dp Staff – Page 2 – Diamond Prospects

A Father’s Day Tribute

By: Austin Alexander – June 20, 2010 To a Baseball Father- A baseball father can be a very special person in the life of a young boy. He can also be the perfect teacher and example to follow as the years pile up. He taught us how to grip a ball and play ‘catch’… the correct way. He taught us how to swing the bat and field a groundball. He taught us how to run the bases hard and read a box score. He taught us how to sort and organize our baseball cards. He taught us how to play ‘pepper’ and ‘500’. He taught us how to act on a baseball field and wear the uniform properly. He taught us how to use two hands and introduced us to eye-black. He taught us how to win and lose with dignity. He has been our catcher, batting practice pitcher, athletic psychologist, umpire and fungo hitter. He has waved us home and held us up at second base too. He gave us his time. He gave us the equipment we needed to play. He gave us encouragement. He also gave us the swift kick in the fanny at the right time. He kept us grounded. He gave us a sense of baseball history. Then he gave us even more time. We’ll never forget all of those mornings, afternoons, evenings and Sundays after church! Thank you for getting cable TV and a VCR to tape games we missed. Thank you for squatting, throwing, teaching and being a pillar of support. So sorry for the three knee surgeries but you are still the best catcher ever! Thank you for your willingness to dodge balls through the L screen, ricocheting off poles and taking bullets off your love handles! Thank you for seldom missing a game, at least the ones in our time zone! We call him dad and we’ve called him coach too. He taught us how to be a man, a dad and a coach… in that order. On this Father’s Day, we salute all of the baseball dad’s across the land! Coach, thank you for your sacrifices, knowledge, influence, patience and passion. Dad, thank you for being my father. -From a Baseball Son

Jones to Chanticleers

On Saturday, 2026 RHP Landen Jones of Strom Thurmond HS made a commitment to play college baseball at Coastal Carolina University.

Stepp to Trailblazers

On Saturday, 2026 LHP Jack Stepp of Wade Hampton HS made a commitment to play college baseball at North Greenville University.

Morden to Fire Ants

Recently, 2025 Dutch Fork UTL/RHP Candler Morden made a commitment to play college baseball at USC Sumter.

Cumbie to Trojans

On Wednesday, 2025 OF Quint Cumbie of Daniel HS made a commitment to play college baseball at Anderson University.

Doubront to Cougars

On Wednesday, 2026 INF/RHP Jose Doubront of P27 Academy made a commitment to play college baseball at The College of Charleston.

Diamond Kings: 2025

DP Note: With the tremendous assistance of High School coaches and Diamond Prospects’ travels this spring, the Diamond Kings team is chosen based on a players final statistics’ combined with his performance in the post-season (if applicable) and overall ability. Also, overall POY’s take into account player’s pitching and hi… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password

Garner to Bearcats

Recently, 2025 JL Mann HS RHP Teddy Garner made a commitment to play baseball at Lander University.

The Bullpen Show – Playoff Round Up +

June 10, 2025 – The Bullpen Show – Playoff Round Up +, Season III, dp Chat 41 (29:48): DP’s Austin Alexander & Gary Asbill cover a ton of ground ranging from championship recaps & the summer showcase to All-DP & the Tripp Rabon Award / Chant’s Up – 23 in a row / Title Saturday / A Family Affair / Summer Showcase – Various Perspectives / Awards Week / What’s Next / Live Now! Click Here On Deck: Catching up in Omaha – CCU’s Matt Williams & Connor Owings! Player Ranks…Stay tuned to DP!

DP All-Academic Team: 2025

By: DP Staff – June 10, 2025 Diamond Prospects is excited to, once again, be able to celebrate the All-Academic Team and award one senior student-athlete as the Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year. At DP we spend much of our time chasing physical tools, but as we do each year, we want to honor these young men that take care of business in the classroom too! Thank you to each high school coach and guidance counselor that nominated players with a premium GPA, SAT/ACT and class rank from their school/team. In 2016 the DP Scholar Athlete of the year award was renamed the Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete Award in honor of Tripp Rabon (pictured) of Summerville. Tripp left us far too soon due to a car accident in December of 2015. He was an amazing young man who left a mark on everyone he came across both on the field and off. His success in the classroom was also well-documented and led DP to name the award after him. In 2023, the Rabon family contacted DP and set up the Inaugural Tripp Rabon Scholarship Fund to honor their son’s memory, our winner is now be the recipient of a $1,000 check for their classwork exploits! Since our first All-Academic Team in 2007, Clemson has received commitments from five Tripp Rabon Scholar Athletes. Furman, South Carolina, The Citadel, Wofford, Newberry and Coastal Carolina are the other schools to have signed recipients of the award in the past. These colleges have focused on not just the best on the field but the brightest off of it. And this year’s Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete is… -DP’s Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year- Diamond Prospects is very excited to announce that Wando’s Corbin Martens is the Tripp Rabon Scholar Athlete of the Year. As a participant at our Pro Day, Palmetto Games and South Atlantic Border Battle, his baseball talents have been previously noted. However, it is Martens’ prowess off the field that warrants distinction here; for starters: GPA 5.133, SAT 1410, ACT 29, Class Rank 14/627. The list of scholarships, awards and clubs is long & distinguished, the following are some of the highlights: Rhodes College – Ralph C. Hon Academic Scholarship, South Carolina Palmetto Fellows Early Award Scholarship, Wando HS Principal’s Award given to one male & one female in the Class of 2025, Charleston School District Board Scholar, AP Academy Advanced studies honor graduate with highest distinction, East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies – Biomedical Science, College Board Advanced Placement Scholarship with distinction, SCHSL Scholar Athlete Award, SCBCA North-South All-Star & 2-time All-Region player…to name a few! Martens was also a member of: National Honor Society, Beta Club, AP Academy, Fellowship of Christian Athletes & Wando Senior Ambassador 2024/25 while spending over 100 hours volunteering during high school career. Martens will be attending and playing baseball at Rhodes College (TN) in the fall. DP congratulates Corbin Martens on winning our prestigious academic award and the $1,000 prize from the Rabon family. Now, it’s time for DP’s unveiling of the entire 2025 All-Academic team. Congratulations to all the deserving players who continue to put hard work in on the diamond, while simultaneously excelling in the classroom. 2025 All-Academic Team Name High School Grad Year GPA SAT ACT Class Rank Easton Keels Byrnes 2025 5.27 1330 28 7/640 Isaac Yarnall Cardinal Newman 2025 5.085 1360 – 8/70 Bryson Cothran Chapman 2026 4.78 – – 27/223 Colton McPeters Chapman 2025 4.58 – – 46/208 Lewis McAlister Chapman 2026 4.74 – – 31/223 John Walter Whisenhunt Christ Church 2025 4.764 1470 – N/A Avery Barnes Clinton 2026 4.30 1200 – 16 Hank Grider Dillon 2026 4.70 – – 12 Ryan Carter Dillon 2025 5.216 – – 1 Cross Jenkinson Dorman 2025 4.78 1190 – 85/827 Logan McGarity Dorman 2026 4.69 1180 – 108/847 Ian Thomas Dorman 2025 4.73 1110 – 90/827 Carson Brock Dorman 2026 4.64 1020 – 112/847 Braiden Vande Steeg Dorman 2026 4.90 1370 – 55/847 Aaron Tolbert Easley 2025 4.552 1110 – 50/376 Jonathan Sonderfan Easley 2025 5.214 1340 34 6/376 Walker Cox Easley 2026 4.846 990 – 18/480 Tucker Meredith Emerald 2025 4.935 1260 – 6 Brady Smith Gaffney 2026 5.133 – 29 3/408 Seth Phillips Gaffney 2026 5.112 1230 – 5/408 Ethan Harvey Gaffney 2026 5.052 – 27 7/408 Bo Moody Georgetown 2025 5.148 1170 – 3/162 Chandler Adams Georgetown 2025 5.167 1040 – 4/165 Blayne Edwards Lake City 2025 5.012 1160 27 1 Hunter Antwine Lake City 2025 3.90 – – 13 David Driggers Lake City 2025 4.60 – – 3 Amari Hanna Lake City 2026 4.06 – – 12 Torrance Wilson Lake City 2025 3.90 – – 12 Kason Herlong Lake View 2025 5.30 1210 – 1 Titus Poore Landrum 2025 4.831 – – 14/112 Grady Zipperer Landrum 2026 4.977 – – 9/117 Mac Raines River Bluff 2026 4.40 1040 – – Kraeton Steppe Swansea 2025 4.473 – 15 11 Jacob Harper Swansea 2025 4.126 1100 – 20 Luke McKitrick Travelers Rest 2025 4.585 1280 – 30 Connor McCorkle Walhalla 2025 4.744 1280 – 27 Jackson Higgs Walhalla 2025 5.07 1460 30 8 Nate Sanchez Walhalla 2025 4.551 1120 – 35 Carson Duncan Walhalla 2025 4.90 1150 – 13 Corbin Martens Wando 2025 5.133 1410 29 14/627 Max Whitmer Wando 2025 4.591 – – 137/627 Brady Gold Wando 2025 4.431 – – 177/627 Jake Jepson Wando 2026 4.74 – – 89/590 Nolan Peacock Wando 2026 4.617 – – 111/590 Matt Ogrzewalla Wando 2026 4.36 – – 182/590 Wells Hostetler West Ashley 2025 4.73 1210 – 30/437 Ty Jenkins West-Oak 2025 5.238 1250 – 1 Walker Buck West-Oak 2025 4.51 1080 – 18 Jaxson Barbee Westside 2026 4.868 1210 – 20 Brody Caudle Westside 2026 4.969 1260 – 6/370 Brayden McKaig Woodmont 2026 5.404 1380 32 2/490 *Denotes previous winner DP Note I: Only Junior and Seniors were considered for the All-Academic Team. DP Note II: SAT score is just Math and Verbal portions only. DP Note III: Special thanks …