Dillon Maples of Southern Pines Pinecrest has been selected as the Gatorade North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior right-handed pitcher was 9-1 with two saves and a 0.92 ERA this season. Pinecrest finished 25-3 and was eliminated by Wilmington Ashley 14-12 in the third round of the playoffs.
Maples recorded 143 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. He posted .431 batting average, 31 RBI, 19 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and seven home runs.
Also a football standout, Maples has maintained a 3.66 weighted GPA in the classroom.
“Dillon has been a proven leader in our program,” said Pinecrest High head coach Jeff Hewitt. “Whether on the field or off, he has shown leadership qualities that have not only helped himself but his teammates as well. Dillon has balanced his academics and athletics evenly throughout his four years here at Pinecrest. His desire and enthusiasm for not only the game of baseball but his academics will allow him to be successful in whatever the challenge may be in his future.”
Maples has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship at the University of North Carolina this fall, but is projected as an early round selection in this month’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
-- Gatorade release
