ALL-STAR GAME SATURDAY | Kilgore’s Truman, Tatum’s Gonzalez in the mix
A pair of young men in the ETBlitz.com coverage area are headed to Round Rock for a pretty special event next weekend.
We told you about a month ago Kilgore’s Tate Truman being selected for the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Classes 1A-4A All-Star Game, and we’re proud to report today that Tatum’s Carson Gonzalez has also been chosen for the contest, played each year at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
This year’s game is Saturday, June 15, at noon.
Tate will be on the South All-Stars, suiting up at third base. Carson will play for the North All-Stars, as an outfielder.
In 30 games for coach Eugene Lafitte’s Kilgore High School Bulldogs, Truman finished with a .398 batting average, a slugging percentage of .500, and an on-base percentage of .466. He had 35 hits – 26 singles and nine doubles.
He had 21 RBI, scored 17 runs, had 12 walks, had two sacrifice flies, reached on error three times, on a fielder’s choice four times, and five stolen bases.
In the best-of-three-game playoff series against Bullard, Truman had Kilgore’s lone hit that ended a no-hit bid by Bullard’s David Wilson.
Tate pitched 17 innings in eight games, facing 84 batters. He threw 292 pitches and allowed 14 runs, seven earned, on 12 hits. He walked 20, had seven strikeouts, an ERA of 2.88, and only allowed four stolen bases. He finished the season with a 2-2 record.
Gonzalez, of course, was a huge part of the playoff run for coach Dustin Russell’s Tatum Eagles, all the way to the UIL Class 3A Regional Semifinals for a second straight season.
Gonzalez was the District 16-3A most valuable player, as a part of the All-District team voted on by the district’s coaches – Tatum won the district championship. Gonzalez finished with a 9-0 record on the mound, and helped the Eagles beat White Oak, Winnsboro and West Rusk before bowing out to Gunter in the semis.
Joining Gonzalez on the North will be pitchers Augden Hallmark (Wall), Carson Haffner (Randall), Tate Hendley (Idalou) and Braden McIntyre (Boyd); catchers Jonnie Gifford (West Plains), Brady Gray (Farmersville), and Scout Steinhilber (Kennedale); first basemen Gavin Brandsletter (Brownwood) and Colten Grier (Van); second basemen Lando Belcher (Jacksboro) and Kade Gavina (Bushland); shortstops Major Brignon (Celina) and Cade Dodson (Gunter); third basemen Tyler Chapman (Albany) and Easton Stewart (Snyder); outfielders Logan Addison (New Home), Jonathan Kirk (Electra), and Sawyer Strosnider (Brock); and at-large selections Logan Jenkins (Collinsville) and Thomas Perez (Valley Mills).
Coaches for the North All-Stars are Allen McGee of Graham, Jacksboro’s Blake Belcher and Gruver’s Kelly Cowan.
Joining Truman on the South All-Star team will be pitchers Damian Castorena (Mumford), Logan Flores (Salado), Eli Heyen (Hondo) and Kalebn Kuhn (Columbus); catchers Cooper Hatcher (Pollok Central), Lane Lynch (Kerens) and Peyton Pierce (Sweeny); first baseman Jordan Coronado (Anderson Shiro) and Landon Salinas (London); second basemen Kaden Kovar (Thorndale) and Cort Lowry (Franklin); shortstops Caleb Fregia (Orangefield) and Devin Nunez (Navasota); third baseman Nick Flores (Sinton); outfielders Chase Fricke (Troy), Josh Garcia (Tuloso-Midway), Nick West (Central Heights), and David Wilson (Bullard); and at-large selections Nolan Larson (Lufkin Hudson) and Chris Perez (Taylor).
The South All-Stars are coached by West Columbia’s Earnest Pena, Franklin’s Matt Anderson and Mumford’s Aaron Thomas.