One common theme for this year’s Premier Preps baseball team was playoff appearances. Of the 11 players who made the 2018 squad, 10 of them played for a team that made it to at least the second round of the playoffs. All 11 members were on a team this spring that made the playoffs. Here are just a few other numbers that stand out for the 2018 Premier Preps Baseball Team:

2 — Second-year selections: Newton County Academy’s Kemp Alderman and Neshoba Central’s Beck Williams both made the Premier Preps team in 2017, and they continued their productive careers in 2018. Alderman missed time with an injury this spring but still managed to hit .612. Williams once again made the team as an outfielder after also splitting time at first base this season, and he batted .359 on the year with 25 RBIs and 24 runs scored for the Rockets.

9 — The number of players who hit at least .350 on the year: This season’s collection of Premier Preps baseball players helped provide a lot of offense for their respective teams. Here are the batting averages of these nine players: Hunter Eldridge, .423; Adie Goodman, .390; Dalton Baxley, .566; Kemp Alderman, .612; Beck Williams, .359; Brock Butler, .410; Payton Mayatt, .384; Ben Ethridge. .377; and Dylan Stroud, .466. 

3 — The number of schools with more than one selection: West Lauderdale had four players make the list: Chase Tilghman, Hunter Eldridge, Kameron Partridge and Ben Ethridge. Enterprise had two — Dylan Stroud and Dalton Baxley — and Lamar also had two in Adie Goodman and Payton Mayatt.

1.09 — The average ERA of the three Premier Preps starting pitchers: Kameron Partridge, Ben Ethridge and Dylan Stroud weren’t the only players who made the team who pitched for their respective clubs, but they were all selected as starting pitchers for the Premier Preps squad due to their ability to keep opposing teams from scoring runs. Partridge had the lowest ERA of the three at 0.45, while Ethridge had a 1.07 ERA and Stroud pitched to a 1.76 ERA.

4 — The number of All-Star selections: West Lauderdale’s Chase Tilghman and Hunter Eldridge and Neshoba Central’s Beck Williams all made the Crossroads Diamon All-Star game this season, while Lamar’s Adie Goodman made the MAIS All-Star team.

5 — The number of seniors: West Lauderdale’s Chase Tilghman and Hunter Eldridge, Lamar’s Adie Goodman, Neshoba Central’s Beck Williams and Enterprise’s Dalton Baxley all made the Premier Preps team in their final year of high school. That’s the same number of seniors as last year’s Premier Preps baseball team as well.

Premier Preps Baseball Team:

Chase Tilghman, Senior Catcher, West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Tilghman was a defensive whiz, as opposing teams only attempted 18 stolen bases off of him all season — seven of which he threw out. He hit .333 on the season with four doubles, three home runs and 23 RBIs, and he also led the team with 26 walks. He was named to the All-Region 5-4A first team and was selected to the 2018 Crossroads Diamond All-Star game. Tilghman is a Jones County Junior College signee.

Payton Mayatt, Junior Outfielder, Lamar

 

Why he’s here: Mayatt was named first-team All-Conference in MAIS Class AAAA, Division II and finished the season with a .384 average while tallying four doubles and 16 RBIs and stealing 16 out of 18 stolen bases. As a pitcher, Mayatt had a 3.67 ERA in 21 innings with 34 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Hunter Eldridge, Senior Infielder, West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Known mostly for his pitching prior to this season, Eldridge was limited to just three appearances on the mound due to an injury. However, as an infielder, he batted a team-high .423 with 33 runs scored, six doubles and nine home runs while driving in 45 runs. He was selected as the Region 5-4A Player of the Year and was also a Crossroads Diamond All-Star selection. Eldridge signed with Jones County Junior College.

Kemp Alderman, Sophomore Infielder, Newton County Academy

Why he’s here: Alderman was a jack-of-all-trades type for the Generals, splitting time between catcher, third base and pitcher. Despite missing part of the season due to injury, Alderman hit .612 on the season with nine home runs and 30 RBIs. As a pitcher, he had a 2.21 ERA in 25 innings. Alderman is currently committed to Ole Miss.

Kameron Partridge, Junior Pitcher, West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Partridge finished the season 10-1 with an ERA of 0.45. He tallied 108 strikeouts and just eight walks in 62 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .117 batting average against him. He threw five complete games and was involved in six shutouts, earning him Pitcher of the Year honors in Region 5-4A along with Ben Ethridge. As a hitter, Partridge batted .324 with five doubles, 21 RBIs and eight runs scored.

Adie Goodman, Senior Infielder, Lamar

Why he’s here: A three-time All-Conference MAIS Class AAAA, Division II first-team selection, Goodman was also an MAIS All-Star selection this season. He batted .390 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBIs and only struck out four times. He was also 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts. As a pitcher, he had a 2.15 ERA in 52 innings of work with 60 strikeouts and just six walks. Goodman has signed with Copiah-Lincoln CC.

Beck Williams, Senior Outfielder, Neshoba Central

Why he’s here: Splitting time between the outfield and first base, Williams batted .359 with 25 RBIs, 24 runs scored, four home runs and 12 doubles. He was named to the All-Region 3-5A team and was selected to the Crossroads Diamond All-Star game. Williams signed with East Mississippi Community College.

Ben Ethridge, Junior Pitcher, West Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Ethridge finished with a 9-2 record with two saves and seven complete games. He had a 1.07 ERA with 90 strikeouts, and opposing batters hit just .154 off of him. He was named the Region 5-4A pitcher of the year along with Kameron Partridge. As a hitter, he batted .377. Ethridge is currently committed to Southern Mississippi.

Dalton Baxley, Senior Infielder, Enterprise

Why he’s here: Baxley batted an impressive .566 on the season with 19 doubles, one home run and 45 RBIs. He was named the most valuable player in his region this past season and has signed to continue his baseball career at Pearl River Community College.

Brock Butler, Sophomore Outfielder, Northeast Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Butler batted .410 for the Trojans this past season with an on-base percentage of .505. He tallied 11 doubles, five home runs, 31 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

Dylan Stroud, Junior Pitcher, Enterprise

Why he’s here: Stroud finished the season with a 1.76 ERA and a 9-2 record as a starting pitcher. He struck out 77 batters and threw three no-hitters. As a hitter, he batted .466 with four home runs and 40 RBIs, earning him MVP honors in Region 5-2A.