseball and softball diamonds in Athens and Limestone County, all they have to do is look at the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State teams in order to be proven wrong.

Fourteen players have been named to either the first team, second team or honorable mention All-State teams in baseball and softball. The list of winners was released earlier this week by the ASWA. Of those 14, seven of them are first-team selections.

Athens High School pitcher Jacob McNairy is named to the baseball Class 6A first team, while Athens Bible School pitcher Kenneth Adams and ABS catcher Cade Abernathy are picked as members of the Class 1A first team.

McNairy, a University of Alabama signee, was 4-2 with a 1.02 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 48 innings. Adams had an 8-0 record with a 1.76 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. Abernathy had a .533 batting average with 12 doubles and 43 RBIs, while also being one of the top defensive catchers in North Alabama.

Other All-State baseball selections include: Ardmore third baseman Nick Embrey, who is named to the Class 5A second team; Ardmore first baseman Jason Hogan, selected 5A honorable mention; and West Limestone first baseman Drew Beddingfield, named Class 4A honorable mention.

On the softball diamond, four Limestone County players received first-team honors, led by a pair from the Ardmore squad who advanced to the Class 5A state tournament.

Ardmore pitcher Sydney Hall and first baseman Karla Hice are named to the Class 5A first team. Hall had a 19-5 record with a 1.43 ERA, striking out 143 batters and allowing just 19 walks. Hice had a .490 batting average, eight home runs and 38 RBIs to lead the Tigers offense.

Other first-team selections are Elkmont utility player Haven Kirby, who is named to the Class 3A first team, and West Limestone catcher Reagan Clem, who is named to the Class 4A first team.

Kirby, who is also named Limestone County Player of the Year, had a .629 batting average with 11 home runs, 28 doubles and 43 RBIs. Clem had a .500 batting average with 10 home runs, eight doubles and 26 RBIs for the Wildcats.

Other softball players selected to the All-State team are Athens High outfielder Mary Greg Anderson, who is a Class 6A honorable mention selection; Ardmore outfielder Bo Riley and Ardmore designated hitter L.B. Smith, both selected Class 5A honorable mention; and Elkmont pitcher Autumn Davis, who made the Class 3A second team.