Seven Packers named to All-Region baseball team

Published 2:14 pm Saturday, April 22, 2023

MOULTRIE — Colquitt County second baseman Neko Fann and pitcher Mason Moore have been named to the All-Region 1-7A baseball first team and relief pitcher Kale Hopper has received the Academic Player of the the Year Award.

Moore also was named to the All-Region second team as an outfielder.

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Joining him on the second team are first baseman Jake Walker, left fielder Landon Griffin, pitcher Christian Hill and catcher Hayden Hembree.

Undefeated region champion Lowndes placed 10 players on the team, including Player of the Year Cooper Melvin and Pitcher of the Year Ashton Bohler.

The Vikings’ Ryan Page was named the Coach of the Year.

Richmond Hill’s Grant Wagner was selected as the Freshman of the Year and Valdosta received the Field of the Year Award.

Fann had an outstanding season in his first year as the Packers leadoff batter.

A junior, he led the team in hitting with a .346 average; runs, with 31; and stolen bases, with 19.

Fann also had eight doubles, two triples, a home run and 12 runs batted in. He was hit by pitches a team-leading 18 times.

Moore hit .309 with five doubles, two triples and 22 runs batted in.

As a left-handed pitcher, he was 5-4 with 53 strikeouts and a 4.22 ERA.

Moore threw a no-hitter on March 31 in a 3-0 region victory over Valdosta.

Griffin missed the early part of the season with a hamstring injury, but went on to hit .292 with five doubles, a triple and eight RBIs in 19 games.

Walker also played 19 games and hit .239 with three doubles, a homer and five RBIs.

Hembree hit .263 with a pair of doubles and five runs batted in.

Hill went 2-4 with two saves and a 4.58 ERA. He struck out 37 batters in 36.2 innings of work.

The rest of the All-Region first team includes infielders Ty Goldbrick of Richmond Hill and Tate Sirmans of Lowndes; outfielders Qrey Lott, Jordan Hudson and Coleman Lewis of Lowndes and Blaine Newman of Richmond Hill; pitchers Garrett Wright and Blaine Newman of Richmond Hill; Isaiah Haygood of Valdosta; and Luke Register of Lowndes; catchers Turner Samples of Valdosta and Gavin Martin of Richmond Hill; and designated hitter Noah Thigpen of Lowndes.

The other second-team All-Region players are infielders Carson Page of Lowndes, Talon Daignault of Camden County and Tyler Fountain of Richmond Hill; outfielder Bryan Brazell of Camden County; pitchers Darrell Albright of Camden County, Caleb Thornton of Lowndes, Bryce Hendricks of Richmond Hill and Cohen Smith of Valdosta; and catcher Nate Slaughter of Lowndes.

The All-Region team was selected by the region’s coaches and is based on region-game performances.