WEST POINT, Ala. – Monday was a day for celebration at West Point High School. Warriors standout Aubry Cleghorn was surrounded by friends, family, coaches and teammates as he signed a scholarship to continue his baseball career for the UAH Chargers. Cleghorn earned All-State First-Team honors after his sophomore season at West Point and was well on his way to more accolades before his junior season was cut short in March.
Warriors Head Coach Drew Bryson has been working with Aubry since his freshman season and outside of his natural talent on the baseball field, Bryson sees another rare attribute that has helped Aubry reach the next level.
“He’s blessed beyond measure with talent, but it’s his work ethic,” Bryson said. “Having talent isn’t enough when it comes to college athletics, everybody is talented. So, it has to be your work ethic that sets you apart and we have a ton of guys that work hard, but I would say he’s probably the leader of the pack. He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got and year-round whether it’s in season or out of season, he’s doing whatever it takes to get better.”
Cleghorn has provided a lot of production for the Warriors on the mound and at the plate over the last couple of years but Bryson believes his leadership and attitude have been just as crucial to his success and the success of his team.
“He is a great teammate. He’s one of those guys that it doesn’t matter if he’s 3 for 3 or 0 for 3, you would never know by the way he carries himself. He’s the first guy out of the dugout when someone makes a big play or if someone makes a big play behind him, he’s the first one to go them and let them know about it,” Bryson said. “He’s just a positive guy and you’ll never hear him be negative, get down on himself, or get down on his teammates. He’s just always bringing energy and whether they see it or not, I think our guys kind of look to him as the guy that steers the ship in the right direction.”
Aubry celebrated the achievement with as many of his teammates as he could round up Monday and it was important to him that they be included. He credits a lot his success to his teammates and wants to see that culture continue to grow in the West Point program long after he’s gone.
“It’s a great feeling but it’s really not just about me. It’s about all the players I’ve played with and how they helped push me to where I am today,” Cleghorn said. “They’ve always made my job easy and I wish they could all be a part of this but I love each and every one of them and I hope in the future we’ll have guys that look up to me and want I hope our program just keeps growing and growing.”
Aubry says he really enjoyed getting to know the coaches at UAH and likes the family atmosphere within the program but he still has some things he wants to do at West Point before he makes the move up to Hunstville.
“I’m just trying to get stronger to get my velocity up and get in shape. I really want to win a state championship before I leave here too so I hope my team knows that’s what we’re striving for. I want an area championship and a state championship, and I believe we’ve got it in us. That’s what I really want to accomplish before I leave.”
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