River City Sports announces 2024 All-Metro Baseball Awards, Teams

River City Sports announced its 2024 All-Metro Awards and Teams Thursday afternoon …

DANVILLE, Va. — River City Sports announced its 2024 All-Metro Awards and Teams Thursday afternoon.

Dan River senior Dylan Howerton and Tunstall senior Carter Richardson were named Co-Players of the Year.

Howerton hit .295 on the year while smacking three home runs and driving in 12 RBI. The Ferrum commit was especially deadly in the Wildcats’ postseason run that included a Region 2C championship and an appearance in the Class 2 state title, hitting .357 with a home run and five RBI. He smacked the eventual game-winning, solo home run in the state quarters against Central-Wise and drove in three runs and picked up the win as well, throwing three innings of one-hit, shutout relief while striking out two. Howerton also posted a 5–5 record on the bump to go along with a 2.90 ERA and a team-high 42 strikeouts.

Richardson hit a region-high .450 with a pair of home runs and finished tied with teammate senior Patrick Snow in the region in RBI with 21. The Radford University commit also posted three wins on the bump this season while striking out 51 and recording a .383 ERA.

Chatham senior Alex Van Pelt was named Pitcher of the Year after leading the area in nearly every category. The Mount St. Mary commit led the region in wins (seven) and strikeouts (115) and finished third in ERA (2.19). Van Pelt recorded double-digit strikeouts in six games, recording a season-high 15 in a win over Nelson County and 14 twice in a win against the Governors and loss to Altavista.

Dan River freshman Trace Jones was named Rookie of the Year after playing a vital role in the Wildcats’ season. Jones hit .254 with a home run and 13 RBI this year. He put up big numbers the final month of the season, hitting .323 with a dinger and 10 RBI.

Dan River coach Jacob Waller was named Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an improbable run to the Region 2C championship and a berth in the state semifinals. The ‘Cats finished the season 0–7 but finished strong, winning eight of their last 11 games to qualify for the playoffs.

A full list of the awards and teams are listed below.

Co-Players of the Year: Dylan Howerton (Dan River), Carter Richardson (Tunstall)

Pitcher of the Year: Alex Van Pelt (Chatham)

Rookie of the Year: Trace Jones (Dan River)

Coach of the Year: Jacob Waller (Dan River)

First Team

P — Alex Van Pelt (Chatham), Camden Cockran (Tunstall)

C — Dylan Howerton (Dan River)

1B — Luke Ewing (Dan River)

2B — Kennen Lewis (Chatham)

SS — Patrick Snow (Tunstall)

3B — Caleb Cassell (Chatham)

OF — Dakota Younger (Tunstall)

OF — Carter Richardson (Tunstall)

OF — Eben Owen (Tunstall)

DH — Elijah Glass (Dan River)

At-Large — Trace Jones (Dan River)

Second Team

P — Caleb Cassell (Chatham), Cayden Brooks (Dan River)

C — Zander Cornell (Chatham)

1B — Aidan Watlington (Tunstall)

2B — Schafter Boles (Tunstall)

SS — Alex Van Pelt (Chatham)

3B — Connor Hedrick (Tunstall)

OF — Ethan Glass (Dan River)

OF — Austin Pritchett (Dan River)

OF — Cody Walden (Chatham)

DH — Jaxon Phillippi (Chatham)

At-Large — Dallas Dietz (George Washington)