Four members of the Class 7A State championship Bryant Hornets baseball team have been named to the annual Louisville Slugger High School All-America team by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
Senior shortstop Trevor Ezell, who has signed to play collegiately at Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and junior pitcher Blaine Knight, who has orally committed to sign with the University of Arkansas, were named to the first team All-America team. The second team includes senior Chase Tucker and junior Drew Tipton.
Ezell led the team in nearly every offensive category for the second year in a row. He hit .518 (43 of 83) which was tops on the team. He also led the team in runs scored (50), runs batted in (43), doubles (11), triples (8), home runs (6) and walks (31) — all while striking out just five times. And, after stealing 29 bases as a junior, he swiped 18 to finish second to Tucker (23) in 2014.
Knight, a right-hander who pitched two shutouts for the Hornets in the State Tournament including a four-hitter over Fayetteville in the title game, went 11-0 with an 0.43 earned run average. He allowed just 11 runs all season, only four earned while he struck out 80 and walked just 24 in 65 2/3 innings.
Tucker was second on the team in hitting with a .513 average (41 of 80), the first time in Hornets baseball history (as best as can be determined) that two regulars finished a season hitting over .500. He was second to Ezell in runs (37) and RBIs (tied with Tipton and junior catcher Trey Breeding with 26) while leading the team in stolen bases.
Tipton hit .384 (33 of 86), scored 30 times, finished with nine doubles, three triples and a homer and swiped 16 bases.
The Hornets finished with a 33-2 record on the season, probably a school record for victories. They finished ranked 10th in the country.
