East Bladen Jake Futtrell getting ready to deliver heat on top of the mound.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
BLADEN COUNTY — The SAC 7 announced the All-Conference selections for the ‘22-23 Baseball season and seven of Bladen Counties’ best were selected. Midway junior infielder and left-hander John Mclamb was awarded “Player of the Year” for an excellent year around the diamond.
McLamb led the Raiders in six statistical categories and was amongst their best in the Raiders bullpen with a 0.84 ERA. McLamb’s left arm gave his opponents nightmares with over 108 strikeouts and he went yard four times this season to lead the SAC 7 in homers.
Midway head coach Justin Carroll was awarded “Coach of the Year” after another successful season at the helm. The Raiders concluded their season with an overall record of 23-3 and were crowned SAC 7 champions for the second year in a row. The Raiders averaged 12.2 runs per game and their opponents were held to 4.8 runs per game in the regular season. The Raiders fell a game short of the Regional Final after their defeat to Camden in the fourth round of the 2A NCHSAA State Playoffs.
East Bladen
The Eagles selected for this year’s All-Conference team were the following– senior first-basemen Zamar Lewis, senior infielder and right-hander Even Pait, senior catcher Garrison Tatum, and junior infielder and right-hander Jake Futrell.
Lewis led the Eagles in six different categories and his bat was heavily relied on when his team needed some offense. Lewis had a batting average of .455 which he improved from last season’s .450 batting average. The Eagles could count on Lewis when they needed him most and he led his team with 16 RBIs. He also stood atop the SAC 7 leaderboard for on-base percentage and he was second in the conference for steals with 17.
Pait is an all-around talented baseball player and he displayed this talent numerous times throughout the season. Pait batted at an average of .379 and he led the Eagles with 25 hits as an integral part of their lineup. He ranked fourth in the team with nine RBIs to his name. Pait also went 4-2 as a pitcher with a 4.18 ERA and he struck out 76 batters this season.
Tatum was the catcher for the Eagles and a key component of the Eagles’ offense this season. Tatum averaged a .309 batting percentage while racking up 17 hits, and eight RBIs and he scored 8 runs. His only home run of the year was an 8th-inning game-winner against Clinton in the early stages of the season for a 5-4 victory.
Futrell had an excellent junior season for the Eagles at the plate and on top of the mound. Futrell was another key man in the Eagles’ lineup with a batting average of .353 and he had 14 RBIs on 18 hits. He went 5-3 with a 3.59 ERA, and he struck out 25 batters during the season to show off his arm strength. During his game against Richmond in April, he struck out nine batters and he was the catalyst in a come-from-behind victory.
West Bladen
The Knights selected for this year’s All-Conference team were the following– sophomore infielder and right-hander Garrett Dunham, sophomore outfielder and pitcher Brady Durden, and sophomore infielder Cade Allen.
Dunham is an all-around talent for the Knights and he displayed his talent in every aspect of the game. Dunham led the Knights in slugging with a .414 batting average and brought home 16 runners on 29 hits. He went 2-2 and was awarded a save while pitching heat from atop the mound during the season.
Durden was the Knights ace in the bullpen and he posted a 7-2 record with a 2.74 ERA in his sophomore year. He struck out 55 batters in 45 innings of work this season to give his opponents headaches standing in the batter’s box. Durden batted .286 on 12 hits and he dialed in eight RBIs.
Allen was the Knights slugger in the lineup and he finished the year on fire to earn his spot on the All-Conference list. He batted at an average of .394 on 28 hits and concluded the season with 28 RBIs to lead his team. Allen also made appearances on the mound and he posted a record of 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA.