May 25, 2021
The East Central Community College baseball team made an incredible run to close out the 2021 season, and in addition to that stellar finish, three Warriors were named Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference All-Conference. Amani Larry, a sophomore from Bossier City, La., and Walker Johnson, a third-year sophomore from Mantee were named First Team selections, while Clayton Cook, a freshman from Mize, earned Second Team honors. Four more Warriors earned honorable mention recognition.
Larry, selected as a first-team infielder, was the backbone of ECCC middle infielders as he played in every game this season. Larry was a machine at the shortstop position posting a .927 fielding percentage, and really shined at the plate as he had a .410 batting average. The sophomore finished the year with 64 hits, 21 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He also drove in a team-high 44 runs and scored 55 runs himself.
Johnson, selected as a first-team pitcher, was a stellar reliever for the Warriors throughout the season. Johnson made appearances in 25 games and threw 50.0 innings on the year. The third-year, COVID-19 sophomore struck out 81 batters while giving up just 35 hits and surrendering 10 earned runs. He finished the year with a 1.8 ERA, which is third-best in the country, a 3-2 record, and four saves.
Cook, selected as a second-team outfielder, seemed unable to miss at the plate as he led the Warriors with a .424 batting average. The freshman only had six games this season where did not record a hit and had 26 multi-hit games. From the leadoff position, he drove in 40 runs and scored 52 times with 16 singles and a team-high six homers.
Honorable mention nods went to Eli Harrison (Little Rock), Gage Tufnell (Hurley), Roper Ball (Noxapater), and Hayden West (Decatur). Harrison saw action in 45 games this year and was another staple to the Warrior defense in the field with a .955 fielding percentage. At the plate, the sophomore drove in 31 runs with nine doubles. Tufnell was one of the Warriors' key starters with 11 starts on the mound. The freshman finished with a 5-1 record and a 4.6 ERA as he struck out 25 batters over 45.0 innings. Ball was a strong player at the plate, on the mound, and in the field. The multitalented player drove in 19 runs and hit three home runs, while posting a 4.456 ERA with 37 strikeouts from the mound. West, another solid piece of the Warriors' pitching staff, saw the second-most innings on the mound with 47.2 innings thrown. The freshman finished with a 5-3 record and a 3.965 ERA and fanned 48 batters on the season.
Along with conference-wide awards, the East Central baseball team announced individual team awards, as voted on by the players. Co-Most Valuable Player honors went to Larry and Cook. Most Valuable Offensive Player was Cook, Most Valuable Defensive Player was Larry, Most Valuable Pitcher was Johnson, Most Competitive Player was Branson Sharpley (Taylorsville), and Most Improved Player was Trevor Waddell (Madison).
The Warriors finished the season 30-17 overall and finished the year as the NJCAA Region XXIII runners up.
