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

Chris Graham

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.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].