April Round-Up
By: Austin Alexander-May 1, 2006
Plenty of Spring Break and Easter tournaments along with playoff baseball blanketed South Carolina in April. A busy month involving plenty of quality hardball was on display and you caught it here first on the new and improved TheDiamondProspects.com. Diamond Prospects crunches the numbers and breaks down some of the highlights.
Diamond Prospects Statistics:
Teams covered-56
High School games seen-32
College games seen-6
Fields-27
Rainouts-1
Miles traveled-4,179
Pitchers serving as cut-off man-6
Coaches without rosters-25
Coaches with cell phones clipped to their belt-4
Coaches who gave us a line-up card instead of a roster then asked for it back after the game started because the press box needed a copy-2
Hitters “rung up” by an umpire on strike two-2
Total hits on www.TheDiamondProspects.com-213,946
Top 5 hits on DP-1) Palmetto Prospects-2956, 2) Player Profiles-2372, 3) Diamond Rankings-1790, 4) High School Links-1446, 5) Commitments-1378
College coaches with DP accounts-50
Area scouts with DP accounts-19
DP Fast Facts:
Quickest game: Union versus Greer, 1:33
Best game: Eastside 7 AC Flora 5 in Round 2 of the AAA District Playoffs
Best comeback: AC Flora versus Eastside. Trailing 7-1, the Falcons pulled to within two only to leave the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
Weirdest play: With a runner at second and one out, a medium-range fly ball was hit to centerfield. As the out was recorded, the baserunner bluffed tagging up and advancing to third. As the throw reached the infield, the shortstop relayed it to third and the ball went 25 feet above the third base dugout. The runner, who was nearly within arm’s length of the shortstop at the time of the throw, was awarded home.
Most exciting play: Catcher Nate Horton (Byrnes) legging out an inside the park homerun at Riverside High School.
Best home to first time: Billy Jennings (Union HS) 3.78 on a bunt
Best home to first time (turn): N/A
Best pop time: Jeffrey Campbell (Boiling Springs) 1.85 in between innings
Longest homerun: Jonathon Sharpe (Conway HS)
Shortest hang time on a homerun: Brian Fogle (Lexington) 2.3 seconds
Best defensive play: 1) Timmy Taylor (CF, Spring Valley HS) As heavy wind pushed Sam Mahoney’s (Wando HS) line drive toward left-center, Taylor’s diving circus catch ended the inning. 2) Nils Shirley (CF, Hartsville HS) A diving grab coming straight in on a sinking line drive to centerfield. 3) Hunter West (C, Dorman HS) A running dive in foul ground on a popped up bunt with the bases loaded.
Tallest player: Case Stiglbauer (Dreher HS) 6’8”
Shortest player: Andy Atwood (Greenville HS) 5’2”
Best pitcher’s duel: Sumter 2 Fort Dorchester 0, Tyler Cappleman vs Mark Henderson
Most dominant pitching performance: Justin Hopper, one-hit shutout in the Southeastern Classic
Hardest fastball: Keith Campbell (Eastside HS) 91 MPH, Richard Magrath (Conway HS) 90 MPH
Best baseball name: (tie) Konstantine Diamaduros, Brooks Robinson, Dusty Baker, Chipper Daniels, Pierce Labrador
Cleanest round of pre-game: Gaffney, Lexington
Top Fungo Guy: Right-handed-Tommy Petty (Union HS), Left-handed-Jeff Osment (Gaffney HS)
Best Dressed Evaluator: Marlin McPhail (New York Mets)
Attendance Award-Scout: Gary Randall (MLB Bureau)
Attendance Award-College: Matt Williams (Spartanburg Methodist)
Best Catcher’s Pop-up: Jeff Osment (Gaffney), Derek Urquhart (South Florence)
Best Argument with an Umpire: Brooks Shumake (Sumter HS)
Best line from a mom in the bleachers: (tie)“Shake that bat and bust that ball” and on a mound visit, “Why don’t ya’ll just have a picnic then?”
Longest National Anthem: Carolina Forest
Best Playing Surface: North Myrtle Beach, Aynor
Best pre-game tunes: College of Charleston