Meet the finalists and cast your vote for The State’s Athlete of the Week (April 19)
The State’s sports staff would like to recognize noticeable athletic performances for the spring season, and we are giving you a chance to vote for the Player of the Week. Listed below are some of the most outstanding outings for the week ending Saturday, April 17. A new list of nominees will be published each Monday as we move toward the end of spring sports season.
Deadline to vote is 1 p.m. Thursday. Read about the nominees, then cast your vote below.
MEET THIS WEEK’S FINALISTS
Grady Brandsatter, Chapin lacrosse: He had three goals and three assists in an 11-10 overtime win over Lexington. Chapin begins the playoffs this week.
Zander Buchan, A.C. Flora baseball: The senior catcher went 3-for-6, with two home runs, a double and six RBIs in the Falcons’ two victories over Irmo. In the 6-0 victory last Monday, the USC commitment belted a three-run home run to spark a four-run third inning. Buchan added a home run and a double with two walks as A.C. Flora coach Andy Hallett secured his 500th career win in the Falcons’ 11-2 victory.
Courtney Farr, Airport girls soccer: She scored five goals and had eight assists in Airport’s three wins last week.
John Allen Forrester, Airport baseball: Pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts in Monday’s win over South Aiken. At the plate, he went 4-for-9 with a homer and 3 RBIs in the Eagles’ three wins last week.
Sarah Gordon, Lexington softball: The senior capped a solid week with a five-RBI performance in a 17-1 victory over River Bluff. She was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored against the Gators. She went 2-for-4 with a run scored from her leadoff spot in a 4-1 win over Chapin.
Grace Moulton, Lexington girls soccer: Eight saves for the week in goal, three in the Wildcats’ win over River Bluff and five more against White Knoll.
Kevin Steelman, Blythewood baseball: The Bengals pitcher was spectacular in the 4-0 victory over Spring Valley last Tuesday. He threw a complete-game two-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks. He only faced two batters over the minimum and threw 48 strikes on his 65 pitches.
Hayden Thomas, Brookland-Cayce baseball: The Bearcats sophomore capped a great week with a complete game, one-hit performance in a 5-1 win over Strom Thurmond. The Arkansas commit allowed one unearned run while striking out 11 and walking three. He also went 3-for-6 at the plate with a double and two runs scored.
Zierin Thomas, Ridge View softball: Thomas was perfect in a doubleheader sweep over Lower Richland. In game one, she went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. She followed that up with a 3-for-3 performance with a home run and four RBIs in the nightcap.
Tucker Toman, Hammond baseball: The junior LSU commitment did a little bit of everything during the week. In a 3-2 win over Cardinal Newman, Toman threw a complete-game seven-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks. He also added a two-run home run and scored the winning run in the fifth inning. He finished the week 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and walk.
Mason Turner, Gray Collegiate baseball: He was 6-for-12 with two homers and seven RBIs as Gray Collegiate went 4-0 last week.
Maggie Williams, Batesburg-Leesville softball: Williams accounted for eight RBIs as the Panthers had a doubleheader sweep of Eau Claire. She also was the winning pitcher in the game two that was shortened to three innings. Williams struck out four and walked two while allowing one hit.
Vote here
HOW TO NOMINATE
Player of the Week honors highlight high school athletes for their outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize athletes across several different sports. If you would like to suggest a nominee to be added to the weekly ballot through the end of the spring sports seasons, please send an email to Chris Dearing at dear82c@gmail.com. You can also direct message him on Twitter at @CDearing82. Include the athlete’s name, school, class and game statistics for the week. Coaches will need to verify information.
