Published: April 30, 2008 10:52 am         

Jordan should roll to second state title

Commentary by Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



It’s pretty much over, before it even begins. The Class 5A softball playoffs won’t feature a surprise team coming out of nowhere to steal a state title. The club that will take home the crown this season, is one most observers felt had one of the best chances to win the crown since the preseason—Mortimer Jordan.

The Lady Blue Devils have been highly-ranked since the preseason. Starting the year at No. 8 in first Alabama Sports Writers Association poll on March 13, and rising to No. 2 in the final poll.

Personally, I’ve voted Jordan No. 1 on my ballot since the first poll, and nothing I’ve seen this year has convinced me there’s a better 5A team anywhere in the state.

This past weekend’s Cullman High tourney showed how strong the Lady Devils are.

The Lady Blue Devils won the tourney, which feature several highly-ranked clubs, including Top-10 clubs Hartselle and Cullman.

In the semi-finals, Jordan whipped Cullman 8-6. This is the same Cullman club that went down south a few weeks back and won a big tournament over the likes of state powers Gulf Shores and Rehobeth.

Then in the final, Jordan beat Buckhorn, 10-5.

The Blue Devils have faced every challenge this season and bashed the competition.

There are talented players everywhere on this roster. In fact, they were without starting third baseman Shelbey Faucett last weekend in Cullman and still breezed to the title.

The offense is powerful, led by sophomore Morgan “Mo” Estell, who is hovering close to the .500 mark and is hitting the ball hard, regardless of the type of pitch she sees.

Senior Brandy Worden is having a career year at the plate, as is fellow senior Faucett. Then freshmen Blair Johnson and Danae Hayes provide both power and speed to the lineup.

However, what really sets this club apart as special is the Lady Blue Devil’s pitching.

As a member of the ASWA high school ranking committee and high school All-State selection committee, I often talk with sports writers from across the state, finding out information that will help to make our weekly polls and postseason All-State selections as accurate as possible.

From what I’ve learned this spring from my fellow sports writers is that several 5A clubs have a dominant pitcher, but no club in the state can match Jordan’s one-two pitching punch of senior Michelle Cheatwood and Johnson.

Cheatwood recently won the 80th game of her stellar career and Johnson currently leads the area in ERA.

And before you dismiss how much a freshman can be counted on to preform well in playoffs, just consider this, Johnson has already built up quite a resume of playing at a high level in the postseason.

In both her seventh and eighth grade seasons, while playing at Bragg Middle School, Johnson was MVP of the season-ending Jefferson County Middle School tournament.

This club has everything it takes to win a title. Hitting, pitching, defense, big-game experience, playoff experience and the experience of playing well at the state tourney.

The core group of this team finished second in state in 2006 and third last season.

Cheatwood and Faucett have played well enough in Montgomery to have been named to the state’s All-tournament team in past seasons.

Yes, there’s no doubt about which club will bring home the blue trophy in the 5A state softball tournament—the same school that won the 1999 state title—Mortimer Jordan.

The only thing that would surprise me about this spring, is if Mortimer Jordan lost even a single postseason game on their way to capturing the school’s second state softball crown in the past nine years.