About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2023)
ft FAYETTE COUNTY OPORTS Wednesday, June 21,2023 Fayette County News B1 Introducing the 2023 All-County Baseball Team Player of the Year Chase Fralick Special to FCN The boys of spring have put away their bats and gloves, so it is time for a wrap-up with the 2023 All- County baseball honors. It was a remarkable year around the county, with all five squads playing compet itive ball and four teams making the playoffs. Sandy Creek won the first region title in program history, Whitewater reached the quarterfinals, and Starr’s Mill made the Final Four. McIntosh had the best sea son in school history, reach ing the state championship for the first time. Chase Fralick of McIn tosh is the County Player of the Year. Fralick, a junior, did it all for the Chiefs. He played catcher, first base, third base, and was the ace of the pitching staff. He hit .417 with six home runs and 42 RBI and compiled a 9-1 record with a 1.07 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 45 in nings. “He was tough on the mound, at the plate, and in the field. The complete player,” said McIntosh coach Tom Kelley. “He was dom inant in every position he played.” Kaleb Cost of Sandy Creek is the Hitter of the Year. Cost, a senior, signed to play two sports at the Uni versity of North Carolina, hit •545 with four home runs, and 20 RBI. He was an abso lute terror on the base paths, racking up a state single-sea- son record-84 stolen bases. He was also named Region Player of the Year. Cameron Layfield of Sandy Creek is the Fresh man of the Year. Layfield, a short stop, hit .404 with 22 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Tom Kelley of McIntosh is the Coach of the Year. Kel ley’s Chiefs had a historic run, winning 32 games en route to its first appearance in the state championship in school history. The All-County First Team leads off with a dom inant batch too talented to slot into one position. The two-way players are Alex Thompson of Fayette County, Dex Benoit of Whitewater, Taylor Ganci and PJ Green of Sandy Creek, and McIntosh’s Ty Beck, Trey King, Tate Mor ris, and Connor Soper. Thompson, a senior catcher and pitcher, hit .303 with eight RBIs and posted a 3.50 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 20 innings. Benoit, a senior outfielder and pitcher, hit .306 with two home runs and nine RBI and notched a 3-1 record with a 3.00 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 23 in nings. Ganci, a junior third base and pitcher, hit .553 with one home run and 27 RBI and compiled 24 strike outs over 16 innings. Green, a junior outfielder and pitcher, hit .435 with six RBI and earned his Region Pitcher of the Year award. Beck, a junior outfielder and pitcher, hit .339 with 14 RBI and tallied an 8-1 record with a 2.56 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 43 innings. King, a senior infielder and pitcher, hit .500 with two home runs and scored 37 runs. He was perfect as a closer, notching 18 strike outs over 14 innings. Morris, a senior utility player and pitcher, hit .347 with 23 RBI and posted a 3.70 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 22 in nings. Soper, a junior first base and pitcher, hit .360 with two home runs and 33 RBI and posted a 3-1 record with a 1.62 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 39 innings. Kyle Rudolph of Starr’s Mill takes the mound as the pitcher. Rudolph, a sopho more, posted a 4-0 record with a 0.43 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings. Joel Reid of Sandy Creek and Ariston Veasey of Starr’s Mill line up behind the dish as the catchers. Reid, a senior, hit .431 with 20 RBI. Veasey, a jun ior, hit .344 with six home runs and 16 RBI. The infield is composed of Dee King of Fayette County, Luke Meszar of McIntosh, Kaden Brown of Sandy Creek, Jack Ryan of Starr’s Mill, and Trent El lington of Whitewater. King, a junior who played all over the infield, hit .500 with two home runs and seven RBI. Meszar, a senior second base, hit .466 with one home run and 41 runs. Brown, a senior first base, hit .538 with five home runs and 28 RBI, earning his Region Hitter of the Year award. Ryan, a junior first base and third base, hit .500 with one home run and 12 RBI. Ellington, a sophomore first base and third base, hit .417 with one home run and 15 RBI. The outfield is made up of Seth Wash of Fayette County, Charlie Clem of Starr’s Mill, and Logan Grif fith of Whitewater. Wash, a senior, hit .448 with one home run. Clem, a junior, hit .455 and scored 10 runs. Griffith, a senior, hit .429 with six runs. The All-County Second Team begins with Blake El- senpeter at catcher. Elsen- peter, a senior, hit .310 with five RBIs. The infield is composed of Jack Brady of Fayette County, Beau Sheppard of Sandy Creek, and Starr’s Mill’s Max Prozny, Drew Richardson, and Austin Sellers. Brady, a senior second base, hit .333 with one home run and seven RBI. Shep pard, a senior second base, hit .367 with one home run and 18 RBI. Prozny, a junior second base, hit .419 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Richardson, a senior first base, hit .435 with one home run and six RBI. Sellers, a junior short stop, hit .333 with one home run and six RBI. The outfield is made up of Jelani Kingston of Fayette County, Mason Olivarez of McIntosh, and Devin Elsen- peter of Whitewater. Kingston, a senior, hit .320 with one home run and seven RBI. Olivarez, ajunior, hit .340 with nine RBI. El- senpeter, a junior, hit .303 with one home run and six RBI. The pitchers are Andrew Scott of Starr’s Mill and Whitewater’s Austen Davis and Adams Walls. Scott, a senior, posted a 1-0 record and 3.31 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 12 innings. Davis, a sophomore, notched a 2-2 record with one save and 26 strikeouts over 19 in nings. Walls, a senior, posted one save and a 1.00 ERA over seven innings. The two-way players are Sandy Creek’s Brian Morgan and Alex Stallworth. Mor gan, a junior utility player, hit .300 with 19 RBI. Stall- worth, ajunior first base and pitcher, hit .372 with nine RBI. There is still a batch of talented players who earn Honorable Mention. McIn tosh’s honorees are Ford Lambert, James Hooper, Reece Pafford, and Gehrig Rogers. Whitewater’s honor ees are Jacobi Brooks and Jake Carter. PIC Resident Qualifies for USA Paralympic Dragon Boat Team Rick Muller (left) and his coach, Jessica Walker (right) of the Peachtree City Rotary Club. Submitted Starr’s Mill Seeks Sponsors for Hall of Fame launch Leah Banks Investigative Reporter leah@fayette-news.net In Peachtree City, the Dragon Boat Festival is a sta ple of the outdoor camaraderie and recreation that the city has to offer, but for participant and local resident Rick Muller, the opportunity to compete at the big stage came on May 19 when he qualified for the United States Paralympics for the U.S. Paradragon Team. Muller began his journey on the local dragon boat para dragon team, an amputee group that came together to compete in the Dragon Boat Festival. “We’re an amputee group out of Peachtree City called ‘Limb N Aiders.’ We got of fered an opportunity to partici pate in the Peachtree City Dragon Boat Races, and again, we’re an amputee group, so that’s how we basically got started in dragon boat racing,” Muller said. After a stellar performance during last year’s race, local or ganizer Jessica Walker con tacted the national coach with hopes of finding interest in adding members of the ‘Limb N Aiders’ to the national roster. Muller was the only one that was interested in compet ing on a national scale, while his local teammates had other commitments, including one member who was competing at the national level in a para biking competition. “After our performance as a team back in September, which we finished fourth in a race, the event organizer, Jes sica Walker, contacted the na tional team coach for the Paradragons and said, ‘Hey, good performance by this am putee group in our local race, and there may be some members of the team that you may be wanting to perhaps get on your team’,” Muller said. The email was sent toward the end of 2022, but soon, members of the team were being contacted by the na tional coaching staff about an opportunity to try out and qualify for the national team. Muller answered that call. “I was contacted along with a couple others on the team early this year, and I was the only one that had interest,” Muller said. That interest and call led Muller to Florida, where he was able to try out for the na tional team. Muller qualified for the team May 19, and has since been training for upcom ing races, including this year’s Peachtree City Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place on Sept. 23. “Well, I’m in the gym at least five times a week now. I work out at Lab Fitness, Bran don Hannon’s place, and then I also work out weight training at Fitness 54,” Muller said. Although sites and sounds of the water tend to a high point for racers, Muller high lighted that what he enjoyed most about the races was the overall competition. Now re tired, Muller says he enjoys working out and playing golf in his free time. The Panthers need help launching their new hall of fame and are raising funds with a sponsorship drive. The Starr’s Mill High School Hall of Fame will be the location to honor not only former student-ath letes, but also coaches, teams, distinguished alumni, and parent vol unteers that made a consid erable contribution in making it one of the premier high schools in Georgia. “We hope that by cre ating the Starr’s Mill Hall of Fame, we will be able to show how our community and school have impacted so many in a positive way,” said athletic director Shane Ratliff. “We are excited to show what Starr’s Mill has helped produce over the last 20 years.” Starting a hall of fame from the ground level is a major undertaking, and of ficials say they want to honor the current class and future classes by providing a standard of excellence that Starr’s Mill strives to ac complish. In order to do this, they are asking parents, sup porters, and businesses to donate to the creation of the hall of fame by becoming founding sponsors. Found ing sponsorship donations will be tax-deductible. They will be available in three do nation levels, each with a corresponding recognition. The goal is to wrap up the sponsorship push by July 20. For information on be coming a sponsor, email Shane Ratliff at ratliff.shane@fcboe.org. The inaugural Starr’s Mill High School Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 15, at the Starr’s Mill versus La- Grange football game, with a banquet to follow on Sat urday, Sept. 16. Mon-Sat: 10-7 • Sun: 12-5 35 Hudson Plaza • Fayetteville Michael’s Shopping Center 770-460-7511 www.PlayltAgainSportsGa.com Disc Golf Headquarters!
