Columbus North graduate and Alabama State freshman Kyler McIntosh delivers a pitch during a game this spring.
Submitted photo
Kyler McIntosh was a seventh-grader the first time Alabama State made the NCAA baseball tournament, and he was in attendance to see the Hornets play in Tallahassee, Florida.
That’s because McIntosh’s older brother Hunter was a senior on that 2016 ASU squad. Now, six years later, Kyler, a freshman from Columbus North, has helped lead the Hornets back to the big dance for only the second time in school history.
“That was our goal every year, and every year until my senior year, we came up just short,” Hunter said. “Now, for him to be on that team that’s the second one to do it, it’s pretty awesome to see. When I was there, he was this little kid coming to games. Now the roles are kind of reversed. I’m in the stands watching him.”
Hunter has made it to see a few of Kyler’s games this spring, including last week’s Southwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
“It was pretty cool to give him a hug afterward because the last team that had won it was his senior year,” Kyler said. “So that was pretty special.”
Kyler has been a two-way standout for the Hornets as a freshman. He started out mainly as a pitcher, but worked his way into the starting lineup as a position player.
“I did come here as a two-way, but at the beginning of the season, there wasn’t much room for me,” Kyler said. “We had an injury that kind of came out of nowhere. They’ve just put me anywhere in the field to keep me in the lineup.”
Besides being the team’s No. 2 pitcher, Kyler has played first base, second base, third base and mostly right field. He caught for two years for his travel ball team pitched and played shortstop at North, where he was last year’s The Republic Baseball Player of the Year after leading the Bull Dogs to a No. 1 state ranking and a sectional title.
Despite playing so many different positions, Kyler has committed only one error all season and has a .989 fielding percentage.
“It’s been fun actually,” Kyler said. “In high school, I always wanted to play everywhere. I always asked to play in the outfield, and coach would say, ‘No, we need you at short.’ But I’ve always been a utility player growing up.”
On the mound, Kyler is 4-4 with a 5.78 ERA. He is second on the team in innings pitched (67.0) and strikeouts (64).
Kyler leads ASU with a .400 batting average and 1.094 OPS (on base-plus-slugging percentage). He has nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 22 RBIs and 19 runs scored in 90 at bats.
“It’s kind of cool to see everything to come to fruition,” Hunter said. “He’s worked really hard. As an eighth-grader, he decided he wanted to be good and wanted to work hard.”
Hunter co-owns Hit Factory with Will Nelson, and Kyler has spent plenty of time hitting there, as well as at North High School.
“It’s finally showing that the hard work I’ve put in the last four years of high school,” Kyler said. “There’s not many days I haven’t gone into hit or going to Tipton Lakes Athletic Club to lift. I just enjoy playing with my teammates, and I feel pretty good about it.”
Most of the Hornets coaching staff is the same as it was when Hunter was there. Head coach Jose’ Vazquez was an assistant when Hunter was playing.
“We went to a few (games),” Kyler said. “With me playing baseball, it was hard to get down there, but we did go to some. It’s pretty awesome. I obviously had an idea of what I was coming into.”
ASU is facing a tall order in the NCAA tourney. The open play in the double-elimination regional Friday against No. 1-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville.
But Kyler and the Hornets won’t be intimidated.
“That’s the whole picture, just making it as far as we can and continuing to do the stuff we do,” Kyler said. “It’s going to be a fun time and experience.”
Kyler isn’t sure whether he’ll pitch or which position he will play this weekend, but he knows he will be ready no matter where he plays.
“If it would be more beneficial for me to be in right, they’ll go with that,” Kyler said. “I have no idea. Wherever they put me, I just do the best I can so I can stay in the lineup.”
Hunter has a piece of motivational advice for Kyler this week. ASU and Tennessee have faced each other only one time in baseball, and that was in a midweek regular-season game when Hunter was playing.
The Hornets were victorious.
“I told him when I played them, I beat team,” Hunter said. “So I told him, it’s your turn now.”
