By Scott Nickerson
Elmore/Autauga News
In just three years leading the Holtville baseball program, Head Coach Scott Tubbs has led the Bulldogs to the Class 5A State Finals in each of the last two seasons. The Bulldogs finished as state runner up in 2022, but they brought home the Class 5A state championship in 2023. It wasn’t without adversity.
Holtville was 10-8 at Spring Break. “The schedule was so hard coming out of the gate,” Tubbs said. “I started scheduling a little late, and all we had available to play were strong 6A and 7A teams. We were running the gauntlet.”
The Bulldogs won the area championship and earned the right to host the 1st round of the Class 5A playoffs. Their reward was to play Mobile Christian, the two-time defending Class 4A state champions that had moved up to 5A for the 2023 season. In Game 1, Holtville suffered a humbling defeat, losing to Mobile Christian 11-0.
“They run-ruled us in Game 1,” Tubbs said. “It was the fastest butt whooping of my career. The entire game only took about an hour. But we flipped the script in Game 2, and we beat them by 10 runs. It set the tone that ‘we can do this.’ It was the start of us playing better with our backs against the wall.” Holtville won the deciding game three and advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs, but it wasn’t the only time in the playoffs the Bulldogs had their backs against the wall.
Holtville lost Game 1 in the 2nd and 3rd round series of the Class 5A playoffs, but each time they won games 2 and 3 to win the series and advance to the next round. From there, Holtville swept Demopolis in both games in the semi-finals, and then swept Sardis to claim to the Class 5A state championship. The playoff run was unlike anything Tubbs had ever experienced.
“They really like baseball around here. The whole town pretty much shut down during the playoffs. The stands were packed and the fans were into every game. It was the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever seen.”
The Bulldogs won the title playing as a team. It wasn’t any one player that Tubbs will remember from the playoff run, but everyone playing together for one purpose. “We spent most of the season trying to find an identity, but once we got to the playoffs, every series, someone new got something going.”
Winning the Class 5A title has brought out some of the best in the Holtville community and fans. “We’ve had a lot of support from fans. Some of the fans have offered to pay for all our meals, charter buses, and even the championship rings.”
Next season, Tubbs has similar goals for his team. “Our expectation is always to return to the final. That will always be our goal.”
In the meantime, all the returning players are getting their reps playing American Legion ball and in other leagues.
“There is only so much we are allowed to do with them in the off-season, so we do what we’re allowed to do and let them get their reps (during the summer) in other leagues.”
Those reps will be important, as Tubbs will lead Holtville in 2024 as they try to repeat as Class 5A state champs.
