Charles Henderson’s Chase Smartt staked his claim has one of the top baseball players in the state of Alabama Tuesday.

Smartt earned MVP honors of the South Team at the AHSAA All-Star Baseball Series, held in Montgomery as part of Alabama All-Star Sports Week.

Smartt, a rising senior, went a combined 2-for-4 in the doubleheader with a pair of RBIs. Both RBIs came in game one, as Smartt accounted for both runs of a 2-1 win for the South team.

“It felt awesome to be named MVP,” Smartt said. “There were so many great baseball players there and I was surprised that I was picked.”

The games were not Smartt’s first rodeo at Riverwalk Stadium. In each of the last two seasons, Charles Henderson has clinched state titles at the ballpark, as well as playing a handful of regular season tournament game.

In 2013, Smartt was named AHSAA 4A Finals MVP at Riverwalk. In the series, Smartt accounted for nine RBIs, including a massive grand slam homer that nearly left the stadium complex.

Smartt is right at home in the big ballpark next to the river.

“I’m always very comfortable playing at Riverwalk now,” Smartt said. “We have played there so much the last two or three years, that I don’t even think about it anymore. I like playing there a lot.”

Smartt verbally committed to play his college baseball at Troy last year, but has his sights set on his final high school season. He said the couple of days spent in Montgomery would be remembered forever.

“I loved the opportunity to play with all of those great players,” said Smartt. “I was able to build relationships with those guys that will continue through high school and college.”