Welcome to the first Mizuno Performances of the Week, highlighting some of the state’s best and hottest baseball players. This weekly feature is compiled and written by Todd Holcomb. Coaches can email weekly nominations to Todd at toddholcomb@bellsouth.net. Mizuno is the presenting sponsor of the GHSA Baseball State Championship and official athletic equipment company in baseball, softball and volleyball.
Here are some top individual performers from the early season and recent games throughout the state:
*Aquinas seniors Ethan Scott (.536) and Brad White (.517) have nine home runs between them – five by Scott, four by White – in their team’s 8-1 start.
*Armuchee junior Randon Carter is hitting .526 with six doubles and seven RBI through his team’s first seven games. His on-base percentage is.609, his slugging average .895.
*Bryan County freshman Tucker Dyson is 4-0 with 42 strikeouts in 19 innings in his team’s 12-1 start, the best start in school history. Senior Dahlson Brown is 2-1 with 32 strikeouts in 18 innings. Junior Jon Dowd is 2-0 with 17 strikeouts in 14 innings. The team’s leading hitter is junior Cam Smith at .462.
*Dublin freshman Kendall Wade is batting .647 (11-for-17) through is team’s first six games and hit safely in all six.
*Fellowship Christian senior pitcher and shortstop Isaac Bouton has a 0.00 ERA through 19 innings and a .533 batting average in his team’s 8-1 start. He shut out St. Francis 7-0 on a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in his most recent appearance. Teammate Kurtis Royalty, a senior, also has not allowed an earned run in his 21 innings. Royalty most recently pitched a seven-inning complete game victory in a 4-1 win over St. Francis. He previously shut out George Walton Academy and the Weber School.
*Grady freshman infielder Chase Stokes is hitting .591 with 14 stolen bases in his team’s 6-2 start. Stokes stole a season-high four bases in a 15-5 victory over Langston Hughes.
*Kendrick senior center fielder Orlando Posey his hitting .722 through his team’s first seven games. He was 5-for-5 with five RBI and four runs scored in a 27-12 victory over Stewart County. Posey also has nine steals on the season.
*Parkview senior lefthander Robert Bennett pitched a four-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and no walks in a 6-0 victory over Lee County last week. Senior lefthander Braden Hays pitched 6.1 innings, allowing four hits and one run and struck out eight in a 5-1 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. Parkview went 3-0 in winning the Georgia Peach Invitational hosted by Parkview and Loganville. Parkview (6-2) was ranked No. 8 in Baseball America’s preseason rankings.
*Pinecrest Academy sophomore Caleb Bohn had five hits, two home runs, a double, seven RBI and three runs scored in a double-header last week against Wesleyan (13-2 win) and Brookstone (11-10 loss). Pinecrest pitcher Patrick O’Rourke pitched 11 innings last week and allowed only one earned run and struck out 11.
*Richmond Hill junior Nick McCollum has not allowed an earned run in 20 innings, although he suffered his first loss Friday against South Effingham when two unearned runs crossed the plate. McCollum had 10 strikeouts in that game. Against Camden County last month, McCollum pitched a no-hitter and struck out 16, allowing only an unearned run in the 3-1 win.
*Stockbridge junior Michael Harris has 22 hits in his team’s first 11 games. He’s 22-for-37 (.595) with three triples, seven doubles and six stolen bases.
*Valdosta pitcher Avery Stephens allowed one hit and no earned runs and struck out 11 in 5.2 innings in a 10-2 victory over Madison County. Stephens has struck out 31 batters and not allowed an earned run in 21 innings this season. He is 4-0, and Valdosta is 9-0.
*West Laurens senior pitcher Nolan Daniel allowed one hit and struck out 14 in a 3-0 victory over Bleckley County last week. In his previous start, Daniel threw a one-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Gainesville. He struck out 15 in that game. Daniel did not allow a walk in either game. Daniel is committed to Tallahassee Community College.
*Westminster sophomore Parks Harber went 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI in his most recent game, an 11-9 victory over Villa Rica. For the season, Harber is hitting .467 with a .733 slugging average and four doubles in five games. Harber was the freshman who had five home runs in the first two games of a first-round playoff series last year against Greater Atlanta Christian. He is committed to Georgia.
*Woodstock pitcher/utility player Ethan Foley was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA through eight innings as a pitcher and batted .364 last week. Woodstock had one-run victories over Pickens, McEachern and Kell last week and improved to 11-0.
Mizuno is a proud sponsor of GHSA Baseball. Based out of metro-Atlanta, Mizuno USA is dedicated to creating the best baseball gear in the world for players at all levels. See the latest lineup of Mizuno baseball gear at www.MizunoUSA.com/baseball.
