Lawrenceville, GA - On Wednesday the SBL championship series will feature the Choccolocco Monsters and the Atlanta Crackers. This will be the Atlanta Crackers' seventh time in the SBL championship, and they are going for their fifth SBL title. This will be the Choccolocco Monsters' first appearance in the SBL Championship since their formation in 2022.

The Crackers earned a three-seed in the playoffs and had to play the Alpharetta Aviators in the Wild Card round. In the Wild Card round, it took a late-innings rally to advance to the Semi-Finals to face the Gainesville Gol’Diggers. In the Semi-Finals the Crackers faced a doubleheader in Gainesville for the chance at the Championship. A grand slam in the seventh inning of game 1 and 9 runs scored in the first two innings of game 2 helped them advance to the Championship series.

The Monsters had a dominant regular season going 18-8 and earning the number one seed in the playoffs.  The Monsters faced the sixth-place Cartersville Cannons in their Semi-Final series. Game one of the series was a run-rule victory for the Monsters, but in game two the Cannons held onto a 2-1 lead to even the series. In game three the Monsters had a three-run fourth inning to help them advance to the Championship series.

The Crackers have been an all-around great team this season with stand-out seasons from Kaleb Huffman, Jaden Anderson, Colt McKibben, and Gavin Mask.

Gavin Mask is the probable starter for the Crackers in game one. Mask was one of the top pitchers in the league this season with 3 wins, 27 strikeouts, and a 3.50 ERA. When Coach Meistickle was asked about Mask he said, “He has been solid all season and I am giving Gavin the Ball”.

Colt McKibben is likely to start game two for the Crackers and he led the league in wins and strikeouts this season. In game one of the Crackers Semi-Finals series, McKibben earned the win striking out seven batters and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. “A Stalwart all season for us. He has 4 pitches and knows how to use all 4. I love watching him on the mound” said Coach Meistickle.

It is no secret that the Crackers have some heavy hitters in the lineup with Jaden Anderson and Kaleb Huffman. Huffman broke the SBL single season homerun record with 13, beating the previous record by 5 home runs. In weeks 4 and 5 of the regular season, Huffman hit five home runs in week 4 and another four home runs in week 5. “Very Dangerous” Coach Meistickle said about Huffman “Pitchers are aware of him in our line-up as he can hit a Homerun at any time”. Huffman attends Coastal Carolina and plays for the Chanticleers.

 Jaden Anderson is one of the best hitters in the league, Anderson led the league in Hits and was top 5 in RBIs, HRs, and Batting Average. It is worth the price of admission just to hear the sound the ball makes coming off his bat. Meistickle said “Jaden has been tremendous. He is probably our best pure hitter”. Jaden Anderson plays his college baseball for the UAB Blazers.

The Monsters didn’t become the best team in the league this season without a few studs of their own. Hayes Harrison, Mason Walker, Avery Brown, and Dawson Campbell lead the Monsters squad to their first SBL Championship appearance.

Hayes Harrison is a 2-way player that can get it done both on the mound and at the plate. Harrison led the Monsters in Strikeouts as a pitcher and Hits and RBIs as a hitter. The former Oxford Yellow Jacket was named 2023 Alabama Mr. Baseball and Gatorade Player of the Year for Alabama as he led the Jackets to a State Championship. 

There is nothing short about the 6’-3” 210lb Monsters Short Stop Mason Walker. Walker had the third-best batting average in the league with a .396 BA. In the three Semi Finals games against the Cannons Walker went 4-9 with a double, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. Coach Clayton commented, “Walker is a fine player and is an important part of our line-up.”

Dawson Campbell is the Ace of the Monsters team and one of the best pitchers in the league this season. When Coach Clayton was asked about Campbell he said “Dawson led our pitching staff and just seemed to get better as the season went on.” Campbell pitched 38 innings with a 3-1 record, 31 strikeouts, and a 1.65 ERA this season.  Dawson Campbell will attend Augusta State in the Fall.

No pitching staff is complete without a lights out closer and the Monsters have the best one in the league. Avery Brown led the league with 5 saves this season allowing only 3 earned runs in 16.2 innings pitched and striking out 23 batters. Brown only walked 3 batters and gave up just 8 hits during the regular season. If Brown comes into the game with a lead the Monsters are going home with the win. Coach Clayton said, “Avery Brown is a Stud, and he has been solid for us all season. We would not be here without him closing games”. Brown will be attending the University of North Georgia this fall.

The SBL Championship series will be fun to watch as both teams score a lot of runs, Atlanta leads the league with 204 runs scored and the Monsters rank third with 185. The Monsters and Crackers are also ranked first and second in home runs and Hits. On the Pitching side, the Monsters have given up the least amount of runs this season and the Crackers led the league in Strikeouts. It’s going to be a tightly contested series and can truly go either way. Game one of the Series will be at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL on Wednesday, July 31st at 8:05 EST. Follow the SBL on social media to stay up to date on changes to the schedule.