Generals place six players, Coach McDaniel, on VBL All-Star team

Six members of the 2012 Waynesboro Generals were selected for the Valley League All-Star Game, and Coach Derek McDaniel was named the head coach of the South All-Star team.

The six player selections for the Generals, who have the league’s best record, were:

– Centerfielder Julian Ridings, sophomore, Western Carolina. Ridings leads the VBL with a .444 batting average and is third in the league with a .697 slugging percentage. Ridings has four home runs, 20 RBI and a team-leading 10 stolen bases.

– Shortstop Caleb Palensky, sophomore, Nebraska-Omaha. Palensky is third in the VBL with a .411 batting average and .477 on-base percentage. Palensky also ranks among the league leaders with 71 assists.

– First baseman Jacob Hoyle, freshman, Western Carolina. Hoyle is fourth in the VBL with a .407 batting average and sixth in the league with a .626 slugging percentage. Hoyle has four homers and a team-leading 24 RBI. Hoyle has also appeared as a pitcher in four games out of the Generals’ bullpen and has a 1-0 record and 1.23 ERA with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed in seven and a third innings.

– Pitcher/outfielder Devin Smith, junior, Concord. Smith is 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA in four starts for Waynesboro. The four wins lead the league, and Smith boasts a noteworthy 25-3 strikeout-walk ratio in 25 innings pitched. Smith has also started 13 games in the outfield for the Generals, and is hitting .380 with a home run, 13 RBI, a .418 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage.

– Pitcher/infielder Seth Lucio, freshman, Tennessee Tech. Lucio has a 2-1 record, one save, and 2.23 ERA in six appearances, including four starts. The 2.23 ERA and .205 batting average against are both fifth-best in the Valley League. His 35 strikeouts is good for fourth-best in the league, and he has an impressive 35-7 strikeout-walk ratio in 32 and a third innings pitched. Lucio has also appeared in eight games as an infielder with a homer, 5 RBI and .250 batting average at the plate.

– Outfielder Brandon Murray, junior, College of Charleston. Murray is tied for second in the league with seven home runs, including a three-homer game in a 14-1 win over Winchester on June 20. Murray is hitting .307 with 18 RBI, a .391 on-base percentage and a .613 slugging percentage.