Brooks Helton did more in six games than many players did in an entire year. For his efforts, the Pioneer senior was named the District 6AAA baseball MVP Friday. 

Helton headlined the award winners for Warren County, which finished tied for the regular season title with Cookeville at 6-2. Helton played in only six of those games before an elbow injury forced him out for the season, but he hit .667 with three home runs and 12 RBIs while leading his team to a 5-1 record.

Opposing coaches will be happy to see Helton graduate, but coach Trice Powers wishes he had more time to watch his star.

“Nobody was having a better year than he was when he was in there,” said Powers. “He deserves it and I’m happy for him. I wish we could’ve kept seeing him play.

“He could have been pitcher of the year or player of the year. Nobody could match him statistically.”

Helton announced his presence in the district opener, hitting two home runs and finishing with seven RBIs in a 12-2 victory in five innings. Helton hit a walk-off homer in the outing – a game where he was also the winning pitcher. 

In district games, Helton was 3-0 on the mound with a 1.87 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 15 innings. 

While Helton was a one-man terror in the middle of the lineup, he credits his teammates for his ability to succeed at a high level.

“It’s an honor to be given this title. It wouldn’t be possible without any of my teammates behind me,” said Helton, who will undergo surgery soon to repair the elbow injury before enrolling at Faulkner University. “Baseball is a sport where you experience extreme highs and lows. My team was always there to support me. Without teammates having my back, the accomplishments I made wouldn’t be possible.”

As a self-made star, Helton hopes his efforts show future players what they can accomplish by practicing their craft and getting the support of their teammates.

“I hope it shows everyone how hard work can truly pay off. I have never been the most talented player, but I have some awesome teammates who push me to work hard every day. I feel like that’s helped me the most,” said Helton.

Helton had plenty of company on the awards ballot. Fellow seniors Dylan Ward, Ethan Smith, Will Cantrell and Hunter Adams were named all-district, as were junior Trace Adcock and sophomore Ryland Holder.

“We had a lot of guys who played well in district. Some of their district stats were better than their regular season (numbers),” said Powers. “The kids stepped up when we needed them to – we’ll need that same mindset in the postseason. We’ll need guys continuing to step up in big moments for us.”

The six all-district honorees finished behind Helton in batting average in district games, led by Adams at .458. The senior shortstop was also tops on the team with 13 RBIs in the eight games.

Cantrell (.444, 8 RBIs), Smith (.370, team-high 16 runs), Holder (.370, 12 RBIs), Ward (.346, 10 runs) and Adcock (.292, 11 runs) helped power an offense which scored 76 runs in district games.