WHITSON
HobbsDailyReport.com
GREENSBORO – Lenoir-Rhyne University relief pitcher Landon Whitson is a first-team all-state baseball player, as selected by the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA).
The school announced by press release the selection of Whitson to the first team and second-team selections of outfielder Justin Dean and pitcher John Grigg.
ECKARD
Two other players with local ties were picked for the first-team – redshirt freshman Seth Hartings of UNC Pembroke and senior Jordan Eckard of Pfeiffer. Hartings played prep baseball at Bandys, and Eckard starred at Bunker Hill.
Nominees were submitted by North Carolina sports information professionals and voted on by the NCCSIA members.
Whitson, who played high school baseball at McDowell, was a first-team All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) pick this season. He established a new school single-season record for saves (9) while going 3-1 with a 2.01 earned run average with 42 strikeouts for the Bears (27-22, 13-14).
HARTINGS
Dean, from Mauldin, S.C., and also a first-team All-SAC pick, led the Bears with a .398 batting average, 59 runs scored, 74 hits, 119 total bases and a .640 slugging percentage. He started all 49 games and had six home runs, 36 RBIs, 13 doubles, seven triples year, also totaled six home runs and 36 runs batted in to go along with a team-high 13 doubles, a league-leading seven triples, a .498 on-base percentage and 14 stolen bases.
Grigg, who played prep baseball at Burns, finished 8-3 with a 3.89 earned run average, two complete games, one shutout and 73 strikeouts. He led the SAC in wins and won a league Gold Glove award.
Hartings hit .365 this season, playing in 54 games. He had 11 doubles, seven home runs and 47 RBIs.
Eckard hit .411 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs this season.
N.C. COLLEGIATE SPORTS INFORMATION ASSOCIATION (NCCSA) ALL-STATE
FIRST-TEAM
C—Matt Honeycutt, Jr., Mars Hill
DH—Connor Grainger, RS Fr., UNC Pembroke
INF—Trey Woods, RS Fr., UNC Pembroke
INF—Seth Hartings, RS Soph., UNC Pembroke
INF—Emilio Abreu, Sr., Winston-Salem State
INF—Kirby Lambert, Jr., Pfeiffer
OF—Luke Jackson, Jr., UNC Pembroke
OF—Nate Estes, Jr., Mount Olive
OF—Jordan Eckard, Sr., Pfeiffer
RP—Zach Vennaro, Sr., Mount Olive
RP—Landon Whitson, Sr., LRU
SP—German Reyes, Sr., Mount Olive
SP—Anthony Burke, Sr., UNC Pembroke
SECOND-TEAM
C—Alex Kachler, Soph., Methodist
DH—Trevor Denton, Sr., Guilford
INF—Ethan Baucom, Fr., UNC Pembroke
INF—Derek Perry, Sr., Pfeiffer
INF—McCann Mellett, Soph., Wingate
INF—Josh Shepherd, RS Jr., Guilford
OF—Harry Markotay, Sr., Chowan
OF—Randy Norris, Jr., Winston-Salem State
OF-Justin Dean, Jr., LRU
RP—Alex Rodriguez, Soph., Wingate
RP—Gunner Deal, RS Jr., UNC Pembroke
SP—John Grigg, Soph., LRU
SP—Austin Turgeon, Jr., Wingate