Eastern Plains Conference announces spring award winners
Published 12:06 pm Wednesday, June 17, 2015
![DAVID CUCCHIARA | DAILY NEWS TOP PERFORMERS: Washington’s Connor Wilkins (right) picked up Eastern Plains Conference Player-of-the-Year honors, while rising senior Holt McKeithan (left) took home an All-Conference nod.](https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/06/SPORTS_Eastern-Plains-All-Conference-announced-spring-award-winners-copy.jpg)
DAVID CUCCHIARA | DAILY NEWS
TOP PERFORMERS: Washington’s Connor Wilkins (right) picked up Eastern Plains Conference Player-of-the-Year honors, while rising senior Holt McKeithan (left) took home an All-Conference nod.
The Eastern Plains Conference committee released its spring award winners for baseball, tennis, softball and golf on Wednesday and Pam Pack athletes were certainly not in short supply.
Among the four sports, men’s tennis, which has yet to drop an Eastern Plains Conference match in two seasons, dominated the All-Conference team with its top four players earning selections. Holt McKeithan (12-2), Zack Pagnani (9-5) and Ben McKeithan (8-3) picked up All-Conference nods, while Connor Wilkins, who finished the season 12-2 with an individual eastern regional championship, took Conference Player of the Year. Mac Skillen and Eric Crozier were honorable mentions. Pam Pack coach Miranda Whitey was awarded Conference Coach of the Year.
It was a different story this season for the Pam Pack baseball team, which finished 5-14 and fourth in the conference standings. Senior Patrick Thompson recorded a 2.98 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in his senior campaign, earning All-Conference and Washington Daily News Pitcher-of-the-Year honors, while Jamond Ebron, the only other senior starter for head coach Kevin Leggett, also picked up a selection. Ebron notched a .250 average, .407 on-base percentage and 10 runs. Neil Jennings and Nick Everette were honorable mentions. North Johnston coach Brian Ford took home Coach of the Year and the Panthers’ Michael Stott, who finished with a 0.88 ERA and 70 strikeouts, won Player of the Year.
It was one of the more competitive 2-A seasons for softball in recent memory, but the Pam Pack battled through a tough Eastern Plains Conference, finishing tied for second place with a 16-5 (7-3 EPC) record. Four Washington seniors earned All-Conference nods — Haley Hutchins, Allison Brantley, Catie Dority and Haley Wright. Hutchins, pitching nearly every inning for her team, finished with a 1.38 ERA and 175 strikeouts, while also slugging a team-high five homers. Wright led the Pack with a .448 average to go along with 23 runs and 19 RBIs. Brantley, a sound defensive catcher, notched a .411 average and 21 RBIs, while Dority’s 27 hits were second on the team. Chrissy McKissick and Jada Lodge were honorable mentions. Coach Doug Whitehead was credited with Coach-of-the-Year honors and Beddingfield slugger Caroline Smith won Player of the Year.
For the Washington men’s golf team, it was a season for the record books — a conference championship, eastern regional championship and fourth-place finish at the state championship. The team’s top-three golfers took home All-Conference honors — William Page, Peter Birdsong and Eric Lovenberg. Southwest Edgecombe’s Cole Jefferys, the 2-A state champion for a second-straight year, won Player of the Year.