By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
How can anyone but the best pitcher in the Smoky Mountain Conference be named the league’s Pitcher of the Year?
That’s the riddle Hayesville baseball coaches and fans are pondering after the 2025 All-Conference Team was announced.
Hayesville’s Jackson Sellers seemed to be a shoo-in for the award after posting a subterranean .61 earned run average and allowing just 11 hits and striking out 58 in 34 1/3 innings over nine games, but didn’t win the award. SMC coaches voted Murphy’s Colton Morgan Pitcher of the Year.
Morgan, who pitched one game and 3 3/2 innings more than Sellers, posted a 2.76 ERA and struck out 58 batters, but yielded 33 hits and walked 10 more batters than Sellers.
The slight of Sellers has Hayesville pitching coach John Nicholas scratching his head in disbelief.
“Jackson was our best pitcher last year and was SMC Pitcher of the Year. In my view, this year he was even better. Maybe this year he was discounted because we had so many great pitchers – Kendall Boyer, Kyle Shaheen, Tate Roberts, Brady Reynolds and Cade Caruso. He was clearly our ace. I’m proud to have coached all of them,” Nicholas said.