Five earn all-conference honors for Scotland baseball

Five Scotland High School varsity baseball players have earned all-conference honors for the 2021 baseball season.

In the aftermath of a runner-up finish in the Sandhills Athletic Conference and a second-round appearance in the 4A state playoffs this season, seniors Lane Roberson, Jackson Sellers and Eric Romaine, as well as junior Parker Byrd and freshman Bryant Kimbrell were each named to the all-conference team.

Conference champions Pinecrest swept the individual awards, with Colby Wallace winning Pitcher of the Year, RJ Sales winning Player of the Year and Jeff Hewitt being named Coach of the Year.

Roberson and Sellers were Scotland’s starting pitchers all season long, Roberson getting the first game each week and Sellers getting the second. Each started eight games and each tallied with a 4-2 record, while Roberson finished with a 3.474 ERA and Sellers had a 3.196 ERA. The duo combined for 99 strikeouts in 16 games.

Sellers had success at-bat, as well, finishing with a .380 batting average and was also second on the team in total hits with 19.

Romaine served as a steady, consistent presence in the bottom and middle of Scotland’s batting order throughout the season. He finished the season with the second-best batting average on the team (.409) and third-most total hits (18).

Byrd started off the season in the middle of the Scots’ lineup, but after a couple games, he had worked his way up to the leadoff spot, where he played for the rest of the season. He led the team in total hits (24), batting average (.480), doubles (8), home runs (1) and RBIs (22).

Despite being just a freshman, Kimbrell was one of Scotland’s most consistent hitters, which included his walk-off RBI to beat Lumberton on June 4. He finished the season with a .308 batting average to go with 15 RBIs, the second-most on the team.