Believe it or not, there was an individual award Ethan Vinyard hadn't garnered in his high school athletic career.

The Alexandria three-sport star — as a quarterback, point guard and shortstop — had led teams in each sport to the playoffs. He won countless MVPs and spots on all-tournament teams, and even spots on The Star's prestigious Dandy Dozen, Fab Five and Diamond Dazzlers teams, which are comprised of the coverage area's best athletes regardless of classification or position.

But never had he been a Calhoun County player of the year in any sport.

Key word: had.

As his high school career came to an end, the Class 4A-6A Calhoun County baseball coaches put the perfect ending on his high school career with the distinction for 2009 Class 4A-6A's baseball team.

"I kind of thought I might have a chance at in it football," Vinyard said. "I didn't really think I'd get it in baseball. I played good enough, I guess, but we (the team) didn't go that far."

Vinyard hit .390 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs as the Valley Cubs finished 25-8 and advanced to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. His numbers were good enough for honorable mention Alabama Sports Writers Association honors.

"I can't begin to express what he's meant to our program," Alexandria coach Andy Shaw said. "You always want your best players to be your hardest workers, and he is a model of that. He practiced hard every day, played hard for every game, and at the end, the game was still a game to him."

Vinyard, who has signed to play basketball and baseball with Gadsden State Community College, said baseball was the first team sport he ever played and it's also his first love — football and basketball are tied for second.

Despite that, he said that he finds it odd that it's likely the last sport the casual Calhoun County prep sports fan associates him with.

"People around here just don't follow baseball like they do football and basketball, but the people that do follow it know," Vinyard said.

Added Shaw: "Baseball is just different. You can't just put the ball in your best player's hand, you can't draw up a play for him."

Vinyard will attempt to pull off a feat few try in the ranks of college athletics. With the overlap of basketball and baseball — not to mention a winter season for the latter — it will leave him little downtime as he attempts to woo four-year schools for a spot on their roster.

That, he points out, is hard enough, even if he were playing just one sport.

"There's so many people out there playing baseball," he said. "It's tough to get a scholarship."

Despite that, Shaw said he doesn't think it's going to be a problem at all and that Gadsden State got a steal by signing the jewel he first saw sparkle as a seventh grader.

"He's going to be as good as he wants to be," Shaw said.

Vinyard said he grabs his popcorn, finds a spot in front of the television most nights and buries himself in the game of baseball. Watching baseball throughout the years, he said he's modeled his game after a number of players, but stops short of calling any of the major league millionaires he watches his heroes.

He holds that titles for those behind the scenes.

"My parents and my grandparents," he said. "That's my baseball heroes. They were the ones taking me to those summer leagues games and hitting me all those groundballs."