TEAM ROSTER 2002: Paul Able, Jared Carter, Jamie Carter, Josh Carter, Scott Brooker, Brandon Bowers, Justin Coffey, Ernest Kemp, Chris Coger, Aaron Thomas, Aaron Johns, Derek Johns, Marshall Grantham, Zac Anderson Wesley Simpson.
Story from Brantley Enterprise (June 5, 2002): HERONS MAKE HISTORY WITH THE FIRST EVER CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN ANY TEAM SPORT.
The Brantley County High School Herons baseball team returned from Cartersville this week with the second place trophy for their play in Region AA, which took them almost to the state championship title. The Herons vanquished all playoff foes on the way to the big game, most of them quite handily and with two straight victories. But the mighty Purple Hurricanes proved a tough opponent Friday afternoon in that north Georgia city, handing the dirty birds two straight defeats in what felt like at least 100-degree heat. Cartersville downed Brantley 8 - 1 and 8 - 2 as it continued its run through all opponents to its second state championship. Prior to last week's game, the 'Canes were perfect 8 - 0 in the playoffs, outscoring opponents by 87 runs to 12, and pounded out 77 home runs in the regular season. Next year Cartersville moves to AAA, which won't bring many tears to the eyes of others in AA. And next year Brantley will put all but one of this year's team back on the diamond if all goes well.
ENTERPRISE: Brantley County's only senior baseball player has become the school's sixth baseball player to get the change to play the game at the next level since the team was taken over by coach Mike Simmons, who said Brandon Bowers last week signed up to play for Lake Sumpter Community College in Florida.; Lake Sumpter is a two-year community college with a solid background in baseball, having finished third last year among the 12 teams in their division, just one game away from the state tournament, Simmons said. Simmons said coach Mike Matillo told him that Bowers is the only out of state recruit to be signed to play at the school this year. While Bowers will start at college with no scholarship, he has the chance to prove himself at the college level and could be awarded a scholarship within three to six months, the coach said.