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Jake Johnson had a team-high .388 batting average during his senior season. (Photo/Mark Turner)
The 7-AAA All-Region team was announced this week, and the White County Warriors had five players named to the squad.
WCHS seniors Jake Johnson and Dylan Sargent, juniors Nate Bray and Mark Daniel, and sophomore Ryan Fowler were all selected to the All-Region team, which picked by the coaches from the eight schools in the region.
North Hall, the 7-AAA regular season champions, dominated the top awards. North Hall's Jaret Bales was named the Player of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year, while Jace Bowen shared the Hitter of the Year award with Cherokee Bluff's Bryce England. North Hall's Trevor Flow was named Coach of the Year.
For the Warriors, Johnson, Bray, and Daniels were all named to the first team, while Sargent and Fowler were second team selections.
Johnson, who manned center field, capped off his high school career with stellar senior season. He led the Warriors with a .388 batting average, and was second on the team with 33 hits. He had nine doubles and a triple, and drove in a team-high 33 runs. He scored 27 runs and had a .55 on base percentage.
On the mound, he worked 41.2 innings, earning three wins. He finished with a 3.52 earned run average and a 1.15 WHIP, with 36 strikeouts.
Daniels became one of the Warriors' top pitchers this spring, earning four wins and logging a team-high 49.2 innings. He struck out 41 and had a 2.25 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.
At the plate, Daniels, who played third base when not pitching, finished with a .350 batting average and a .424 OBP. He had five doubles among his 28 hits and drove in 21 runs and scored 18 times.
Bray, a first baseman, posted a .356 batting average and had .426 OBP. Bray had a team-high 36 hits, including leading the team with 12 doubles and four home runs. He was second on the team with 29 RBI, and scored 19 runs.
The Warrior trio was joined on the first team by North Hall's Tate Brooks, Luke Erickson, Ajay Jones, and Hunter Brooks; Cherokee Bluff's Caleb Miele, Jacob Vokal, Caleb Piland, Kaden Thompson, Brett House, Ty Corbin, and Lucas Tritt; Dawson County's Nick Mullinax and Brandon Cramer; East Forsyth's Logan Pedretti and Trey Farr; Gilmer County's Blake Zabala; and West Hall's Nick Strum.
Sargent and Fowler were both second team members for the Warriors.
Sargent was another two-way standout for the Warriors. On the mound, Sargent totaled 39.1 innings, picking up two wins and two saves. He had a 2.31 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.
When he wasn't on the mound, Sargent was the team's primary catcher and also saw time at shortstop and third base.
Sargent posted a .319 batting average and a .439 OBP. He had 30 hits, including eight doubles and a home run. He drove in 17 runs and scored 13 times.
Fowler stepped into the shortstop role this spring and was the Warriors' leadoff hitter. He hit .302 with a .455 OBP.
Fowler had 26 hits, with two doubles and two home runs, and walked 10 times and was hit by pitch 14 times. He drove in 11 runs and scored a team-high 29 times.
Also named to the second team were East Forsyth's Blake Riley, Lucas Kniola, Will Moffitt, and Wyatt Barden, West Hall's Justin Shaffer, Michael Gaddy, and Ryan Svetz, Gilmer County's Grant Cochran, North Hall's Baker Dyer, Cherokee Bluff's Tucker Holton, and Dawson County's Luke Mulberry.
Members of theAll-Region honorable mention list are Lumpkin County's Will Mincey and Cooper Scott; Cherokee Bluff's Landon Kemp and Ben Crumpton; Gilmer County's Seth Darling and Austin Zabala; Dawson County's Andrew Burt and Colton Rucker; North Hall's Landon Lee; West Hall's Matthew Griffin; and East Forsyth's Matthew Lyons.