Booth is winningest coach in history of AHSAA baseball:
GDW Analysis:
HARTSELLE: A legend in Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) baseball has passed away.
William Booth who coached the Hartselle Tigers, starting in 1988, reportedly passed away in his sleep Wednesday morning.
Booth was 79 years old.
Hartselle baseball has been a trademark under Booth's leadership.
The 2024 Tigers will be playing in the AHSAA 6A championship Thursday at Choccolocco Park vs. Hillcrest Tuscaloosa.
Hartselle took over being superior in the 5A classification with state championships in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994.
His 9th state crown was claimed during the 2021/22 campaign in which Hartselle went 38 & 4.
Booth experienced health issues that kept him away from the dugout for much of 2024.
Hartselle finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class 6A. The Tigers earned a berth to the championship series after last weekend, grinding out a 2 to 1 series victory over Oxford. The Tigers take 28 wins out of 35 games on to Calhoun County this weekend.
One of the best prep baseball rivalries through the years has been Hartselle vs. Cullman. The two were based in the same area from year to year and have left many memorable moments on the diamond from Reuben Sims Field in Hartselle to Bill Shelton Field on the Cullman campus.
The two would tangle with one another in the 2nd round of the AHSAA playoffs between 2012 to 2016. Hartselle was victorious in two series with two being decided in a third game.
A percentage of Booth players took their talent from Hartselle and on to Randy Putman at Wallace State in Hanceville.
Freshman Grayson Howard played for the Lions in 2024 at first base.
Landon Blackwood, currently with the Tigers, signed with Wallace on May 7. His older brother, JT, pitched the last two seasons for the Lions.
Some outstanding players for Booth in his early years at Hartselle, then on to Wallace, include Wesley Springer, Danley Bradford, Jay Hobbs, John Peek,
Springer and Bradford were pitchers and part of the Lions' 1st ACCC champion and World Series qualifier in 1992.
For his record, Booth 1,217 victories and a winning percentage in Hartselle baseball at .701.
Booth has earned recognition into the Alabama High School Hall of Fame, the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame.
Funeral arrangements have not been set.
Photo courtesy of Hartselle baseball.
