HAHIRA — The Valwood baseball season wrapped up with an evening of fellowship, honors and reflection. As the players and parents gathered for a season-ending banquet, the group took the opportunity to look back on their journey.
In it, Valwood endured injuries, road miles, and overcame many adversities on the way to reaching the AAA state championship series. Finishing with a record of 18 – 14 for the season, the overall statistics hardly tell the story.
Senior shortstop Dalton Smith, senior right fielder Jack Drew, junior left fielder Triston White, and eighth grader Camden Crump received All-Region honors in the Region 3-AAA conference. Moreover, Drew was named the 2024 All-Region Player of the Year.
Drew ended the regular season with a .473 batting average, .578 on-base percentage, and a .649 slugging percentage. He led the Valiants during the regular season with 35 hits that included eight doubles, a triple, and 23 RBI.
Smith earned All-Region honors for the third consecutive year. After getting off to a slow start in the regular season, Smith rallied to finish with a line of .316 batting average, .487 on-base percentage, scoring 19 runs in 22 regular season games. Smith’s defensive prowess at shortstop was a stabilizing presence on the Valiants’ march to the playoffs.
White, also a football standout, received the nod of honor not only for his offensive contributions, but his stellar defensive play in left field. Crashing into fences and making diving plays in every direction, White finished the season with a defensive line of .941 fielding percentage while only recording a single error.
Offensively, White tied with Smith for the team lead of 15 stolen bases. However, White led all hitters during the playoffs with a .343 batting average, .410 on base percentage, and a .400 slugging percentage with 12 total hits.
Crump pulled off a rare feat by being selected to the All-Region team as an eighth grader. He was awarded for leading the team on the pitcher’s mound after the righty finished the regular season with 48.2 innings pitched, 11 games pitched, 9 games saved while facing 216 batters. He finished 5-1 during the regular season with a 2.58 ERA.
Including the playoffs, the young hurler finished with an overall record of seven wins to just three losses.
Drew, White, and Crump were also selected to the All-State team. This statewide honor comes as the GIAA baseball coaches recognize the top 20 baseball players during the season.
According to Coach Robert Shipman, the gathering was a fitting end to a resilient team.
“I’m happy for all our guys who were honored on the All-Region and All-State team,” he said. “Their accolades were worthy and well deserved! However, if you look back at what this team accomplished, I think you would realize that we were truly a team that was a sum of all its parts.”
The Valiants finished the regular season with a 12–10 record and seeded eighth in the state playoffs. The path to the state championship looked insurmountable and improbable. According to Shipman, the Valiants started to come together and show the toughness they displayed throughout the season.
“Among the guys who received honors, there are several on this team who were the glue to making our wins come together. Players who did not receive season accolades were also pivotal to our success,” he said. “Seniors like Jake Goff, relief pitcher turned starter, in a 3-game playoff format, pitched lights out! That dude threw not one, but two game three victories. He beat the No. 1 team in the state, Pinewood Christian.
“Then he goes to a game three versus the two-time defending state champs, John Milledge Academy. He shoves a complete game shutout to win 1-0. Even though he doesn’t get on the All-Region team, I guarantee he doesn’t trade those moments for that recognition.”
Summing up the season, Coach Shipman reflected on several other players. “When I think about this season, I will for sure remember the honored players in our program, but I will think about seniors like pitcher, James Godbee, third base/catcher, David Griffin, first base, Conner Hutto, and outfielder/DH, Dallas Hatfield.
“These guys all made sacrifices for the last two years and contributed to our success. I will remember junior Michael Matchett’s and sophomore Brayden Thomas’s baserunning efforts. I will remember how hard Chase Helfer worked to become a solid defensive catcher. I will remember our platooning second basemen in Dustin Gibbs and Will Greene and the contributions they made at any point during the season. My other eighth grade pitcher, Asher Wells, performed well above his years on the mound down the stretch. We were indeed a sum of all our parts!”
Although the Valiants fell to Terrell Academy in the state championship, Coach Shipman believes the tone is set for the near future.
“I cannot tell you how grateful the coaching staff and I are to have coached these bunch of guys. Not only are they resilient and won’t quit, but the vast majority of them are also selfless. David Griffin comes to mind, in his years at Valwood I’ve had him play pitcher, catcher, outfielder, shortstop, and third base – he’s probably best at catcher but he plays anywhere I tell him to play. That’s selfless.”