By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Evan Holton is certainly making a name for himself on the diamond.
Holton, a 6-0, 175-pound junior at Lawrence Academy, was selected as a 2009 Under Armour Baseball Pre-Season All-American. The shortstop was ecstatic when he learned about the award.
Holton helped lead Lawrence Academy to a 23-2 record and the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 1A state baseball championship last year. The Warriors topped Waccamaw Academy, 10-0 and 11-3, to win the title.
Holton, named to the NCISAA All-State team, hit one homer, drove in 14 runs and hit .456 as a sophomore. He swiped 31 bases (in 31 attempts) while playing stellar defense.
Holton will get to show off his goods at the 2009 Under Armour Baseball Pre-Season All-American Tournament. It will be held Jan. 16-18 at the Kino Sports Complex, spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, in Tucson, Arizona.
The three-day tournament will bring top players from across the nation. The Baseball Factory and Team One scouting departments have selected all players for this event.
Holton, and the rest of the All-Americans, will receive certificates during a special awards ceremony.
Players will then represent their region in the 20-team wood bat tournament.
Scouts will use the tournament to qualify 2010 grads for next year’s Under Armour All-America Game, which will be played in August at historic Wrigley Field.
The players will benefit from playing in the tournament. A personal web page will be set up for each player. Video footage, contact information and a scout’s summary will be placed on each player’s page, which will be created by Baseball Factory. Players may e-mail the web link to any coach or scout in the country to get instant feedback.
Pro scouts from many of the major league teams will be on hand at the tournament. Meanwhile, many of those scouts will be instructing players on-field.
Right now Holton, who admires Manny Ramirez and follows the Boston Red Sox, has visions of playing college baseball at Western Carolina. He’s hoping it’s the next step in what will ultimately lead to the majors.
Holton realizes that having an All-American status heading into the spring won’t go unnoticed by Lawrence’s competition. Of course, most baseball fans in the area knew about his prowess even before the “All-American” label was applied.
While Holton was happy about his personal achievements, he was more proud that his team won the state championship.
Holton is hoping the Warriors can duplicate their feat this spring.
Holton attributes much of his success to the support of his parents, Phil and Linda Holton.
Holton’s sister, Stephanie Holton, is a former Columbia High School star who is now playing college basketball at Shenandoah.