A pair of juniors from Union County earned All-State honors on the baseball diamond earlier this week.
El Dorado’s Sam York and Smackover’s Tanner Mitchell took home the accolade after having outstanding seasons.
York batted .348 with one home run and 13 RBIs for the Wildcats, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 5A State Tournament.
York also scored 30 runs, and he also stole 13 bases in 14 attempts.
He drew 15 walks while striking out just seven times in 69 at-bats. He was also hit by a pitch 11 times.
On the mound, York logged 13 1/3 innings, finishing with 18 strikeouts.
“I think it’s well-deserved,” said El Dorado coach Jeff Burson. “He had a really good year. He improved a lot over the summer, but he worked his tail off to improve. It showed on the field.”
Mitchell had an outstanding season at the plate, posting a .420 average with three home runs and 14 RBIs for the Bucks, who qualified for the regional tournament.
Like York, Mitchell had a propensity for getting on base, drawing 16 walks while getting hit by a pitch 13 times.
Once he was on the basepaths, he was a threat to opposing defenses by stealing 41 bases.
In addition to his three home runs, Mitchell had five doubles and three triples while finishing with 69 at-bats.
“We are proud of Tanner for being selected to the 3A All-State team,” said Smackover coach Josh Wesson. “He is an incredible athlete and had a fantastic junior season. He had a great year at the plate and continued to perform at a high level on the basepaths.
“He worked really hard during the offseason in the weight room and his numbers showed that growth this season. He’s a great representation of our program and we are all extremely proud of him.
“We all are looking forward to seeing what he does his senior season on the diamond for us.”