GDW baseball, softball spotlight from April 1st:
Baseball:
Coach Brent Patterson of Cullman
P Cooper Loftin of Cullman
SS Colter Bown of Cullman
Patterson earned great recognition for his 500th victory with Cullman BB on the evening of April 1st in a 1 to 0 area victory at Jasper.
Patterson took over the squad in 2009 and has seen the Bearcats get to the AHSAA Final Four 7 times, win the state championship in 2015 & 2019.
Cullman has averaged 31 victories a season with Patterson.
The 2015 group won 45 out of 55 games and the 6A title, the first year they played in this classification.
Loftin was the winning pitcher on the night of No. 500 for Patterson.
Loftin threw a complete game shutout, allowing the Vikings 2 hits, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts.
Two nights later at Bill Shelton Field, Bowen displayed a good encounter at the plate.
Bowen had two hits, an RBI single in the 3rd and a walk off grand slam in the 6th to finish a 16 to 3 Cullman victory that clinched a playoff berth.
Bowen drove in 5 runs from batting 2nd in the lineup for Patterson.
Softball:
CF Lizzy Steed of Good Hope
In the Cullman County Tournament at Vinemont April 1st, Steed earned top honors by being selected the most outstanding player by Gameday Weekly.
The left handed hitting outfielder, batting leadoff, was 5 for 7 with Good Hope beating Cold Springs 17 to 2 in the semifinals and 11 to 1 against West Point in the championship.
Steed went 3 for 4 vs. West Point, 2 RBIs batted in that ended the championship battle. She scored twice and reached base in this game four times.
Good Hope has won back to back county championships with Steed being an impact performer in 2024 & 2025.
Photo of the Cullman Bearcats honoring coach Brent Patterson after his 500th victory at Jasper April 1st.
Photo courtesy of Miss Tucker.
