Rams lead the way on All-County baseball team

On the surface, some may say high school baseball in Robeson County was down in 2024, with only one of the five programs qualifying for the state playoffs.

But there’s no shortage of strong individual performances to choose from as The Robesonian picks its All-County team and postseason awards — so much so that there are some spectacular seasons that resulted on “only” an honorable-mention selection.

Thus, the names below have earned their way to these laurels through lots of hard work, and through significant production on the diamond.

Player of the Year

After an all-around season in which he excelled in every facet of the game, Purnell Swett senior pitcher/first baseman Jacob Chavis has been named Robeson County Player of the Year.

Chavis was 4.1 with a 1.79 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched, while also batting .359 with 22 RBIs, 23 runs scored, eight extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases, and also playing strong defense at first base.

For more on Chavis’ award-winning season, see the related story here .

Pitcher of the Year

The Fairmont baseball team thought its ace this spring would be junior Mynkoda Smith, coming off a strong sophomore season on the mound — but injury to Smith dashed those hopes early in the season.

It was Parker Chavis who stepped up for the Golden Tornadoes, getting stronger and stronger throughout the season and pitching his best down the stretch in April. That breakout season has earned the sophomore southpaw Robeson County Pitcher of the Year honors.

“It was a roller coaster to start with, with Mynkoda going down,” Parker Chavis said. “But I had been preparing all offseason to throw a lot of innings this season, so I just went up there and let my pitches work and just kind of built off of what I started last year, and just worked hard in the offseason and brought in some new pitches this year, and let my defense work behind me. I think that’s what caused me to be so successful, I had confidence in the players around me.”

Parker Chavis went 3-2 with a 1.71 ERA, striking out 53 batters in 49 innings pitched. He held the opposition to a .200 batting average.

It was the development of a new pitch, a changeup, that took Chavis from being a good pitcher to a great one this season.

“He figured out his changeup; that really was the difference in his season,” said Kelly Chavis the Fairmont head coach and Parker’s father. “If he had only had to rely on his fastball and breaking ball, he would have not been anywhere near as effective as he was. Once he figured his changeup out and he was able to throw it for strikes, he truly was a different pitcher on the mound at that point.”

Parker Chavis had his share of ups and downs through the first few starts of the season. But over his last five starts, he pitched six innings or more in four of them, and allowed one earned run or less in all five. He also struck out nine batters or more in three of those starts.

“The defense was working good, but I would just come out and say, ‘well, I’m going to establish that I’m going to be in the zone to start with,’ and I’d get ahead in the count, that was a big thing, that way I could work in some off-speed pitches,” Parker Chavis said. “And whenever I needed to throw a fastball for a strike, I’d throw a fastball for a strike and get it by somebody.

“If you were not there to see him pitch, I would say the last five ballgames that he pitched, you cannot imagine the difference he had from the first half to the back half, and how effective he truly was,” Kelly Chavis said. “He really kept teams at bay.”

Parker Chavis has two years of high school baseball still to come, and with Smith expected to be back at full health next season, the Golden Tornadoes could potentially have a terrific top two on the mound.

“If we get those two kids back and they perform at the level that we expect them to perform at, we hope to have a much better season next year,” Kelly Chavis said.

Parker Chavis joins former Fairmont teammate Noah Parker, who won the award in each of the last two seasons.

Coach of the Year

Purnell Swett’s season wasn’t without bumps in the road. But by the end of the spring, the Rams had a successful season under their belts.

After guiding the Rams through that campaign, Jeff Lamb has been named Robeson County Coach of the Year.

“It’s a result of the body of the work that our players have done,” Lamb said. “This has probably been one of the most challenging years, but then one of the most rewarding years.”

Purnell Swett finished 18-9, with an 11-3 United-8 Conference mark that was good for a second-place finish in the league. The Rams reached the second round of the 4A state playoffs.

“Most coaches aren’t going to let you go out there and play the game like he lets us go out there and play the game,” Jacob Chavis said. “He lets us go out there and play, do us, and most of the time it works. He just tries to do his best to stay behind us, stay on us.”

They did so after a 4-3 start — less than what was expected after a conference championship last year — winning 13 of their next 16 games.

“There came a point where, before the first Lumberton game, they kind of had a come-to-Jesus moment,” Lamb said. “They took ownership; ‘hey man, coach, this is not on you, this is on us. We’ve got to do better.’ And they started holding each other accountable. And we beat Lumberton one day, turned around and beat Gray’s Creek the next day, and from there that kind of springboarded us.”

Part of the challenge came as assistant coach Tim Carter was often absent due to illness.

“A lot of it fell on me this year; Coach Carter is battling with health issues, and it’s just been an interesting dynamic with it all,” Lamb said. “The players took ownership and kind of rallied around it, and at the end, they had my back.”

Lamb earned the recognition for the second straight season, and the third time in the last four years.

All-County Team

Waydan McMillan, Sr., OF, Purnell Swett — .355 average, nine RBIs, 30 runs, eight extra-base hits, 29 stolen bases

Camden Hunt, Jr., IF, Purnell Swett — .328 average, 21 RBIs, 18 runs, 10 stolen bases

Chandon Sanderson, Jr., P, Purnell Swett — 5-4, 1.62 ERA, 32 strikeouts, 34 1/3 innings pitched, one save

Bladdon Hammonds, Sr., OF, Purnell Swett — 12 RBIs, 13 runs, eight stolen bases; .977 fielding percentage

Jacey Jacobs, Jr., C, Purnell Swett — 16 RBIs, nine runs, six extra-base hits

Aaron Locklear, So., P, Purnell Swett — 3-2, 2.43 ERA, 32 strikeouts, 31 2/3 innings pitched

Joseden Oxendine, Fr., IF, Purnell Swett — .306 average, 19 RBIs, 17 runs

Chatler Maynor, Sr., OF, Lumberton — .372 average, 11 RBIs, 29 runs, 17 stolen bases

Tashaun Stocks, Sr., 3B/P, Lumberton — .349 average, 19 RBIs, 16 runs; 2-1, 1.47 ERA, 14 strikeouts, 14 1/3 innings pitched, two saves

Damian Robinson, Sr., P/OF, Lumberton — .315 average, 11 runs, 12 stolen bases; 4-1, 1.60 ERA, 28 strikeouts, 35 innings pitched

J.T. Hepler, So, OF, Lumberton — .370 average, 16 RBIs, 14 runs, six extra-base hits

Kenley Callahan, Jr., 1B/P, Fairmont — .271 average, eight RBIs, 13 runs, six extra-base hits, eight stolen bases

Nehemiah Chavis, Jr., SS/P, Fairmont — .263 average, 12 RBIs, 16 runs, 12 stolen bases

Mynkoda Smith, Jr., UT, Fairmont — .368 average, nine RBIs, 11 runs, seven stolen bases

T.J. Ellerbe, So., SS/P/C, Red Springs — .360 average, 30 stolen bases

Xzavier Sinclair, Fr., C/P/SS, Red Springs — .396 average, one home run; 38 strikeouts as pitcher

Jaylen Jacobs, Jr., 3B, St. Pauls — .492 average, nine extra-base hits

Joshua Garner, Jr., C, St. Pauls — .355 average

Honorable Mentions

Lumberton’s Caleb Maynor, Fairmont’s Roderick Deese and Austin Locklear and Red Springs’ Tim Hammonds earned honorable-mention selections.