Region champion Lake City has five players named to all-region baseball team

Lake City – The Lake City High School baseball team had a strong regular season, posting an overall record of 18-6 while winning the Region 6-AAA championship.

That put the Panthers in a prime position in the District 6 tournament of the state playoffs. And that’s where the good season ended.

“We had a very solid season, but unfortunately went ice cold at the plate in the playoffs,” said veteran Lake City head coach Matt Apicella.

The Panthers lost to Loris 5-3 in the opening game and that was followed by a 2-0 shutout loss to Gilbert.

It’s not as if Lake City struggled hitting the ball during the season either. It finished the year with a team batting average of .293 and was averaging close to six runs a contest entering the playoffs.

Lake City was led by My’Kel Croker, the Region 6 Player of the Year. Croker batted .356 with five doubles, 13 runs batted in, a team high 36 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Croker also had a 5-1 win-loss record and a 2.24 earned run average.

Joining Croker on the all-region team were Blayne Edwards, Taevin Herring, Markeis Hudson and Jase McKnight.

Edwards batted .329 with 20 runs batted in and 23 runs to go with 19 stolen bases. McKnight batted .266 and smacked two home runs while driving in 15 runs. McKnight was a workhorse on the mound. He pitched 58 2/3 inninings and posted an 8-2 record. He allowed just 42 hits and 20 walks while striking out 74.

Hudson batted .301 with a team high 23 runs batted in to go with 16 stolen bases. Herring finished with a .333 average, 11 doubles and 19 runs batted in.

Octavian McKnight also stole 19 bases.

THREE LAKE CITY ATHLETES PLACE IN AAA TRACK MEET

Lake City’s Ziya Walker and Tiara Muldrow both placed in the girls portion of the AAA track and field state meet at Lower Richland High School while Jeffery McFadden placed for the boys team.

Walker, a senior, placed in two events. She was fourth in the triple jump at 35 feet, 3 ½ inches. Walker finished sixth in the long jump with a jump of 16-02.

Muldrow, a freshman, finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 16.39 seconds.

McFadden, a junior, finished fifth in the triple jump. He had a jump of 43-06.