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2023 Baseball Preview

March 3, 2023, 9:59 am | by Tim Hower

 

Storylines to watch

Plenty of pitching

The Mideastern Conference has no shortage of dominant pitchers, so runs will likely be hard to come by.

New Hanover returns both starters from last year’s team that finished 20-5 overall and 11-3 in league play, which is a major reason why they earned the No. 1 spot in the Preseason Coastal Preps Power Rankings. 

UNC Greensboro signee Sean Smith had a 0.99 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings, while UNCW signee Bromley Thornton had a 1.35 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings.

Hoggard finished one game behind the Wildcats and MEC champion South Brunswick a season ago. Despite losing ace Ben Whitehurst to graduation, the Vikings return seniors Brody Sumner (6-1, 2.12 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 43 innings) and Tucker Bowyer (3-3, 1.68 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 25 innings).

Juniors Chase Buscher and Coleton Norris will see their roles increase, while classmate Tyler Jumper was impressive in his varsity debut.

Southpaw Cam Jernigan of Ashley is hoping to repeat his success of 2022. Jernigan had a 1.88 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 41 innings. Sophomores Cane Mehling and Cole Barnes along with senior Xander Davis provide coach Ben Stroehl with several options for the No. 2 spot.

Despite finishing sixth in the final standings, Topsail made the deepest run of any MEC team in the 4A playoffs by reaching the fourth round.

Jackson Moore has the most experience after logging 32 1/3 innings as a junior. Davidson signee Cooper Cavanaugh missed nearly the entire season with an injury, but he looks primed to have a big year. The Pirates also have one of the top freshmen in the state in Rhett Britt, who typically sits in the mid-80s with his fastball.

Laney’s pitching staff should get a big boost with the hiring of Justin Bradley, who outpitched Madison Bumgarner in Game 1 of the 2007 4A State Championship Series while competing at Ashley. Bradley went on to have a terrific career at UNCW. 

Seniors Grant Pyrtle (2.52 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 64 innings) and Ryan Sproull (1.25 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings) give the Buccaneers a solid 1-2 combo.

South Brunswick reached the 3A State Championship Series in 2022 thanks in large part to the dominance of starters Aubrey Smith (now at UNCW) and Cameron Burgess (now at ECU), who combined to pitch 131 1/3 of the team’s 191 innings.

First-year coach Chris Sotriffer is going to need seniors Banks Hartman (3.85 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 innings) and Jordan Daniels (0.95 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings) to step up. 

Six pitchers threw at least 16 innings for North Brunswick a season ago and three of them return. Caden Cook went 5-3 with a 3.61 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings as a junior. Fellow lefty Cody Callahan averaged more than 13 strikeouts per seven inning by recording 41 in his 21 2/3 innings. 

Junior B.D. Lanier (1.26 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings) and freshman Dylan Stacks are two other pitchers who will see plenty of time on the mound.

West Brunswick managed only one conference win last year, but pitching wasn’t the issue. Zach Steagall had a 2.37 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. He is the unquestioned ace of the staff.

More postseason success?

Several members of the Trask roster have been instrumental in guiding the school to several impressive postseason runs over the past 10 months. 

It all started with baseball last May when the Titans advanced to the fourth round of the 2A playoffs despite being seeded No. 30 in a 32-team bracket.

That success carried into the fall, where Trask won at home in the playoffs for the first time in school history. The basketball team just wrapped up a fantastic season in which it went 24-5 and reached the third round for the first time since 2016.

O’Mariyan Ennis and Isaac Turner have been key members of all three teams. Brandon Bannerman transferred in from SW Onslow for his senior season and made immediate impacts in football and basketball. He should have a big season on the diamond as well.

Is there a better player in the country?

Southeastern N.C. has had two players selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft since 2017, and there will most likely be another name added to the list in June.

Whiteville left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore was selected by the San Diego Padres with the No. 3 overall pick in 2017. He made his MLB debut in April, but was traded to the Washington Nationals in a blockbuster deal in August. 

In 2019, another southpaw saw his stock rise with a dominant final high school season. The Arizona Diamondbacks took New Hanover’s Blake Walston with pick No. 26 and he’s now considered one of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues.

While the draft is still several months away, there is a very good chance South Brunswick standout Walker Jenkins will hear his name called early in the first round.

MLB.com lists Jenkins as the seventh best draft prospect and No. 2 among high school players. There is a chance he could join Gore with the Nationals, who have the second pick.

Jenkins was named the N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after hitting .527 with 13 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 18 stolen bases, 40 RBI and 49 runs scored in 30 games.