Coastal Preps Spring 2024 Midseason Award Nominees

April 6, 2024, 6:35 pm | by Tim Hower

We’ve reached the midway point of the season in baseball, softball and girls soccer and numerous area players and coaches are off to a fantastic start. It’s now up to you to decide the best of the best in several categories.

A link to vote for the honors is at at the bottom of the post. Voting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 and results will be posted the following day.

***Stats are updated through April 5***

VOTE HERE

BASEBALL

Offensive Player of the Year

Junior shortstop Quinn Bentley, Ashley: The N.C. State commit is hitting .615 (24-for-39) with an on-base percentage of .732. He has eight doubles, two triples, one home run, seven stolen bases, 16 RBI and 20 runs scored.

Junior second baseman/pitcher Walker Sullivan, South Columbus: Has been a force at the plate for the Stallions with a batting average of .615 (24-for-39) and an on-base percentage of .667. Sullivan has seven doubles, three triples, 10 stolen bases, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Senior center fielder J.T. Todd, Whiteville: Todd is hitting .568 (21-for-37) with a .667 on-base percentage thanks in large part to 10 walks. He has three doubles, one triple, eight stolen bases, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.

Senior right fielder/pitcher Luke Vargo, Hoggard: The Vikings have one of the best offenses in the area, and the play of Vargo has been a big reason why. He has a .405 average (17-for-42), .536 on-base percentage, five doubles, one home run, eight stolen bases, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Pitcher of the Year

Junior Cole Barnes, Ashley: The 6-foot-2 righty is the anchor of one of the area’s best staffs. He has a 5-0 record with a 0.60 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Senior Ashton Hammonds, Whiteville: It’s should come as no surprise that a pitcher from Whiteville shows up on this list, as they seem to always have at least standout on the mound. Hammonds is 5-0 with a 0.25 ERA and 41 strikeouts with only four walks in 28 innings.

Senior Coleton Norris, Hoggard: Norris is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA. He has recorded 28 strikeouts in 23 innings of work.

Sophomore Jason Sproull, Laney: The talented youngster has quickly become the Buccaneers’ ace. Sproull is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

Newcomer of the Year

Junior pitcher Drew Shelar, Topsail: In his first season at the varsity level, Shelar has gone 3-0 with a 0.30 ERA. He has allowed one earned run and struck out 14 batters in 23 innings.

Sophomore first baseman/pitcher Camden Croom, New Hanover: The talented young lefty is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with a .469 on-base percentage, five stolen bases, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored. On the mound, Croom has a 2.45 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Freshman center fielder Carston Wedemeyer, Laney: Took over as the leadoff batter seven games into the season and has done a great job setting the tone with a .389 average (7-for-18) and .500 on-base percentage. He has six stolen bases, five RBI and nine run scored.

Coach of the Year

Turner Brown, Whiteville: The former Wolfpack and ECU standout has his team off to an 11-1 start, which is two wins shy of last season. Whiteville is averaging 8.6 runs per game and allowing just 2.6.

Ben Stroehl, Ashley: After finishing 11-13 overall and 6-8 in the Mideastern Conference in 2023, Stroehl has already guided the Screaming Eagles to 12 victories through 14 games this season. Ashley has outscored its opponents 113-25.

Bryan Tuck, Hoggard: The first-year coach inherited a senior-laded team, and together they’ve met expectations with a 13-2 record. The Vikings are hitting .300 and have a 1.62 ERA.

SOFTBALL

Offensive Player of the Year

Junior shortstop Layla Carr, Laney: Arguably the fastest player in the area, Carr has been an on-base machine (.636) for the first-place Buccaneers. She’s hitting .500 (16-for-32) with one double, one triple, two home runs, 20 stolen bases, 11 RBI and 21 runs scored.

Junior pitcher Macey Ciamillo, Hoggard: The reigning Coastal Preps Offensive Player of the Year is once again showing why she’s such a feared hitter with a .480 average (12-for-25) and a .618 on-base percentage. She has one triple, six home runs, 13 RBI and 17 runs scored.

Sophomore shortstop Lauren Hall, Trask: Hall was recently named a Coastal Preps Girls Co-Wrestler of the Year after claiming a state title, but she also excels on the softball field. The sophomore is hitting .633 (19-for-30) with nine doubles, one triple, one home run, 17 RBI and 15 runs scored.

Sophomore center fielder Charleigh Rivenbark, Pender: Leads all area players with a .688 batting average (22-for-32) and a .722 on-base percentage. Rivenbark has five doubles, three triples, four home runs, 15 RBI and 20 runs scored.

Pitcher of the Year

Senior Mackenzi Curry, Laney: In her first season as Laney’s full-time pitcher, Curry has gone 9-0 with a 0.45 ERA. She has 85 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 62 innings.

Junior Kina Davis, South Brunswick: The Charlotte commit not only overpowers most opponents she faces, but she also has pinpoint control. She is 7-2 with a 0.56 ERA and 128 strikeouts with only eight walks in 62 2/3 innings.

Senior Kennedy Sloan, Topsail: Sloan helped lead the Pirates to the 4A East Regional Championship Series a season ago, and she’s been great so far this year. The senior is 6-3 with a 1.52 ERA and 89 strikeouts with just 16 walks in 60 innings.

Newcomer of the Year

Freshman pitcher Gracie Coyle, East Columbus: In addition to handling pitching duties for the Gators, Coyle has been one of the team’s best hitters. She has a .577 average (15-for-26) with a .633 one-base percentage to go along with three doubles, three home runs, four stolen bases, 12 RBI and five runs scored.

Freshman utility Adrianna Gomez, North Brunswick: Gomez has played in the infield, outfield and behind the plate in her first season the Scorpions. From the leadoff spot in the batting order, she’s hitting .389 (14-for-36) with a .488 on-base percentage, six doubles, five RBI and nine runs scored.

Freshman second baseman Carly Krueger, Laney: Has excelled in her debut season by hitting .385 (10-for-26) with a .553 on-base percentage. Krueger has two doubles, one triple, nine RBI and nine runs scored.

Sophomore second baseman Riley Trimble, Topsail: Trimble had big shoes to fill by taking over at second base for Zoey Vincent, who hit .533 during her illustrious career. The youngster has done an outstanding job with a .398 average (11-for-28), .533 on-base percentage, four doubles, eight RBI and 11 runs scored.

Coach of the Year

Cathy Claris, Trask: Claris took over the program last spring and guided the Titans to a 12-7 record, which was the first winning season since 2016. Trask is 8-1 this year and has outscored its opponents 101-25.

James Pierce, South Brunswick: After tying for the Mideastern Conference title in 2023, the Cougars are right in thick of things again. They currently boast an overall record of 11-2 and are 5-1 in the conference, with their only loss coming by a score of 1-0 in an 11-inning battle vs. Laney.

Bradley Rhodes, Laney: The Buccaneers are in sole possession of first-place in the strong Mideastern Conference with a 10-1 overall record and 6-0 league mark. Laney is hitting .343 with a 0.79 ERA.

GIRLS SOCCER

Offensive Player of the Year

Junior forward Olivia Duleba, Laney: Duleba has scored six goals and handed out a team-high seven assists to help the Buccaneers get off to an impressive 6-1-1 start.

Junior forward Ellis Kelly, Hoggard: Leads all area players with 18 goals to go along with eight assists. The Memphis commit has scored at least once in eight of nine matches.

Senior midfielder Cassidy Oldham, South Brunswick: Oldham has been one of the area’s top players for four years. Through six matches, the Presbyterian signee has scored eight goals and dished out five assists.

Junior forward Karina Peat, Ashley: The reigning Coastal Preps Co-Offensive Player of the Year has scored nine goals and dished out eight assists for the unbeaten Screaming Eagles.

Defensive Player of the Year

Senior defender Maggie Roepke, Ashley: The Temple signee is the anchor of one of the best defenses in the entire state. Ashley has allowed just six goals through nine matches.

Freshman goalkeeper Naomi Shanewise, Cape Fear Academy: Shanewise is allowing just 1.14 goals per match and has made 40 saves for the Hurricanes, who have a record of 7-1.

Junior goalkeeper Morgan Tucker, Ashley: Has allowed only three goals in 420 minutes. Over that time, Tucker has made 25 saves.

Newcomer of the Year

Freshman forward Meryn Deutsch, South Brunswick: The multi-sport standout opened her career with a hat trick. She’s scored 13 goals and handed out a pair of assists on the season.

Freshman forward Paige Everett, Coastal Christian: Everett leads the Centurions in points with 20 thanks to eight goals and four assists.

Freshman forward Nayeli Sanchez, Trask: Leads all area freshman with 15 goals. Sanchez already has four hat tricks.

Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Venditti, Laney: Venditti has been terrific, allowing just 1.20 goals per match. She has saved 34 of the 40 shots she’s faced.

Coach of the Year

Brandon Batson, Topsail: The former Topsail standout helped led the boys program to the 1A state title in 2008 as a player. Now, he’s the coach of the girls team that is 8-1-1 and has outscored its opponents 40-3.

Erik Graf, Ashley: After guiding the Screaming Eagles to a first-ever berth in the 4A state championship match last spring, Graf has his team in great position to get back. Ashley is 8-0-1 with 43 goals and just six goals against.

Meade McFarlane, Cape Fear Academy: Despite boasting one of the youngest rosters in the area, the Hurricanes are off to a 7-1 start. All 28 goals have been scored by underclassmen.