PINCKNEY — Nolan Carruthers had already planned his exit strategy from baseball.
After a bad experience playing travel ball last summer, he was ready to give up the sport after one last go-around this spring with his boys on the Pinckney High School team.
“I didn’t do too good,” Carruthers recalls. “I batted like .230. I was like, ‘I’m done with this sport. I’ll do high school one more year.’”
His plans changed after a season in which he led Livingston County in three statistical categories and helped Pinckney win its first district championship since 2000.
“It was the best year I ever had hitting, fielding,” he said. “It was great. I was like, that’s my mom’s favorite sport; she loves baseball over football. I’ll just keep playing it for her, blah, blah, blah. I had a great year. I’ll definitely keep that going.”
So, Carruthers will not only be back this fall as one of the top football players in Livingston County, but next spring as one of the area’s top baseball players, although he gave up travel baseball this summer.
He will head into his senior year as the Livingston County Male Athlete of the Year, as selected by the Livingston Daily. He is the first Pinckney winner since distance runner David Emery in 2006-07.
Carruthers was chosen for the award because he led the county in multiple significant stats in each sport.
In football, his 68 receptions were 30 more than any other player in the county and his 637 receiving yards were 199 more than the No. 2 player. He set a county record with 16 catches against Jackson. Carruthers made first-team all-county and all-region for the second time.
With one season remaining, his 123 catches in two seasons are already a county record.
In baseball, Carruthers made second-team all-state as an outfielder after leading the county with a .444 batting average, 41 stolen bases and 48 runs. His steal total ranks third in county history behind Gavin Kempainen’s 47 for Howell in 2021 and first-round draft pick David Hibner’s 43 for Howell in 1977.
There’s no question which of the two sports is his favorite.
“Football, definitely,” he said. “I love football. Ever since I was younger, my family was always toward the football side. It made me want to play it even more.”
His love for the sport wasn’t tainted by an incredibly difficult season for the Pirates, who went winless last fall for the first time since 2005.
“I’m feeling very confident this year with all the seniors and coach (Jason Carpenter) is very confident,” Carruthers said. “He trusts us and we trust him. It definitely wasn’t a great feeling going 0-9, but we’ve put it in the past and keep moving forward.
“I care about winning more than my stats or anything. It sucks when you have great stats, but you’re not winning. I’d rather win the game than have these good stats.”
Baseball season was a breath of fresh air for Carruthers and his teammates who endured a winless football season.
The Pirates were in contention for the championship in the tough SEC White until the very end before knocking off long-time nemesis Chelsea on its own field to end a 24-year district drought.
“That was awesome,” Carruthers said. “It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had playing a sport. Coach Bill (Cortez) has been my coach since 8U. All the players on that team I’ve grown up with and played baseball with. It was awesome to win it with them.”
Cortez could spot greatness in Carruthers even back then.
“He was making plays as an 8-year-old that high school kids don’t make,” Cortez said. “His awareness, just to make a play and know where to go. There are guys who play for a long time who don’t have that same awareness. He just saw it from a very early age.”
His coaches never have to worry that individual accolades will go to Carruthers’ head.
“He’s obviously a really great player,” Cortez said. “He’s got a special talent. But even more important than that, he’s just a genuinely really good kid, a great teammate. He’s a team-first guy who cares about his teammates and their success before his. Just from a team chemistry standpoint, he does so much for our team.”
Livingston County Male Athletes of the Year
1996-97 — Drew Henson, Brighton (football, basketball, baseball)
1997-98 — Drew Henson, Brighton (football, basketball, baseball)
1998-99 — Frank Garcia, Brighton (golf, hockey, baseball)
1999-2000 — Eric Walters, Howell (cross country, basketball, baseball)
2000-01 — Ben Tecmire, Howell (football, wrestling, track & field)
2001-02 — Zach Douglass, Fowlerville (football, basketball, track & field)
2002-03 — Sean Hoorelbeke, Hartland (football, baseball)
2003-04 — Chris Elsey, Brighton (football, basketball, track & field)
2004-05 — Ian Boyle, Pinckney (cross country, track & field)
2005-06 — Zach Nichols, Brighton (football, basketball, track & field)
2006-07 — David Emery, Pinckney (cross country, track & field)
2007-08 — Ryan Ross, Fowlerville (football, basketball, baseball)
2008-09 — Kyle Summerfield, Hartland (football, wrestling, baseball)
2009-10 — Bryce Lindberg, Howell (football, baseball)
2010-11 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2011-12 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2012-13 — Adam Coon, Fowlerville (football, wrestling, track & field)
2013-14 — Nick Brish, Brighton (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2014-15 — Nick Brish, Brighton (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2015-16 — Joey Clifford, Brighton (football, hockey)
2016-17 — Caleb Balgaard, Howell (swimming and diving, baseball)
2017-18 — Reece Potter, Hartland (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2018-19 — Reece Potter, Hartland (football, wrestling, lacrosse)
2019-20 — Luke Stanton, Brighton (football, wrestling)
2020-21 — Riley Hough, Hartland (cross country, track & field)
2021-22 — Riley Hough, Hartland (cross country, track & field)
2022-23 — Joey Mattord, Hartland (football, lacrosse)
2023-24 — Nolan Carruthers, Pinckney (football, baseball)
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
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