All-County Baseball announced

With the help of area coaches and media, The Stokes News has released the 2023-24 All-County Baseball team.

West Stokes had another solid season finishing 20-6 overall and second place in the Mid-State 2A Conference with a 10-2 record. The Wildcats won the conference tournament championship over Morehead, but then lost in the first round of the 2A NCHSAA State Championship.

North Stokes finished 10-15 and fifth in the Northwest 1A Conference with a 5-7 record. The Vikings started their season at 8-4 but lost 11 of their last 13 games and lost in the first round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs.

South Stokes ended the season at 8-17 and finished fourth place in the Northwest 1A Conference with a 6-6 record. The Sauras advanced to the second round of the 1A NCHSAA State playoffs falling to Bishop McGuinness.

Each team put five players on the team this season. Each player earned either All-Conference or honorable mention in their respected conferences.

Dylan Gastley, Dru Hall, Holden Gibbs, Spencer Boles, Mikah Webster from West Stokes, Maddox Nelson, Tucker Monday, Samuel Kidd, Reid Tilley, and William Tilley from South Stokes, and Cash Dalton, Jackson Lester, Evan Woods, Jamison McBride, and Michael Frye from North Stokes.

Gastley and Nelson earned pitcher of the year honors in their respected conferences.

Gastley pitched 47.2 innings striking out 76 with an ERA of 2.49. The junior was 5-3 on the mound with a save. He batted .424 with an on base percentage of .563. He had seven doubles, two homeruns, with 13RBIs.

Nelson threw 69.2 innings with an ERA of .161. He ended the season at 6-6 with 136 strikeouts. He batted .328 with 10 runs, three doubles, three triples, two homeruns, and 15RBIs.

The Wildcats’ Hall batted .333 with 28 runs scored, 15RBIs, and a team-leading 24 stolen bases. Boles batted .326 with seven runs scored, five doubles, and four stolen bases. The junior threw 9.2 innings with 16 strikeouts. Webster batted .304 with an on base percentage of .411. He hit five doubles with 14 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Gibbs, the Cats’ only senior on the team, was 5-1 on the mound throwing 39.1 innings and had 56 strikeouts with an ERA of 2.13. All five players earned Mid-State 2A All-Conference.

Monday batted .324 with 16 runs scored and 13 stolen bases for South Stokes. Kidd batted .271 10 runs scored, and 7RBIs, and brothers Reid and William Tilley had 7RBIs a piece, with each getting time on the mound for the Sauras. Monday and Kidd were named Northwest 1A All-Conference and the Tilley brothers were honorable mention.

North Stokes’ Cash Dalton, Jackson Lester, and freshman Evan Woods earned Northwest 1A All-Conference.

Dalton batted .370 with 32 runs scored, 14RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples, and a home run. He pitched 32 innings striking out 32 batters.

Lester hit .342, scored 31 runs with 22RBIs, two doubles, and 10SB, He threw 11.1 innings with 12K’s and an ERA of .185.

Woods scored 12 runs, had 16RBIs, and pitched 23.2 innings with 24 strikeouts.

McBride and Frye were honorable mention with McBride scoring 15 runs with 21RBIs, and Frye having an on base percentage of .319 with 16RBIs.

Twelve of the 15 players will return next season.