Lambert won the USA Classic in Memphis last week with victories over No. 1-ranked teams in Arkansas and Tennessee. Lambert beat Fayetteville (Ark.) 7-2 in the championship game. Thomas Kubiak threw five shutout innings, and Jake Chickowski went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Seth Beer was 2-for-3 with two doubles, and Nick Guimbarda was 2-for-2 with a triple. J.D. Dutka was the tournament MVP. He went 4-for-13 with a double and a triple, and he pitched the semifinal, a victory over Christian Brothers Academy of Tennessee. He struck out seven. He got a save in a first-round victory over Brighton of Mississippi. Also on the all-tournament team were 1B/DH Chickowski (7-13, three doubles, 6 RBI), OF/P Seth Beer (5-14, three doubles, 1-0 as pitcher), C Kyle McCann (4-for-10, 5 RBI) and P Dylan Biumi (1-0, 6 IP, 2 hits). Lambert is 18-0.
Charlton County primed to defend Class A public title
Charlton County, the reigning Class A public-school champion, is 13-1 and ranked No. 2 entering spring break. The team returned seven starters, five that are seniors. Jesse King, who got the win in the state-finals clincher and was 8-0 last season, is 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 24.1 innings. He’s allowed one run, unearned. Richard Dasher is 6-0 with an 0.99 ERA. He’s batting .390. Joshua Crosby (.409) patrols center field and leads the team in RBI at 15. L.J. Talley is the offensive leader, batting .500 (21-for-42) with four home runs and 14 RBI out of the leadoff spot. He has 11 stolen bases and five triples.
Shortstop hitting .622 with 39 stolen bases
Deion Sellers of Cedar Grove was one of DeKalb County’s top running backs in 2013. He rushed for 1,516 yards in 10 games last fall and led the county. He might be a better baseball player. The senior shortstop is batting.622 (23-for-37) with five doubles, two triples and a home run. Sellers is 5 feet, 8 inches and pretty fast. He’s been credited with 39 stolen bases in 40 attempts. Cedar Grove also has a freshman, Jenard Morris, who is batting .576 (19-for-33).
Georgia signee leads first-place Coffee
Coffee is leading Region 1-AAAAAA with an 8-0 record, 11-7 overall. Keegan McGovern, a shortstop who has signed with Georgia, has six of his team’s seven home runs and is batting .404 (21-of-52) with 21 RBI. He’s also been the ace pitcher. McGovern (6-3, 200) is 4-1 with a 1.37 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 35 innings. Senior Jared Spivey is another strong hitter/pitcher. Other top hitters are junior Bran Davis (.444, six doubles) and Landon Henderson (.375, seven doubles).
Scoreless streak continues for Parkview lefty
Parkview lefthander Mac Marshall, who has signed with LSU, still hasn’t allowed a run this season. He’s up to 33 innings. He’s allowed only 14 hits and struck out 48. Opposing hitters batting just .126 against him. He’s pitched one no-hitter (Shiloh). He struck out 10 in a four-hitter against Grayson in his most recent start, a 10-0 victory. Parkview is 14-3 overall, 8-0 in Region 8-AAAAAA.
Heard County pair can hit and run
Heard County's left side of the infield is solid, especially when they're at the plate. Senior shortstop Taylor Smith is hitting .517 with eight doubles, one triple, and 25 RBI. He also has 12 stolen bases. Sophomore third baseman Tristan Brown is hitting .478 with four doubles and 12 RBI. He has 11 stolen bases. Heard County is 12-7 overall, 9-3 in Region 5-AA.
NW Whitfield junior is strikeout ace
Logan Hilton, a junior from Northwest Whitfield, is a power pitcher despite a small frame. He’s only 5-foot-7, 145 pounds, but he’s struck out 65 batters in 36 innings. He threw no-hitters against Christian Heritage and Coahulla Creek in which he struck out 14 batters in each game.
