The State’s best: Meet the 2023 Midlands all-area high school baseball team
A look at The State’s Midlands high school baseball players of the year and all-area team and for the 2023 season.
All-Area Baseball Team
—The State’s Player of the Year—
Beau Hollins, River Bluff
—Readers’ choice Player of the Year (Fan vote)—
Nolan Cook, Dreher
—The State’s All-Area Team—
Foster Apple, Chapin: Junior third baseman/pitcher hit . 367 with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Apple also struck out 25 in 21 innings pitched.
Carew Bates, AC Flora: Senior hit .386 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Bates was picked to play in the North-South Select game and signed with College of Charleston.
Charlie Bonds, Richard Winn: Sophomore hit .413 with 8 home runs and 43 RBI. Bonds also was 3-0 on the mound.
Cade Bouknight, Batesburg-Leesville: Senior hit .410 with four home runs and 26 RBIs this season. On the mound, Bouknight was 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched. He was an all-state selection, picked for the North-South game and signed with USC Aiken.
Nolan Cook, Dreher: Senior was 12-3 with a save and 2.28 ERA. Cook struck out 100 batters and opponents hit .201 against him. He signed with Coker College.
BJ Etheridge, Brookland-Cayce: Junior was 5-2 with a 1.60 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 56.2 innings pitched. At the plate, Etheridge hit .344 with 16 RBIs. He was an all-state selection.
Patrick Daniels, Camden: Senior hit .419 with four home runs and 35 RBIs this season. Daniels was an all-state, North-South selection and signed with Spartanburg Methodist.
Cobe Evans, Lugoff-Elgin: Region 5-4A Player of Year hit .419 with two homers, 23 RBIs, nine doubles and 20 stolen bases. Evans was an all-state and North-South game selection and is a Coker signee.
Tyler Floyd, Lexington: The senior hit .468 with nine home runs, 23 RBIs and stole 31 bases. On the mound, Floyd was 2-0 with four saves and a 1.82 ERA. He was all-state, selected for the North-South Select Game and signed with College of Charleston.
Timothy Gambrell, Fairfield Central: Junior hit .483 with 21 RBIs and 11 doubles this season. Gambrell was an all-state selection.
Gabe Herold, Lexington: Senior hit . 349 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and stole 21 bases. Herold was a North-South All-Star selection and signed with Florence-Darlington Tech.
Beau Hollins, River Bluff: Hollins hit .445 with 18 home runs and 47 RBIs and was 4-0 as a pitcher. Hollins was an all-state selection and committed to play at South Carolina.
Landon Knight, Lexington: Senior hit .333 with five home runs, 29 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Knight was a North-South All-Star selection.
Hayden Lake, Mid-Carolina: The senior hit .451 with 32 RBIs this season. Lake was an all-state selection, North-South All-Star selection and signed with USC Sumter.
Macon Leppert, Blythewood: The sophomore hit .368 with four home runs and 33 RBIs this season.
Michael Lindler, Mid Carolina: The senior catcher/first baseman hit .435 with six home runs, 38 RBIs and 11 doubles. Lindler was an all-state selection.
Grant Loggins, AC Flora: Senior was 4-0 with two saves and a 1.54 ERA. He struck out 85, walked just four in 40.2 innings pitched. Loggins was all-state, picked for the North-South Select game and signed with South Carolina.
Ty Marshall, Brookland-Cayce: Senior hit .345 with a home run and 28 RBIs this season. Marshall was an all-state selection, North-South All-Star selection and signed with Clemson.
Jace Martin, Mid-Carolina: Senior was 8-1 with a 1.68 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 50 innings. Martin was all-state, North-South game selection and signed with Newberry.
Walker Mitchell, River Bluff: Senior hit .384 with two home runs and 31 RBIs this season. Mitchell was an all-state selection, picked for the North-South Select game and signed with Coastal Carolina.
Jake Morris, Lugoff-Elgin: Sophomore went 7-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 40.2 innings pitched. Morris was an all-state selection and is committed to Clemson.
Jaiden Myers, Pelion: Senior was 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched. Myers hit .303 with two home runs, 14 RBIs and was selected to play in the North-South All-Star game.
Landon Penfield, Blythewood: Junior was 7-1 with a 1.85 ERA in nine games. At the plate, he hit .391 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. Penfield was an all-state selection and committed to play at College of Charleston.
Thomas Powell, River Bluff: The senior hit .346 with 11 homers and 46 RBIs. As a pitcher, Powell was 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA. He was all-state, North-South Select game selection and signed with South Carolina.
Blaine Redmond, Gray Collegiate: Junior hit .447 with a homer and 23 RBIs. On the mound, he went 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched.
Dylan Richardson, Hammond: The senior hit .458 with six home runs and 29 RBIs. On the mound, Richardson was 5-3 with a 3.58 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. He is signed to play at Coastal Carolina.
Kevin Samonsky, Dutch Fork: Senior hit .494 with two homers and 13 RBIs. Samonsky also had 39 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched and a 2.64 ERA. He was an all-state selection, picked for the North-South Select game and signed with College of Charleston.
Dylan Smith, North Central: Junior hit .384 with a home run and 15 RBIs. Was all-state selection.
Brent Stukes, Gray Collegiate: The senior hit .319 with 25 RBI, 12 stolen bases and seven doubles. On the mound, Stukes was 3-3 with a 2.12 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 56 innings. He was all-state, selected for the North-South Select Game and signed with North Greenville.
Hayden Thomas, Brookland-Cayce: Senior hit .348 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI. On the mound, Thomas was 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 48.2 innings. He was all-state, selected for the North-South Select Game and signed with College of Charleston.
Carson Weathers, Blythewood: Senior hit .386 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. Weathers was a North-South All-Star selection.
Corbin Wright, Airport: Senior hit .338 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Wright was an all-state selection, picked for the North-South Select Game and signed with Coker.
—Honorable Mention—
William Andrews, Ben Lippen; Ben Blackwell, Blythewood; Jackson Burton, Lexington; Logan Busenlehner, Cardinal Newman; Cade Branham, North Central; Rucker Brannon, Hammond; Landon Caulder, Richard Winn; Jacob Chaisson, Richard Winn; Jacob Clark. Mid-Carolina; Mikah Connor, Ben Lippen; Matt Edwards, Gilbert; Matthew Garris, River Bluff; Brice Gillette, Airport; Jacob Hair Swansea; Braydon Hallman, Batesburg-Leesville; Lucas Highberger, Chapin; Connor Hooks, Cardinal Newman; Colton Jones, Spring Valley; Austin Laughlin, Cardinal Newman; Austin Lloyd, Gray Collegiate; Reese Marcum, Lexington; Parker Mergo, Brookland-Cayce; Blair Moore, Mid-Carolina; Matt Moore, Dreher; Josh Raines, Airport, Caden Reeves, Chapin; Sid Shaw, Saluda; Vincent Santostefano, Chapin; Tanner Staton, Brookland-Cayce; Miller Stuck, Richard Winn; Zeb Taylor, Gray Collegiate; Andrew Vaughan, River Bluff; Mason Williams, Lugoff Elgin; Rob Wilson, Richard Winn; Connor Wood, White Knoll
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 5:32 PM.
