2017 Daily News All-Area baseball selections
Published 2:06 pm Monday, June 5, 2017
Beaufort County was treated to some incredible baseball this season. Northside, led by a strong contingent of juniors, collected 19 wins and a second-place finish in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference en route to an appearance in the third round of the state playoffs.
Washington used a deep pitching staff to fight for a conference championship of its own. It came up short against a stout North Johnston team, but the Pam Pack ended up winning its first playoff game since 2009 before being upended by a dominant Edenton club in the second round of the 2-A state playoffs.
Over in Chocowinity, Southside continued its slow build toward becoming a team that can make some noise in the postseason. The Seahawks came up short in a handful of key conference games. Even though they’ll lose a solid group of seniors from this year’s team, juniors like Brantley Cutler and Cody Modlin, among others, will lead them moving forward.
Northside has a lot to look forward to, also. The Panthers had the longest season of any team in the area. They’ll graduate four seniors from this team, but will return a core of nine juniors who should pick up where this year’s group left off.
There’s plenty of talent throughout the county that helped make a thrilling spring possible. The Washington Daily News would like to honor the following baseball standouts.
FIRST TEAM
PARKER BOYD, FIRST BASE, NORTHSIDE
Parker Boyd was the most consistent first baseman in Beaufort County in 2017. He sported a pristine .987 fielding percentage and carried himself at the plate with a team-high .371 batting average. Boyd also earned a win in his five appearances on the mound.
FREDERICK HOLSCHER, SECOND BASE, WASHINGTON
Frederick Holscher led Washington with a .329 batting average as the Pam Pack earned its first postseason win since 2009 this year. His four doubles and two triples put him in second on the team in extra-base hits. Holscher was an interchangeable piece in the infield and was used sparingly as a relief pitcher, too.
REG BISHOP, SHORTSTOP, NORTHSIDE
Reg Bishop made plenty of plays in the field, on the mound and at the plate for Northside. He let some balls get by him at shortstop, but also made some of the biggest highlight-reel plays in the county. He turned five double plays. He also batted .311, which was second-best among Panther starters, stole 15 bases, and had a 1.20 ERA in seven appearances.
TANNER ALLIGOOD, THIRD BASE, NORTHSIDE
Tanner Alligood chipped in just about anywhere for Northside this season. He batted at a modest .278 average with four extra-base knocks. He was also involved in a three-way tie for team best in stolen bases (15). On the mound, Alligood made 11 appearances, nine of which were in relief, and posted a 2.37 ERA with five wins.
BRANTLEY CUTLER, OUTFIELD, SOUTHSIDE
Brantley Cutler was Beaufort County’s best hitter this season. His .444 average was best among the area’s NCHSAA schools and second in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference. His .555 slugging percentage was best in the league. He sported a 2-0 record in 11 pitching appearances, too.
MATT BLACK, OUTFIELD, WASHINGTON
Washington’s speedster Matt Black had a phenomenal season in centerfield. He finished the Pam Pack’s campaign with a .970 fielding percentage manning the middle of the outfield. On the basepaths, he led Washington with 16 swiped bags. He batted .294 and his .443 on-base percentage led the team.
JAMES BARROW, OUTFIELD, NORTHSIDE
Another speedy player, James Barrow was also a threat every time he reached base. He had 15 stolen bases. He made some flashy plays in the outfield to rob opposing players of hits. Barrow was one of Northside’s leaders, too, as one of its four seniors.
HUNTER SPARKS, CATCHER, SOUTHSIDE
Hunter Sparks’ .312 ranked second among the Seahawks this season, and he batted in a team-high 23 runs in 23 games. He shined most behind the plate, though. He developed chemistry with pitchers Paul Radford, Cody Modlin, Marshall Medlock, Dahlton O’Neal and Cutler, who was a newcomer to Southside.
TRIPP BARFIELD, PITCHER, WASHINGTON
Tripp Barfield was Beaufort County’s most dominant pitcher this season. The Pam Pack senior and UNC-Asheville commit threw the second-most innings in the area (55 1/3), posting a 7-1 record and 1.14 ERA. His 58 strikeouts ranked second in the county.
SECOND TEAM
ZACK GRIFFIN, NORTHSIDE
DREW FERGUSON, WASHINGTON
ETHAN COSENTINO, NORTHSIDE
COOPER ANDERSON, WASHINGTON
ZACH WOOLARD, NORTHSIDE
AUSTIN ROSCOE, TERRA CEIA
MARSHALL MEDLOCK, SOUTHSIDE
CODY MODLIN, SOUTHSIDE
CHRIS SULC, WASHINGTON
HONORABLE MENTIONS
CODY GODLEY, WASHINGTON
PAUL RADFORD, SOUTHSIDE
TYLER HENDRIX, TERRA CEIA
MATTHEW MARSLENDER, NORTHSIDE
JONATHAN LANGLEY, PUNGO
CODY MODLIN, SOUTHSIDE
TYLER HARRELL, WASHINGTON
DEMETRIUS EBRON, SOUTHSIDE
QUENTIN VAN ESSENDELFT, TERRA CEIA
GRANT TALBOT, NORTHSIDE
DAHLTON O’NEAL, SOUTHSIDE
LOGAN LITTLE, WASHINGTON
GRANT JENSEN, SOUTHSIDE
BEN SIMMONS, PUNGO