Eight diamond Hornets awarded post-season accolades
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Pre-season all-America picks Drew Tipton and Blaine Knight of the Bryant Hornets baseball team have been named Class 7A all-State for the 2015 season. They are among eight Hornets players who have earned post-season honors.
Evan Lee
Alex Shurtleff
Both players were voted to the coaches’ all-State team and Tipton was named to the Arkansas Activities Association all-State squad.
In addition, Brandan Warner was named to the all-State Tournament team.
The trio earned all-conference honors in the 7A/6A-Central Conference for a Hornets team that went 28-3 on the season and 12-2 in the league. They were joined by Trey Breeding, Jason Hastings, Evan Lee, Blake Patterson and Alex Shurtleff.
Tipton, the Hornets’ centerfielder, and Knight, the team’s ace pitcher and MVP of the 2014 Class 7A State Tournament, were named to the first team Collegiate Baseball/Louisvills Slugger preseason all-American team.
During the 2015 season, Tipton led the Hornets with a .381 batting average, 37 hits, 35 runs scored, six triples and 27 stolen bases. He also drove in 20 runs, hit four doubles and walked 19 times.
Knight was 6-2 on the mound with an earned run average of 1.34. He fanned 77 batters in 57 2/3 innings with just three walks and a hit batsman.
Warner, the team’s third baseman, was second to Tipton with an average of .353 on the season. He led the team with 27 RBIs and nine doubles. In addition, he scored 24 times and swiped 15 bases.
Along with Warner and Tipton, Breeding and Hastings were three-year starters for the Hornets. Breeding, the team’s catcher, hit .280 with 11 RBIs. He walked 20 times. Hastings batted .329 with 20 runs batted in and 24 scored. He walked 26 times and stole eight bags. On the mound, Hastings led the team with two saves. In nine innings, he fanned 14 without a walk and posted an ERA of 0.78.
Patterson was a .338 hitter and went 7-1 as a pitcher. At the plate, he drove in 21 runs and scored 21. He led the team with 29 walks. His 26 hits included five doubles, three triples and a dramatic home run — the only one the team hit this year — that provided the winning margin in a key game at Conway. He also stole 10 bases. On the mound, Patterson struck out 38 in 42 1/3 innings with an ERA of 1.65.
Lee and Shurtleff both earned honors as underclassmen. Lee was a .298 hitter with 16 runs scored and 14 knocked in. His seven doubles was second only to Warner. He walked 23 times and stole 12 bases. On the mound, he went 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA. In 32 2/3 innings, he struck out 39.
Shurtleff went 6-0 with a save. He finished with an earned run average of 0.65. In 32 1/3 innings, he struck out 31 and walked just three.
