TABOR CITY – Five Bladen players – seniors Zach Meares, Lefredrick Wooten, Brady Hollingsworth and Jacob Priest from East Bladen and West Bladen junior Devon Strange – have been named to the All-Three Rivers Conference baseball team.
Meares was named the TRC Player of the Year in addition to his All-Conference honors.
Wooten batted .368 and led the team in hits (21), doubles (6) and triples (4). He also scored 17 runs and drove in 12 runs. In the Eagles 6-1 opening round playoff victory over Croatan, Wooten hammered a triple and a double and batted 3-3 with 3 runs batten in.
On the mound Wooten struck out 42 batters in 32.2 innings and had a 3.00 earned run average. Against eventual state champion Randleman, Wooten struck out 12 batters including 8 in a row. He also picked up the win over North Pitt in the second round of the playoffs.
Hollingsworth batted .311 with a team-high 15 RBIs, 14 hits, 3 doubles and a home run. His 2-run single tied the Eastern Championship game against Randleman. Hollingsworth slugged a 2-run homer, drove in 3 runs and scored twice against Terry Sanford.
Priest led the Eagle hitters with a .389 batting average and 21 hits The first baseman scored 13 runs and drove in 10. Priest cracked 2 hits in the conference opening win over Whiteville and had 2 hits and an RBI in the playoff win over North Pitt. He drove in 2 runs with 2 hits in a 12-3 win over South Columbus.
Strange topped the West Bladen hitters with a .333 average, 16 runs, 13 hits, 3 doubles and 7 stolen bases. He knocked in 3 runs with 2 singles and a double as the Knights rallied for a 16-14 win over St. Pauls.
Receiving All-TRC Honorable Mention for the Eagles were: senior Drew Sholar (.292 average, 13 runs, 13 RBIs); senior Rasean McKoy (.365 average, 19 hits, 13 runs, 12 RBIs, team-high 13 stolen bases); junior Raymond Autry (.275 average, 8 RBIs).
Other Eagles receiving Honorable Mention were: junior Ethan Johnson (team-high 23 runs, tripled and scored game-winning run in season-opening 5-4 win over Whiteville); senior Tyler Hill (8 runs, .318 on-base percentage).
Receiving All-TRC Honorable Mention from West Bladen were; junior Bryley Williams (.303 batting average, 10 runs, allowed only 2 runs in 6.1 innings of relief pitching in final win over South Columbus); junior Brycen Blackmon (.258 average, team-high 11 RBIs, walloped 3-run triples in wins over West Columbus and South Columbus).
https://bladencounty.org/grant-pait-named-three-rivers-baseball-co-coach-of-the-year/
https://bladencounty.org/zach-meares-named-three-rivers-conference-baseball-player-of-the-year/
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