Hooks Salute Akers with Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award

CORPUS CHRISTI – The family of Todd Akers will be presented with the 2024 South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of the former educator’s contributions to the Coast Bend.

Akers, who passed away last April at the age of 57, battled prostate cancer while leading the Tuloso-Midway Baseball Warriors to consecutive regional semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Akers began teaching at Tuloso-Midway in 2013 and took over as head baseball coach prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The Carroll High School and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi graduate helmed the Warriors to the fourth round of the playoffs – a first in school history – the following year.

Upon receiving his initial diagnosis of stage IV metastatic cancer in July of 2021, Akers steadfastly prepared for his third season at the T-M helm. In 2022, the Warriors repeated their District 31-4A runner-up finish and completed the year by winning 20 of 24 games.

His older son, Todd Joseph, served as Warriors interim head coach while Akers received and recovered from treatments. T.J. was a member of the Carroll Tigers’ 2010 5A baseball state title team. Akers’ younger son, Dylan, turned two this past August.

A 30-year educator in South Texas, Akers was an ally for at-risk youth, working in area charter schools and special-ed programs. The avid fisherman had also umpired little league games with his dad, Charles.

Akers, who lettered in baseball, track, and football at Carroll, emerged as a star running back during his senior year, carrying the Tigers to 11 wins against two losses in the wake of a 4-5-1 mark in 1981.

Akers’ seminal performance came in an upset victory over 31-5A rival Gregory-Portland, which entered the contest ranked No. 8 in the state. He gained 257 yards on 21 rushes and scored four touchdowns, including dashes of 47, 43, and 58 yards. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that Akers was forced to leave the game midway through the fourth quarter because of “total exhaustion.”

The 18th South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet, presented by Whataburger, is Thursday, January 18 at the American Bank Center’s Henry Garrett Ballroom, with Astros TV reporter Julia Morales on hand as the featured speaker. Doors open at 6 PM. Call 361-561-HOOK (4665) for tickets.