Andrew Patterson comes from a family familiar with athletics. Both his father, Michael, and older sister, Morgan, have excelled in their respective athletic endeavors.

Now Andrew is following closely in their footsteps.

With the Demopolis All-star team trailing in their game against Linden on Thursday and Andrew at bat, he hit a home run to help lead his team to victory. Without that deep drive, Demopolis might not have pushed through to take the 8&Under Cal Ripken District championship on Saturday. They certainly wouldn&8217;t have been the No. 2 seed going into Saturday &8212; and they definitely wouldn&8217;t have the confidence that they could take out Linden in the first round of the single-elimination Saturday tourney.

But really, we shouldn&8217;t expect less from a young man like Patterson. He&8217;s following in some very talented footsteps. After Morgan&8217;s softball career ended after her senior season at Demopolis High School, Andrew stepped up and asked to wear her old number.

That&8217;s dedication &8212; not just to the baseball diamond, but also to his family. And that&8217;s just the short list of why Andrew Patterson earned the Player of the Week nod.