Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016
BARROW JOURNAL
PAGE 3B
2016 MainStreet Newspapers
All-Area Baseball Team
2016 All-Area
Plaver of the Year
Pat DeMarco, Winder-Barrow, CF, Jr.
DeMarco batted .450 with 44 hits, 47 RBI and 49 runs scored.
He hit 14 homers, 14 doubles and 2 triples on the season. Helped
lead Diamond Doggs to the Class AAAAA Elite Eight, Region
8-AAAAA runner-up.
Coach Brian Smith said: "Pat made an immediate
impact on our team. He has a great ability to adjust very quickly
to each pitcher he sees."
RIGHT AT HOME AT WINDER-BARROW HIGH SCHOOL
Pat DeMarco transferred to Winder-Barrow High School from New York but made an immediate impact
on the Diamond Doggs baseball program, nearly setting a school record for most home runs in a sea
son this spring. DeMarco led WBHS to the Elite Eight in 2016 and will return for his senior season year.
Photo by Jessica Brown
Dylan Patrick,
Banks Co.,
Sr., P-2B
Patrick posted a 6-5 record on
the mound with a 2.38 ERA. He
fanned 56 batters in 64 innings.
He batted .208 and notched
5 RBI in 2016. He was an All-
Region 7-AAA selection and
signed an athletic scholarship
withToccoa Falls College.
Zone Millwood,
Banks Co.,
Jr., SS-C
Millwood batted .275 with
13 RBI and 10 runs scored.
He hit 2 home runs and
stole 10 bases in 2016.
Walker Rogers,
Banks Co.,
Jr., OF
Rogers batted .283 with 3
RBI and 18 runs scored. He
also stole 11 bases in 2016.
Brady Stewart,
Bethlehem Chr.,
Sr., SS-P
Stewart batted .417 with 42
hits, 22 RBI and 27 runs scored.
He hit 5 home runs and stole 8
bases. On the mound, Stewart
posted a .721 ERA with 18 strike
outs in 19 innings pitched.
Comment: Stewart, the Knights'
lead-off batter, was called a "tre
mendous hitter with great hands,
and a quick bat through the ball."
Ryan Whiting,
Bethlehem Chr.,
Sr., C
Whiting batted .364 with 24
hits and 15 RBI. He hit 2 homers
and posted a .500 on-base per
centage in 2016. Whiting will play
baseball at Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College next year.
Comment: Coaches reported
Whiting as having an excellent
year batting clean-up for the
Knights. He was a "workhorse"
behind the plate, lining up as
catcher for 140-plus innings.
Brad Toxen,
Bethlehem Chr.,
Jr., 1B-OF
Toxen batted .357 with 34
hits, 18 RBI and 20 runs scored.
He hit 4 homers and posted a
.461 on-base percentage.
Comment: Coaches called
Toxen an "outstanding player who
can line up anywhere on the field."
Jacob Parker,
Bethlehem Chr.,
Sr., P-1B
Parker batted .300 with 23
hits, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and
3 home runs. He posted a 3.24
ERA and struck out 67 batters
in 39 innings. He will play at
Georgia Southern next year.
Comment: Coaches believe
Parker's positive attitude and
outstanding potential will lead
to success at the college level.
Drew Hulsey,
Commerce, Sr., C
Hulsey batted .416 with
16 RBI and 4 home runs.
Comment: Hulsey was a four-
year starter for the Tigers and a
Region 8-A first team selection.
Matthew Flint,
Commerce,
Jr.,lB-OF
Flint batted .325 with
18 RBI and 1 homer.
Comment: Flint was an All-
Region 8-A first team selection.
Jonathan Ray,
Commerce, Sr., P
Ray struck out 42 batters in 51
innings and posted a 5-3 record.
Comment: Ray was an All-
Region 8-A first team selection.
Coaches called Ray "clutch,"
especially late in the 2016 season.
Trey Parr,
Commerce, Sr., 3B
Parr batted .347 with
18 RBI and 2 homers.
Comment: Parr was an All-
Region 8-A first team selection.
Tanner Hamby,
East Jackson,
Sr., 1B-OF
Hamby hit .417 with 10 RBI
and 19 runs scored. He had a
.533 on-base percentage.
Comment: Hamby had a .889
contact percentage and only struck
out eight times in 90 at bats.
Austin Thomas,
East Jackson,
Jr., OF/P
Thomas hit .306 with 14
RBI and one home run.
Comment: Thomas was named
the most-improved player on the
Eagles'roster. He was capable of
hitting for power or accuracy, and
only made two errors all season.
Zone Corley,
Jackson Co.,
Jr., P
Corley tallied a 1.32 ERA
and an 8-3 record with 2 saves.
He struck out 51 batters in 53
innings and allowed an average
.189 on-base percentage.
Comment: Corley gave up
only two runs in the last two
years of region play. He earned 2
wins over Oconee Co., shut out
Jefferson and pitched a complete
three-hitter against Morgan
Co. to clinch a playoff berth.
Joel Ellis,
Jackson Co.,
Sr., IB
Ellis batted .390 with
three homers and 27 RBI. He
scored 13 runs and racked up
a .467 on-base percentage.
Ellis signed with Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College.
Comment: Coaches said
Ellis got better and better as
the season progressed. After a
slow start, Ellis hit .408 in region
play and .448 in the playoffs.
Chris Griggs,
Jackson Co.,
Jr., SS-2B-P
Griggs posted a 4-3 record
on the mound with a 3.85 ERA.
He had 1 save and 39 strike
outs in 40 innings. Griggs batted
.291 with 21 RBI and 3 homers.
He stole 6 bases and posted
a .927 fielding percentage.
Comment: Coaches were
forced to minimize Griggs'
time on the mound because
he was one of the Panthers'
best options in the infield.
Tyler Sartain,
Jackson Co.,
Sr., 3B
Sartain batted .306 with
14 RBI and 16 runs scored.
He stole 3 bases and had a
.900 fielding percentage.
Comment: Sartain was praised
for his work at the plate in what
coaches called "the toughest
spot to hit in the line-up." Sartain
hit .353 in region play and had
a 16-game hitting streak.
Taylor Wilkes,
Jefferson,
Sr., P-OF
Wilkes hit .385, including 9
doubles. He stole 15 bases and
had a .500 on-base percentage.
He went 6-2 as a pitcher and
posted a 1.47 ERA.. Wilkes struck
out 11 batters. He signed with
Kennesaw State University.
Comment: Wilkes was the
Dragons' lead-off batter and
according to coaches, a "dom
inant force on the mound."
Asher Standridge,
Jefferson,
Sr., P
Standridge went 7-1 as a
pitcher. He posted a 1.83 ERA and
struck out 61 batters in 2016. He
signed with North Georgia College.
Comment: Coaches
called Standridge a"bulldog
on the mound," citing his
hyper competitiveness.
Josh Hutch,
Jefferson,
Sr., P-OF
Hutch hit .351 with 22 RBI
and 18 runs scored. He went
5-2 as a pitcher with a 2.33
ERA and 46 strike outs.
Comment: Hutch was a
clutch hitter and Jefferson's
team leader in RBI.
Zack Boobas,
Jefferson,
Sr., C
Boobas batted .364 with 18 RBI
and a .467 on-base percentage.
Comment: Coaches cited
Boobas as Jefferson's best clutch
hitter. Boobas had a strong offen
sive season despite being inten
tionally walked on a regular basis.
Golston Gillespie,
Madison Co.,
Jr., C
Gillespie batted .356 with
26 hits, 6 home runs and 22
RBI. He posted a slugging
percentage of .726 and an
on-base percentage of .570.
Comment: Gillespie was
named Madison County's MVP
and co-best defensive player.
Ethan South,
Madison Co.,
Sr., OF
South batted .375 with 36 hits,
16 RBI and 36 runs scored. He had
an on-base percentage of .504.
Comment: Coaches boasted
about South's speed and ability to
get on base as a lead-off hitter. He
was Madison County's co-defen
sive player of the year, and earned
the best hitter and best hustle
awards. He was a team captain.
Dylan Gentry,
Madison Co.
Jr., P-OF
Gentry went 6-2 as a pitcher
with a 0.77 ERA. He struck out 93
batters in 64 innings. He batted
.330 with 33 hits and 16 RBI.
Comment: Received
Madison County's best
pitcher award.
Wyatt Wood,
Madison Co.,
Sr., P-SS
Wood went 8-3 as a
pitcher with 1 save and
a 2.31 ERA. He struck out
82 batters in 69 innings.
Comment: Praised for his
stellar play in the infield,
as well as on the mound.
Beau Hanna,
Winder-Barrow,
Jr., C
Hanna batted .380 with
42 hits, 39 RBI and 38 runs
scored. He hit 7 homers,
10 doubles and 3 triples.
Will Hardigree,
Winder-Barrow,
Jr., P-SS
Hardigree racked up 8
wins from the mound with
a 1.92 ERA. He struck out
49 batters in 58 innings.
Casey Thurmond,
Winder-Barrow,
Sr., P-1 B
Thurmond earned 8 wins
with a 3.04 ERA. He struck
out 43 batters in 64 innings.
• • •
Coach of
the Year:
Tommy Fountain,
Jackson County
High School
In his final year with
Jackson County, Fountain
guided the Panthers to a pro-
gram-best Final Four finish and
a school-record 20 wins.
Jackson County, which had to
win its regular season finale just
to qualify for the Class AAA state
tournament, went on a tear in
the postseason as a No. 3 seed.
The Panthers rallied from a
game-one loss in each of their
four playoff series to force a
game three. In the semifinals, the
Panthers took a game against
nationally-ranked Blessed
Trinity (handing that program
its first loss to a team within
Georgia since 2015) before being
eliminated by the Titans.
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Baseball continued from IB
The team has been playing doubleheaders during the
middle of the week.
“We are doing well,’' Smith said. “We have two weeks
left in our summer work with eight more games. Our
young pitching has been a focus.”
The team will take a break once the Georgia High
School Association imposed “dead week” arrives in early
July. Players will begin weight training toward the end of
July as the new school year begins Aug. 1.
