STATE GAMES: 5 county sophomores set to showcase talent

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 14, 2018 5:51 AM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

GREENSBORO -- A chance to play in front of college baseball scouts?

What sophomore would say "no?''

Certainly not those who comprise a quintet of standouts that performed well for their respective teams on the diamond this past spring.

Case Kermode and Avery Browning helped lead Wayne Country Day to a runner-up finish in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs. Tanner Capps played for Rosewood, which repeated the Carolina 1-A Conference champ.

Eastern Wayne's Landon Ginn, who has East Carolina on his radar, and Charles B. Aycock's Blake Dilda round out the group.

Oh.

Two coaches -- Rosewood's Jason King and WCDS skipper Michael Taylor -- are tagging along.

All seven are part of the Region 2 contingent directed by head coach Aaron Rimer of Topsail. The group opens play today against Region 1 at UNC Greensboro.

"It is a big opportunity to coach some of the best players in the state," Taylor said. "It gives Case and Avery the opportunity to compete with the best. They will have a chance to play in front of lots of coaches and see how they stack up against other players throughout the state."

Kermode, the Chargers' lead-off man, batted .493 with 34 hits and 34 RBI. Browning turned in a .437 average with 35 hits and 26 RBI. He stole 26 bases and filed a .974 fielding percentage.

Each earned NCISAA All-State honors.

Capps mashed a team-leading three home runs for the Eagles, who advanced to the third round of the playoffs. He logged 100 putouts, second-most on the team behind catcher Tucker Chapin.

The full-time first baseman posted a sweet .431 batting average with 25 hits and 18 RBI.

"I'm proud of Tanner and I believe that he will represent Region 2 and Rosewood High School extremely well," King said. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to coach in the State Games and to see the collection of some of the best young talent in the state."

A future Pirate, Ginn turned in a .304 average at the plate with 17 hits and 19 RBI. He ended up with a 2-3 worksheet on the mound that included 56 strikeouts in 45.7 innings of work.

Dilda didn't commit an error defensively for the Golden Falcons, recording 33 successful putouts in 33 attempts. He batted .325 with 25 hits, 24 runs scored and 13 RBI.

Region 1 faces Region 8 on Friday and wraps up pool play against Region 5 on Saturday. Depending upon its finish, Region 2 could play at either UNCG in the medal round or at Grimsley High School on Sunday.