Whiteoak trio earn All-Ohio honors
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The '13 season of the Whiteoak Wildcats ends with three players being selected Division IV All-Ohio by the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Earning the coveted statewide honors were seniors Gage Carraher and Luke Taggert and junior Tyler Williams.
"All three of these players are very deserving," Whiteoak head coach Chris Veidt told The Highland County Press. "They've all worked very hard to earn this honor."
Carraher was selected first-team All-Ohio by the coaches, while Williams was named to the second team and Taggert was selected as an honorable mention.
In his '13 season, Carraher, who was selected as a pitcher, finished with an ERA of 1.02 (including the postseason) as he went 8-1 this year, undefeated during the regular season.
Carraher pitched 54.2 innings, allowing eight runs total (all earned), with just three runs (all earned) during the regular season.
"Whiteoak has had some great pitchers in the past, and what Gage has done the past four years has been nothing but phenomenal," Veidt said. "He's been our ace for the past four years, and to have a career like he has had put him at the top of the list.
"His ability to improve each year was amazing to watch."
The senior hurler allowed 24 hits (four doubles, one triple) with no home runs and 23 walks. He struck out 87 batters and had two shutouts, holding opposing batters to an average of .128 with a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.9.
This is the second time Carraher has been selected All-Ohio, as he was honorable mention his junior season, becoming just the third Wildcat to have a repeat appearance on the All-Ohio list in baseball since '91.
Carraher, the ace of the WIldcats' pitching staff, is a four-time All-Southern Hills Athletic Conference player and a four-time member of the All-SE District team, including being a first-team selection this year. For his career, Carraher pitched 218 innings, allowing just 37 earned runs in a four-year span for an ERA of 1.19. He holds the WHS record for innings pitched in a season at 61.2 (2012) and is tied for most wins in a season with eight, accomplishing that feat the past two seasons.
"Gage, being our ace, has faced top-level competition his entire high school career," Veidt said. "Since he was a freshman, he's been facing the best."
The senior also holds the season strikeout record with 111 during his junior year, wrapping up his career with 345 strikeouts in four seasons. His other individual season totals included 78, 77 and 87 strikeouts during his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. As a freshman, Carraher had an 18-strikeout game.
Carraher, who was hit by a pitch six times, was also one of the leading batters for WHS this past season, leading the Wildcats with a .476 batting average, along with a .598 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .565 in 29 games and 82 at-bats. Carraher scored 24 runs on 39 hits (seven doubles, one home run) and 16 walks, collecting 31 RBIs and 11 steals.
Williams, a first-team SE All-District selection, also played in all 29 games, being a big contributor to the Wildcats' tying the school record in victories with a 21-8 overall record in '13. Williams, an outfielder, had 89 at-bats with an average of .438, leading the Wildcats in home runs with three, including one in the regional semifinals against Newark Catholic.[[In-content Ad]]
"Tyler has improved each year, as he has a rare combination of power and speed that you don't see a lot in high school," Veidt said. "With Tyler, we just wanted him to play more baseball, and this summer, he's playing with the Post 129 Legion team, so he'll continue to improve with them."
With a slugging percentage of .663, Williams, who was one vote short of making All-SHAC, scored 26 runs on 39 hits (five doubles, three triples) and eight walks, leading to 59 total bases. He also collected 10 steals and 27 RBIs. The junior finished with an on-base percentage of .481 and a .663 slugging percentage.
"He surprised us this year," Veidt said. "We knew he had the skills, but he's been able to refine those raw skills, and his numbers speak for themselves. He's continuing to work, and the sky's the limit for him."
Williams was hit by a pitch on two occasions this past season.
Taggert was named honorable mention by the coaches association, playing in all 29 games for WHS in '13. Taggert had 93 at-bats with 33 runs scored on 39 hits (10 doubles, two triples) and 19 walks (hit once by a pitch).
The senior second baseman totaled 53 bases with 20 steals and 14 RBIs. His batting average ended at .419 with a .570 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage.
"Making the All-Ohio list isn't an easy thing to do, but to me, Luke is a first- or second-teamer," Veidt said. "He was our No. 2 pitcher and played the infield for us. He also had to face top-level pitching, being our second pitcher."
Veidt also spoke about Taggert's change of spot in the batting order this season as he was an All-SHAC and first-team All-District selection.
"This was the first time he batted lead-off for us, and he did a great job," he said. "He would take a walk and got accustomed to being our lead-off hitter. Luke turned the corner and made the adjustment."
Veidt spoke about Luke's leadership ability.
"His leadership on and off the field, I'm really proud of," Veidt said. "He was a captain for three years, and I can't say enough about how great of a leader he was for us."
Taggert was also a pitcher for WHS, going 33.1 innings on the mound. His senior season included a record of 5-0 with one save and an ERA of 0.84. In eight games pitched (33.1 innings), Taggert allowed seven runs (four earned) on 26 hits and 12 walks. He struck out 35 batters, with a WHIP of 1.1, holding batters to an average of .213.
Earning the coveted statewide honors were seniors Gage Carraher and Luke Taggert and junior Tyler Williams.
"All three of these players are very deserving," Whiteoak head coach Chris Veidt told The Highland County Press. "They've all worked very hard to earn this honor."
Carraher was selected first-team All-Ohio by the coaches, while Williams was named to the second team and Taggert was selected as an honorable mention.
In his '13 season, Carraher, who was selected as a pitcher, finished with an ERA of 1.02 (including the postseason) as he went 8-1 this year, undefeated during the regular season.
Carraher pitched 54.2 innings, allowing eight runs total (all earned), with just three runs (all earned) during the regular season.
"Whiteoak has had some great pitchers in the past, and what Gage has done the past four years has been nothing but phenomenal," Veidt said. "He's been our ace for the past four years, and to have a career like he has had put him at the top of the list.
"His ability to improve each year was amazing to watch."
The senior hurler allowed 24 hits (four doubles, one triple) with no home runs and 23 walks. He struck out 87 batters and had two shutouts, holding opposing batters to an average of .128 with a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 0.9.
This is the second time Carraher has been selected All-Ohio, as he was honorable mention his junior season, becoming just the third Wildcat to have a repeat appearance on the All-Ohio list in baseball since '91.
Carraher, the ace of the WIldcats' pitching staff, is a four-time All-Southern Hills Athletic Conference player and a four-time member of the All-SE District team, including being a first-team selection this year. For his career, Carraher pitched 218 innings, allowing just 37 earned runs in a four-year span for an ERA of 1.19. He holds the WHS record for innings pitched in a season at 61.2 (2012) and is tied for most wins in a season with eight, accomplishing that feat the past two seasons.
"Gage, being our ace, has faced top-level competition his entire high school career," Veidt said. "Since he was a freshman, he's been facing the best."
The senior also holds the season strikeout record with 111 during his junior year, wrapping up his career with 345 strikeouts in four seasons. His other individual season totals included 78, 77 and 87 strikeouts during his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons. As a freshman, Carraher had an 18-strikeout game.
Carraher, who was hit by a pitch six times, was also one of the leading batters for WHS this past season, leading the Wildcats with a .476 batting average, along with a .598 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .565 in 29 games and 82 at-bats. Carraher scored 24 runs on 39 hits (seven doubles, one home run) and 16 walks, collecting 31 RBIs and 11 steals.
Williams, a first-team SE All-District selection, also played in all 29 games, being a big contributor to the Wildcats' tying the school record in victories with a 21-8 overall record in '13. Williams, an outfielder, had 89 at-bats with an average of .438, leading the Wildcats in home runs with three, including one in the regional semifinals against Newark Catholic.[[In-content Ad]]
"Tyler has improved each year, as he has a rare combination of power and speed that you don't see a lot in high school," Veidt said. "With Tyler, we just wanted him to play more baseball, and this summer, he's playing with the Post 129 Legion team, so he'll continue to improve with them."
With a slugging percentage of .663, Williams, who was one vote short of making All-SHAC, scored 26 runs on 39 hits (five doubles, three triples) and eight walks, leading to 59 total bases. He also collected 10 steals and 27 RBIs. The junior finished with an on-base percentage of .481 and a .663 slugging percentage.
"He surprised us this year," Veidt said. "We knew he had the skills, but he's been able to refine those raw skills, and his numbers speak for themselves. He's continuing to work, and the sky's the limit for him."
Williams was hit by a pitch on two occasions this past season.
Taggert was named honorable mention by the coaches association, playing in all 29 games for WHS in '13. Taggert had 93 at-bats with 33 runs scored on 39 hits (10 doubles, two triples) and 19 walks (hit once by a pitch).
The senior second baseman totaled 53 bases with 20 steals and 14 RBIs. His batting average ended at .419 with a .570 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage.
"Making the All-Ohio list isn't an easy thing to do, but to me, Luke is a first- or second-teamer," Veidt said. "He was our No. 2 pitcher and played the infield for us. He also had to face top-level pitching, being our second pitcher."
Veidt also spoke about Taggert's change of spot in the batting order this season as he was an All-SHAC and first-team All-District selection.
"This was the first time he batted lead-off for us, and he did a great job," he said. "He would take a walk and got accustomed to being our lead-off hitter. Luke turned the corner and made the adjustment."
Veidt spoke about Luke's leadership ability.
"His leadership on and off the field, I'm really proud of," Veidt said. "He was a captain for three years, and I can't say enough about how great of a leader he was for us."
Taggert was also a pitcher for WHS, going 33.1 innings on the mound. His senior season included a record of 5-0 with one save and an ERA of 0.84. In eight games pitched (33.1 innings), Taggert allowed seven runs (four earned) on 26 hits and 12 walks. He struck out 35 batters, with a WHIP of 1.1, holding batters to an average of .213.