South Putnam's Brandon Gierke is Player of the Year

Sunday, July 6, 2014
Geirke was top five in the WCC in seven categories and led the conference in home runs and batting average. (Banner Graphic/Trent Scott)

It was a long tough rough for the spring season with reschedules and cold weather taunting the fighting spirits of the Putnam County faithful.

The South Putnam baseball team stood tall with the best teams in the conference and its brightest star has been named the Banner Graphic Putnam County Player of the Year.

This year's sophomore Brandon Gierke has been a staple at the plate for the Eagles. He carded four RBIs in the 15-9 win at North Putnam and 26 RBIs on the year. His .965 slugging percentage was tops in the county.

He kept pace with the seniors on his team like Tyler Long and Wes Nees with 25 runs and 25 hits to go along with his 9 home runs, giving him a .431 batting average, the last two being among conference leaders.

But Gierke's story doesn't end at the plate. Overlooking his five stolen bases for five attempts, just two errors, and his .981 fielding percentage, the last of which was third in the county, Gierke's .625 winning percentage on the mound gained the respect of rival Putnam County coaches.

He posted a 5-3 record pitching for South Putnam, striking out 58 batters for the Eagles. He only gave up one home run.

In a lineup where some very good baseball players have graduated, Gierke will be Putnam County force for the foreseeable future.

Tyler Long

Slugging along with the top player in the county was a senior who is known throughout the county both on and off of the field.

Tyler Long tags a runner out at second. Long's .438 batting average was one of the best on the team. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

Long, like Gierke, was a monster at the plate. He banged out 35 hits, 27 RBIs, 26 runs and eight home runs, with only six strikeouts.

With his .438 batting average leading the team, Long also had a .870 fielding percentage with 17 errors.

Surely the underclassmen have been looking to Long for leadership and now they will be looking elsewhere.

Tyler Carter

Tyler Carter's six wins in his 6-4 record was tops in the conference. (Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT)

Carter played shortstop on a Clover team that went 14-14-1 on the season. When he wasn't adding to his .756 fielding percentage, Carter was on the mound and utilizing his arsenal of pitches.

He racked up a record of 6-4 on the mound and a 3.46 ERA. His six wins ties for most in the conference. He had five games with eight or more strikeouts, including 12 batters struck out in the Eminence rematch. On the season he struck out 70.

At the plate Carter scored 21 runs, had 36 hits and 26 RBIs, only striking out 12 times. He had a .424 batting average and a .494 slugging percentage. The senior was a leader on the team as well as in the classroom.

Kade Schroer snatches up a grounder against Turkey Run. Schroer was fourth in the WCC with his 3.13 ERA. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

Kade Schroer

The underclassmen of Cloverdale will have their work cut out, as another good pitcher will also be hanging up the Clover uniform.

Schroer had a record of 4-2, with a .667 winning percentage. He had a 3.13 ERA and struck out 71 batters at the plate, which was second in the WCC, while only giving up 21 earned runs. He was a leader in fielding, making a team high 50 assists.

Schroer was also a reliable running the bases and at the plate. He netted a team high 30 runs, which led the conference adding 28 hits and only 13 strikeouts.

Someone as handy and talented as Schroer will surely be missed.

Brayden White

Brayden White slides into home plate, during a Greencastle game. White had a .493 batting topping the Conference. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

An incoming junior outfielder who won't be missed and is more than reliable at the plate, White was a useful hitter for the Clovers this season.

White had only 19 runs, but his 36 hits, 21 RBIs and his homer earned him a .493 batting average which was the top score in the WCC. White was also a conference leader when it came to getting on base with .638.

Batting was a useful tool for White, but as is the case with a lot of kids on the list, White also pitched and he was no slouch on the mound. He struck out 49 batters and gave up 18 earned runs. White had an ERA of 3.82 and his 4-5 record earned a winning percentage of .444.

With the team's top pitchers earning their degrees, White will most likely be pitching for the Clovers next season and will be a contender for player of the year in the future.

Seth Brown

Holding his own against the top players in the county, Seth Brown struck out 97 batters, which was number one in the conference and 26 more than the next pitcher. Coaches from rival schools thought he was one of the best pitchers in the WCC and no one looked forward to getting in a long batting count with him on the mound.

Seth Brown led the entire conference in batters struck out with 97. (Banner Graphic/Trent Scott)

Brown went 5-3, giving him a .625 winning percentage. He had a 2.94 ERA and notched eight runs on 10 hits. This helped Greencastle to their 8-15 record. In the Putnam County Tournament game against Cloverdale he was able to refocus and retake the mound and the game after being pulled.

Brown also played centerfield for the Tiger Cubs and had a .920 fielding percentage. He wasn't a slugger but he could be helpful on the bases. He stole four bases on five attempts. Brown did so much to help the Tiger Cubs win and it will be interesting to see how coach Troy Remsburg fills the void.

Tanner Nicholson

Tanner Nicholson was a WCC leader in steals with 18 stolen bases. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

It is no secret who will be a big leader next year for Greencastle. Tanner Nicholson is the resident big hitter on the Tiger Cub team.

His batting average was a .400, with a slugging percentage of .560. He was fifth in the conference when it came to making it back home. Nicholson scored 24 times, with 20 hits.

Helping him around the bases were his West Central Conference leading 18 stolen bases on 20 attempts, making him a menace for other teams to contend with. He had 30 hits and 11 RBIs.

Nicholson was a player of the year finalist because of his tremendous hitting and base running, as well as his pitching. He only netted a win percentage of .200 but he pitched in the County Tournament game against the Eagles and beat them with seven batters struck out.

Jordan Nauert

Jordan Nauert slides in to beat the Greencastle tag. Nauert led the WCC in RBIs.

For the Cougars, who, in more way than one, faced distraction and adversity, it was a roller-coaster season. Yet shining as they built their 10-14 record was Nauert, the senior who was a leader at the plate on a team with some really good hitters.

He had the fourth highest slugging percentage on the team with .479. He led the WCC in RBIs with 31. Nauert carded 35 hits which scored 22 runs. His batting average was a .422, a team high.

Of course there was his pitching, which only added to his resume. He had a .429 winning percentage, an ERA of 3.80 and 40 batters struck outs. North Putnam will definitely remember this big hitter.

Coy Flynn was second in the conference for runs scored. (Banner Graphic/JOHNATHON GOODE)

Coy Flynn

Another big hitter and a conference leader, Coy Flynn always had the respect and trust of his coaching squad.

He was fourth in the conference at both getting on base and in slugging percentage, with .500 and .645 respectively. He was second in the conference with 28 runs to go along with 31 hits and 21 RBIs. He added two homers.

He also had a team high of 12 doubles that a lot of times came at crucial moments in a game to swing momentum into the Cougars' favor.

Two big seniors will surely be missed on the Cougar diamond.

Honorable Mentions

Joe Waters from the Eagles slides safe passed Jordan Nauert of North Putnam for the safe call. Waters scored 20 runs and 26 hits. (Banner Graphic/JAY LOCKETT)

Joe Waters

Waters was a steady hitting senior for the Eagles. He notched a .400 batting percentage with 20 runs and 26 hits.

He was also tied with Coy Flynn at fourth in the conference with his .500 on base percentage.

Holden King

Holden King, a Greencastle senior, had 19 hits and 12 RBIs. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

King played all over the field for the Tiger Cubs going from second base to shortstop and occasionally catching a pitching.

King held a batting average of .306, had 19 hits and 12 RBIs. The senior was voted MVP among Greencastle players.

Joey Martin

Martin was top five in the conference with 25 RBIs. The freshman had 10 runs scored, 22 hits and a .416 slugging percentage for Cloverdale.

Senior Kyler Jeter of North Putnam dives for a stop. He ended the season with three home runs. (Banner Graphic/Jay Lockett)

Kyler Jeter

Jeter is another Cougar senior who plays well at the plate. He swung his bat to the tune of 12 runs, 26 hits and a .356 average. He scored 17 RBIs and knocked three out of the park, which was fifth in the WCC.

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