Who should we be following for the 2007 season

McLamb

Jonathan McLamb , W. Johnston HS ...... catcher & pitcher, HR hitter

 

well from the GREENSBORO area - not to be confused with the Winston Salem area there are three players from Ragsdale that will be stars next year.

Jason Wallace - left fielder no stats available but he has a sweet swing and can really hit the ball

Catlin Carter - RHP, SS - stats heading into the championship series with Conley were a .351 BA, 34 hits, 27 RBIs. From the mound he was 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA with 81 Ks and 26 BBs. He took the loss against Conley in game three but did it giving up 2 hits and 2 runs on sac flies.

Brent O'Berry - 1B, RF. This lefty led the Tigers in hitting at .396 BA with 36 hits and 22 RBIs.

All three play for the Dirtbags 17 team and will be the core of next years Ragsdale team looking to return to the state championship series.

 

Has anyone got any information on a kid named Austin Blake. He is out of the Winston Salem area and is a rising freshman.

 

Blake

i played jr. legion ball with Austin this summer. the kid has a lot of promise. hitting is his strong suit. doesn't hit the ball on the ground much but is a doubles machine. im not sure he's ready for varsity level pitching, but he definitely has the tools. however, his glove leaves a lot to be desired. he has limited range at short and he has pretty slow hands when turning double plays. he's probably more suited to play the outfield because he has a pretty strong arm. he's going to reagan next year

 

blake

I had the pleasure of watching this kid play over the summer and he brings alot to the table. He has a very strong arm with versatility and range on the infield. He also has the tools on the mond and carrys a strong stick with power to all sides of the field. He has good speed and is mentally and physically capable of competting at higher levels. This kid is the real deal and will be an asset to his high school program.

 

I'll agree with the folks who have posted about the W-S area...but here's a name that might make some noise this year...East Forsyth Catcher and younger brother of Kenny Swab...Robby Swab. Kid was brought up last year and took his brother's spot on the varsity as the catcher. Kid called pretty much every game up there. And another thing, he has an idea at the plate..inside out sweet lefty swing and always wants to get better and is never satisfied with success. I'm not 100% sure but I believe he hit around 400 last year on the varsity....but that's just my 2 cents worth

 

I agree...the kid has the skills to play the game, but what impresses me the most with lil swab is his ability to call a game.....the kid knows tendency's as well as how to get batters out......

Me personally have not pitched to a better catcher in my entire LIFE!!!

 

Derek Boliek and Greg Baker

Derek Boliek from Hickory High School is one of the best leadoff hitters I have seen. He hit .465 last year, but the most impressive stat was on base percentage. OBP was .697 and once he got on, he ran, ran, ran. Ended the season with 19/19 on stolen bases even after missing 5 games due to surgery and having a severely hurt ankle. Also has power, hit 4 home runs last year. Only struck out 2 times all of last year, so he will always put the ball in play. Made only 1 error last season, and made some plays that I thought were for sure a base hit. Great player, great kid, reminds me of David Eckstein when it comes to hustle-1st one off the field, 1st one on the field, sprints down the line on a comebacker to the pitcher, or pop up tp 1st...never stops hustling.

Greg Baker from Hickory High is another player to watch. Had only 3 passed balls last season behind the plate. Under or at a 2.00 pop time consistently. Also can swing the bat, he hit .385 for Hickory last season. Greg is a wall behind the plate and I know all of his pitchers appreciate that.

 

Boliek is the first on my list of players that have not signed. The kid is an awesome player

 

Comprehensive list!! I have seen most of those guys at one point or another this year.

Parker from Glenn has a lot of potential up the middle at the next level especially as he gets stronger over the next couple of years. Three years as Glenn's starting shortstop will get him plenty of reps and accustomed to the pressure of playing in that spot.

Hanover is one of the most fundamentally intense players you'll see. And he has 2 more years to improve!?! East Forsyth may have to redo his contract to keep him from leaving.

Bradshaw has multiple baseball tools but also has football dividing his attention. He can run around in center and on the bases. His hitting was his only question mark and it seemed as if he got that straightened out this spring and summer. He and Jon Ray who I know is a hard worker and I believe will have a chance to play somewhere next year will be Parkland's senior leaders.

An additional name from Parkland would be Blake Hassebrock on the mound. Has topped out in the mid to upper 80's this summer so far for the Dirtbags and sports a fancy 12-6 curve as his out pitch. Because of a tough personal situation sorta out of his control, he is headed back to SW Guilford for his senior year where he should anchor Coach Holmes' staff.