Orange Beach High School senior Joel Chandler says his favorite thing to do on the weekends is load up on a boat and go offshore fishing. That makes plenty of sense, given the fact that his week is so jam-packed with activities, from sports practice to academic work and activities such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
The son of Joel and Kayla Chandler, Joel is a two-sport athlete at OBHS, playing football for coach Wade Waldrop in the fall and baseball for coach Josh Hoyle in the spring. On the gridiron, Joel plays slot receiver for the Makos and on the baseball diamond he serves as the team’s shortstop.
Hoyle, entering his third season as head coach at Orange Beach and 15th season overall, speaks highly of his starting shortstop. “Joel is a guy who makes people around him better. He is an ultra-competitive person and his desire to be the best pushes his teammates to match his intensity. We are excited to watch him for one more year in the orange and blue, but also excited about the kind of young man he is becoming,” Hoyle said.
Joel carries a 3.4 GPA in the classroom and plans to one day become an electrical engineer.
After graduation in May of 2025, he will play baseball for the University of Montevallo and head coach Chandler Rose. Joel says that he was initially intrigued by the Falcons’ program through a friend, but a visit to the campus sealed the deal.
“I got up there and fell in love with (Montevallo) right off the bat. I thought, ‘this is where I want to be for the next four years.’”
Last year, the Makos (31-10) were eliminated in the state playoffs by American Christian, who lost in the state 4A finals to Corner High School. Though Orange Beach suffered some key losses from last year’s team, Chandler hopes those holes can be filled and the Makos can make an even deeper run in 2025. He says the key to success this season is growing closer as a team, even though the bonds are already strong.
“I just love the culture of the team we have and how we can all get together and never have a dull moment,” Chandler says. “We have a great time out on the baseball field.” TG
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