2021 SUN Preps All-Area Athletes & Teams
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1466350
www.yoursun.com Page 47 — in 20 games, he had eight multi-hit performances. Thanks to his versatility, Carter may grace this team again as a pitcher or a two-way selection in years to come. DH — Aidan Corn (Venice senior) A middle-of-the-order stalwart, Corn led Venice with two home runs and 23 runs batted in. He also cranked eight doubles while batting .337. From the beginning of April, Corn never had consecutive hitless games, batting .366 from April 1 to the end of the season. SP — Lane Fullerton (DeSoto County sophomore) Fullerton had a rocky start to the season, but DeSoto County's midseason turnaround coincided with Fullerton figuring it out on the mound. On March 26, Fullerton cuffed Lemon Bay on two hits, striking out 10 as the Bulldogs won, 10-1. He followed up with a shutout win against LaBelle. For the season, he finished with a 3.43 ERA, bringing it down from 7.00 prior to March 26. MI — Marek Houston (Venice junior) Houston batted .384 with four doubles, four triples, a home run and 23 runs scored. He ended the season on a nine- game hitting streak. In the middle of that run, he delivered a four-hit perfor- mance in a 10-2 win against Palmetto. In all, he batted .552 during the streak while playing stellar defense. He's poised for an epic senior season. RP — Ian Jensen (Venice senior) The strikeout artist fanned 32 in 19 innings of work, while allowing just 10 hits as a stalwart of the Venice bullpen. His 0.74 ERA was built on a .159 oppo- nent batting average. Only twice in 18 appearances did he surrender a run. Both times were against Palmetto in blowout wins. SP — Brandon Long (North Port senior) There's a reason for the "kill the win" movement in baseball. Long's record was just 3-6, but he struck out 70 batters in 52.2 innings with a 2.53 ERA. During a remarkable three-game stretch in the middle of the year, Long tossed three complete games, all victories, striking out 13, 11 and 14 batters. UTIL — Cole Schumaker (Venice junior) Sarasota will probably pitch around Schumaker next season. After going 0-2 in their first meeting, a 2-1 Venice loss, Schumaker lit up the Sailors over their next five meetings, batting .667 (10 of 15) with five runs and five RBI (all wins). He batted .315 overall and did a little of everything for Venice, including a few appearances on the mound. MI — Joel Vazquez (Lemon Bay freshman) On a team full of speedsters, no one made a bigger splash than the second of two freshmen on this year's all-area team. Vazquez led the entire state for most of the year before finishing with a school-record 37 stolen bases. The walking triple stole three or more bases six times, including a six-steal perfor- mance against DeSoto County in March. He batted .304 at the plate, slumping a bit when injuries forced the Mantas to cycle him down from leadoff to No. 3, but Vazquez should be somewhere on this list for years to come. RP — John Whitney (Venice junior) Forming an absolutely lethal duo in the back of the Venice bullpen with Ian Jensen, Whitney led the team with a 0.51 ERA. He struck out 25 hitters in 13.2 innings, fanning at least one batter in every appearance, including 8 in four innings against North Port and six in three innings against Sarasota. SP — Huston Wynne (Venice junior) Wynne occasionally was a victim of bad luck … which considering he posted a 1.06 ERA indicates when he was on, he was on. Wynne played a bit of a swing role for Venice, starting games while relieving in high leverage situations. His three-inning stint in relief of Beechy preserved a 3-2 win against Jesuit and a 6.2-inning, 8 strikeout performance on March 12 was needed in a 1-0 win against Barron Collier. Second Team OF — Mason Boltinghouse (Lemon Bay junior) Came on strong at the end of the season, batting .387 with 20 runs scored and 23 steals. C — Stephen Deans (Venice junior) Another in the school's long line of superb defensive catchers. Batted .250 with four doubles. C-DH — Colin Gamber (Lemon Bay junior) Batted .324 with 23 RBI and four doubles. IF — Cam Goff (Charlotte senior) Batted .270 with 11 steals with great defense in the middle of the infield. IF — Jace Kellogg (DeSoto County sophomore) Batted .300 with seven stolen bases. P — Brayden Kelly (North Port junior) Posted a 2.85 earned run average with a 26-10 strikeout-walk ratio. P — Stephen Lomski (Port Charlotte senior) Struck out 43 in 48.2 innings with a 3.88 earned run average. C — Justin McQueen (Charlotte sophomore) Batted .288 with four doubles while flashing a cannon against would-be base thieves. IF — Mike Murray (North Port junior) Battled .321 with 17 runs, 17 RBI and 14 stolen bases. IF — Jeremie Swafford (Port Charlotte senior) Batted .381 with 13 runs and 12 stolen bases. P — Brett Thompson (Charlotte senior) Struck out 42 batters in 44.1 innings with a 2.84 ERA. IF — Kyle Yeager (North Port senior) Batted .333 with six doubles. Coach of the year — Craig Faulkner (Venice) The one-and-done playoff format can be especially cruel in baseball and Venice fell victim to that in this year's region semifinals. That said, there's no denying Faulkner ably guided Venice through yet another grueling schedule. He also creatively juggled a large pitching staff and had Venice in terrific position to make another state champi- onship run. BASEBALL FROM PAGE 47 SUN FILE PHOTO/TOM O'NEILL Lemon Bay shortstop Joel Vazquez reacts after driving in a run during an April game against Charlotte at Lemon Bay High School.