There’s a handful of high school baseball players who have made the biggest impact with their team this season.
It should come as no surprise most of these guys play on programs that will be in the playoffs in two weeks. Here’s a list of the top-five area players during the regular season in no particular order.
1. Brett Armour, Lakeview Academy: No player in the area has been hotter at the tail end of the regular season than the Lions’ catcher. He’s been on a power surge with eight home runs in the past nine games.
He’s done a good job setting the table for Lakeview’s cleanup hitter and ace pitcher Ralston Cash. Armour is hitting .456 with 13 home runs, 44 RBIs and 31 hits this season.
2. James Wilson, Flowery Branch: The newcomer from Florida quickly became a constant for Flowery Branch’s offense with a .536 average, 36 hits and 34 RBI’s this season.
3. K.J. McAllister, North Hall: One of the top lead-off hitters in the area, McAllister hits for average (.466), power (six home runs) and 31 runs batted in. He also draws a high number of walks (21). One of his best qualities is his ability to put the ball in play with two strikes. On Monday, with two strikes and two outs he drove in two runs with an RBI double against Gainesville.
4. Devin Dunson, Lumpkin County: Dunson is one of the main reasons that Lumpkin County is in the running for the first region title in school history. Dunson had a grand slam Tuesday night for the Indians in a come-from-behind victory against Creekview. With one week to go in the regular season, Dunson is hitting .492 with five home runs and 34 RBIs.
5. Ralston Cash, Lakeview Academy: He’s easily the most dominant pitcher in the area this season. Cash has a fastball that’s been clocked in the low 90s and good off-speed stuff that keeps hitters guessing. Cash is 6-0 this season with a 0.93 ERA and only allowed 13 hits in 37 Ã innings. He’s also got 53 strikeouts and only allowed 15 walks.
Riding high
Jefferson (16-2, 11-1 Region 8-AA) is on a five-game winning streak heading into its matchup against Rabun County in the Region 8-AA tournament at 4:30 p.m. today in Jefferson. The Dragons play at 1 p.m. Saturday if a third game is necessary.
Third-seeded Riverside Military (7-10, 6-6) visits No. 2 seed North Oconee at 4 p.m. today in Bogart. Banks County (13-6, 7-5) visits Dawson County (7-9, 6-6) in a three-game series for a playoff spot.