Rickey DeAtley, Manchester
Rickey DeAtley, Manchester

By Mark Carpenter –

Recently released was the list of All-District baseball players from the Southeast District and no less than seven Adams County athletes received honors, voted on by the District 14 Coaches Association. For the purposes of the All-District teams, the district is divided into North And South regions with a First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention recognized.
In Division III North, senior Trey Meade of North Adams was named to the Second Team. As the team’s number one pitcher in 2016, Meade finished with a 5-3 record with a 2.25 earned run average. Teammate Kenny Branch, solid behind the plate all season for the Green Devils, received Honorable Mention for a spring in which he batted .327 and drove home 14 runs.
Also from the Southern Hills Athletic Conference and receiving honors in Division III North were Lynchburg’s Devin Pierson, who was named to the First Team, Eastern Brown’s Brady Klein who was named to the Second Team, and Lynchburg’s Kendall Vilvens, who received Honorable Mention recognition.

Blake Stivers, Peebles
Blake Stivers, Peebles

In Division IV South, Manchester senior Sean Frost was named to the First Team once again, helping to even further cap off an outstanding career. Frost hit .409 his senior season and struck out 80 batters in 40 innings of work on the mound.
Also named to the Division IV South First Team was Peebles sophomore catcher Caleb West. West hit a blistering .452 for the Indians in 2016, while stealing 23 bases. Two of West’s Peebles teammates were named to the Division IV South Second Team, junior Blake Stivers and sophomore Stephen Penn.

On the mound for the Tribe, Stivers finished 3-5 with a sparkling 1.52 earned run average, fanning 62 hitters in 50 innings pitched, starting 10 games. At the plate, he hit .367 with eight doubles and 15 runs batted in, appearing in 21 games on the spring.
The mound work of Stephen Penn was a pleasant surprise for the Indians in 2016 as he ended the season with a team-high of eight wins with just three losses and a 1.49 ERA. Penn struck out 104 batters in his 65.2 innings on the hill, also starting 10 games. At the plate, Penn hit .224, scored 10 runs, and drove home 13. He also stole seven bases without being caught.

Stephen Penn, Peebles
Stephen Penn, Peebles

Garnering Honorable Mention in Division IV South was Manchester senior outfielder/pitcher Rickey DeAtley. Playing a solid center field, DeAtley hit .265, scored 11 runs, and drove home eight with a .345 on-base percentage. DeAtley was also used in relief on the mound, where he compiled a 3.27 ERA in eight appearances.

Other SHAC athletes who were honored in Division IV South included Whiteoak’s Trever Yeager (First Team) and Kyle Marler (Second Team).