Benton voted onto Region 7-2A first team
The Gordon Central High School baseball team made serious progress this year, winning a couple of games after two years without any.
And that step-up in play got the Region 7-2A coaches’ attention with five players being mentioned on this year’s AllRegion team.
That outstanding quintet was led by senior infielder/pitcher Harrison Benton, who was named to the 7-2A first team and has been an outstanding player for the Warriors for the past three years — the shortened 2020 season not withstanding.
Benton was quietly consistent in the field and at the plate, leading the Warriors in hitting and in on base percentage and increasingly, during his high school career, became a tough out for any opposing pitcher.
In the field, he was a rock defensively and definitely one of the top fielders in Northwest Georgia.
Altogether, the seven-team Region had 21 players named to the first team and the selections were broken down by position with four pitchers, five infielders, three outfielders, three utility players, two pitcher/infielders, two catchers, a designated hitter and a
pitcher/outfielder all earning a first team vote.
Model, which was the Region 7-2A champ and finished the year with 28 wins, and Pepperell, which was third in the league, had the most All-Region first teamers with five apiece. Coosa, which was second in the
league and finished with 22 wins themselves, had four.
Fannin County had three on the 7-2A elite team while Dade County had two and Gordon Central and Chattooga, which for some reason did not play each other, had one apiece.
Model did earn three of the
Region’s specialty awards with Davis Chastain the league’s Player of the Year while Jack Armstrong was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Blue Devils’ manager Brandon Patch was the Coach of the Year.
In the other special recognition awards, Cody King of Coosa was named the Pitcher of the Year, Brodie Swader of Dade County was the Region’s Offensive Player of the Year and Pepperell’s Kolby Davis was the other Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
There were 20 baseball players named to the Region 7-2A second team and they were also broken down by position. Six infielders, six outfielders, three pitchers, two catchers, two utility players, and one designated hitter were assigned to the second group.
Coosa had the most players with four, basically putting the Eagles’ entire starting lineup on the All-Region list with either a first or second team placement. Pepperell and Model each had four on the second team, making them another pair of ballclubs with all their starters earning All-Region status.
Dade County and Fannin County each had three second team All-Region players and Chattooga had one.
Gordon Central cleaned up in the honorable mention category and the four players the Warriors had on that list are underclassmen who will be back for head coach Austin Norell next year.
Sophomore catcher Peyton Chastain, junior outfielder Skylar Hill, junior infielder Dakota Mulkey, and sophomore outfielder Seth Haygood were the Warriors’ player who received honorable mention.
A total of 13 players earned that listing and Gordon Central had the most with four players.
Fannin County and Dade County had three ballplayers on the honorable mention list while Model, Pepperell, and Chattooga had one apiece.