Payton the best catcher, Fernandez top pitcher in ACCC:
GDW Analysis:
MONTGOMERY: Wallace State has the top catcher and top pitcher according to postseason baseball awards released by the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC).
The conference announced Colton Payton as 1st team catcher and Luke Fernandez the pitcher of the year.
Payton, a freshman from Huntsville, led the Lions with a .301 average. Payton had 53 hits, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 36 runs batted in and a .483 slugging percentage.
Behind the plate, Payton had 245 putouts in 268 chances, compiling a fielding percentage of .974.
Fernandez was chosen pitcher of the year in going the distance six times out of 13 starts. He worked 85 innings, giving up 43 earned runs and reached the century mark in strikeouts with 100.
The lefty would average 10.59 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Fernandez had complete game outings in back to back conference games at home vs. Shelton April 4 and Coastal South April 12.
He would combine for 15 strikeouts in two huge victories in the ACCC when the Lions needed them to make a late season surge that got them as a playoff qualifier, finishing 6th in the 10 team Division I of the conference.
Wallace State's season ended over the weekend, going 1 & 2 in the district tournament from Oxford. The Lions shook off a 1st game loss to Delgado by outscoring rival Snead in the elimination round 18 to 10.
Southern Union got by the Lions 8 to 6 in the elimination round on May 11.
Randy Putman's squad was 24 & 34 overall, 18 & 18 in conference regular season and 13 & 5 vs. playing conference teams at James C. Bailey Stadium.
Payton and Fernandez are expected to return for the 2025 season as sophomores and key returnees for coach Putman.
Photo of Wallace State C Colton Payton April 4 vs. Shelton.
Photo courtesy of WSCC Media Relations.
