N&O All-Metro baseball team and final top 25 rankings – 2017

Five of the 30 players on The News & Observer’s All-Metro baseball team were taken in the MLB Draft earlier this month, making this one of the most talented groups over the last decade.

The selected were: Cary’s Greg Jones Jr. (17th round, Baltimore), South Granville’s Justin Bullock (16th round, Milwaukee), Cardinal Gibbons’ Noah Campbell (19th round, Milwaukee), Northern Durham’s Spencer Smith (37th, Texas) and Jordan’s Wil Hoyle (38th, Oakland).

Smith and Bullock were the only three-time selections. Campbell was a two-time pick, as were North Johnston’s Logan Hayes and Dylan Radford, South Granville’s Holden Laws and Southern Lee’s Topher Grant.

Holly Springs leads the final 18-county area top 25 rankings for the first time since 2011. The Golden Hawks were eliminated in the 4A semifinal round.

South Granville (2A semifinalist), J.H. Rose (lost to Holly Springs in fourth round), Northwood (lost to eventual 3A champ Northern Guilford in the fourth round) and Heritage (lost to Rose in the third round) round out the top five. 1A semifinalist Rosewood was 11th.

N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A champ Faith Christian Rocky Mount was sixth and 1A champ Kerr-Vance was unranked, although both teams got one player on the All-Metro team.

N&O ALL-METRO BASEBALL TEAM

Jordyn Adams, Green Hope

In his first year in the Triangle, the junior adjusted well to the strength of the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference. He batted .494 with 18 RBIs and also stole 26 bases. He also flashed his glove and arm while playing center field for the N&O No. 18 Falcons.

Tyshawn Barrett, J.H. Rose

The senior first baseman batted .440 and had 36 RBIs with five home runs for the No. 3 Rampants. The N.C. Central recruit showed some speed as well, stealing 17 bases.

Tucker Brown, South Granville

The junior slugged .495. with 35 RBIs and 16 stolen bases for the 2A East runner-up Vikings. One of three players from No. 3 South Granville to make this year’s team.

Justin Bullock, South Granville

The senior and reigning N&O Player of the Year was also the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association 2A state player of the year. An N.C. State recruit who was drafted in the 16th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. Was dominant on the mound, going 11-0 with an 0.55 ERA and a staggering 124 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. The three-time All-Metro pick also hit for .476 average with the most RBIs (46) and homers (11) of any player in the N&O area.

Noah Campbell, Cardinal Gibbons

The senior shortstop made the All-Metro team for the second year in a row. Three rounds after Bullock was drafted, Milwaukee selected him in the 19th round of the MLB Draft. The South Carolina recruit batted .478 with 21 RBIs and four homers and stole 15 bases for the No. 10 Crusaders.

Landon Choboy, Leesville Road

The junior catcher was voted Cap-8 Conference Player of the Year after helping the No. 14 Pride win the league title. He hit .463 on the year with 19 RBIs and is one of the area’s best defensive catchers.

Chris Crabtree, Riverside

The senior Duke recruit batted a remarkable .600 on the season with four home runs and 28 RBIs. In a league with three MLB Draft picks, the first baseman was voted PAC-6 Conference Player of the Year.

Topher Grant, Southern Lee

Grant earned his second straight spot on the All-Metro team thanks to his stellar play on the mound and at the plate. The Co-Cape Fear Valley Conference Player of the Year batted .426 with 26 RBIs but was an even better hurler for the No. 24 Cavaliers. The Lenoir-Rhyne recruit went 8-3 with a 1.53 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Greg Hardison, J.H. Rose

The senior UNC-Greensboro recruit was voted as the Eastern Carolina 3A/4A Conference’s Player of the Year. Set the tone at the top of the order for the No. 3 Rampants, batting .494 with 22 stolen bases.

David Harrison, Rocky Mount

The senior N.C. State recruit was voted Big East 3A Player of the Year. The hurler went 8-2 on the mound with a 1.37 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. Also hit .375 with 22 RBIs to help the No. 19 Gryphons win the conference tournament.

Logan Hayes, North Johnston

One of two players from the No. 12 Panthers to make the All-Metro team for the second straight year. The senior Guilford College recruit was 7-0 on the mound with a 0.91 ERA. He had 57 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings pitched and hit .356 at the dish.

Wil Hoyle, Jordan

The 38th-round MLB Draft pick of the Oakland A’s was one of the fastest players in the Triangle. The Duke recruit batted .360 with 23 stolen bases and scored 27 runs for the No. 8 Falcons.

Max Hundley, Northwood

The junior earned Co-Big 8 Conference Player of the Year honors after batting .506 with 24 RBIs and three homers for the No. 4 Chargers.

Reid Johnston, Rocky Mount Academy

The senior N.C. State recruit had a terrific year. He hit .419 with eight homers and 34 RBIs while posting a 4-3 record on the mound with a 1.04 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 47 innings of work.

Greg Jones Jr., Cary

The senior and UNC-Wilmington recruit garnered the attention of MLB Draft scouts particularly with his speed and he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 17th round. He batted .429 with 18 stolen bases for the Imps.

Holden Laws, South Granville

The junior N.C. State recruit made his second straight All-Metro appearance as the Vikings were stopped just one round shy of a chance at a third straight title. He went 8-2 on the mound with a 1.17 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 60 innings. Also batted .319 with 27 RBIs.

Nolan McLean, Garner

The only freshman on this team was also the Greater Neuse River Conference Player of the Year. The catcher burst onto the high school scene by batting .507 and notched 24 RBIs for the GNRC champion Trojans, who were No. 20 in the final rankings.

Grant Millay, South Johnston

The senior was the Two Rivers 3A Conference Player of the Year. He had a 5-1 record with a 1.48 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. He also belted six home runs while batting .378 with 24 RBIs for the co-conference champs and conference tournament champs.

Ben Miller, Jordan

The sophomore did a little bit of everything for the PAC-6 Conference champions. He was 10-2 on the mound with a 1.50 ERA and also hit .431 with 24 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

Jabe Montgomery, Kerr-Vance

The senior led the Spartans’ march to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1A championship. He was 5-0 on the mound with a 0.81 ERA and averaged more than two strikeouts per inning (126 in 60 2/3 innings).

Camden Munise, Holly Springs

The Southwest Wake Athletic Confrence Player of the Year guided the Golden Hawks to the conference title and No. 1 final ranking. The Coker College recruit went 8-2 on the mound with just a 0.92 ERA. Had 69 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings. Also cranked out seven homers, with 31 RBIs while hitting .310.

Davis Palermo, Northwood

The North Carolina recruit was the Big 8 Conference pitcher of the year as a junior. He went 9-2 with a 1.94 ERA and a whopping 102 strikeouts in 65 innings while also hitting .419.

Syncere Pittman, South Central

The leading hitter in the always-tough Eastern Carolina 3A/4A Conference had one of the highest averages in the state at .531. The junior added 15 RBIs and nine stolen bases for the No. 17 Falcons.

Dylan Radford, North Johnston

The North Johnston senior and UNC-Pembroke recruit is making his second straight appearance on the All-Metro team. Had a 9-3 record on the mound with an amazing 0.36 ERA. Struck out 68 batters in 58 1/3 innings while also batting .493 with 24 RBIs.

Tucker Rogers, Middle Creek

The Louisburg College recruit led the way for the No. 13 Mustangs. On the moud, the senior was 7-3 with a 1.28 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. He also batted .354.

Landen Roupp, Faith Christian Rocky Mount

The senior led the Patriots’ charge to the NCISAA 2A championship, the school’s first, and a No. 6 N&O ranking. It’s the first time any Faith Christian team has ended the year in an N&O ranking. The UNC-Wilmington recruit had a terrific all-around season, going 10-1 on the mound with a 0.49 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings while also batting .456 with 26 RBIs, four triples, four homers and 15 stolen bases.

Spencer Smith, Northern Durham

The senior is making his third appearance on the All-Metro team. Though he battled an injury, he still batted .414 with seven homers and 25 RBIs. The catcher who added 10 stolen bases for the Knights was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft.

Patrick Szczypinksi, Northwood

One of three Chargers to make this year’s All-Metro team went 9-1 on the mound with a 1.52 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings pitched. He also hit .419 with five homers and drove in a whopping 40 RBIs.

Thayer Thomas, Heritage

The senior infielder batted .473 to lead the Cap-8 Conference and help the Huskies to their highest N&O ranking in the sport. Turned down baseball offers to walk-on at N.C. State in football. Added 16 RBIs.

Bryson Worrell, Hunt

The Big East 3A Conference pitcher of the year for the No. 21 Warriors was a perfect 8-0 on the mound with a 0.92 ERA. The senior East Carolina recruit struck out 60 batters in 53 1/3 innings.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 2:39 AM with the headline "N&O All-Metro baseball team and final top 25 rankings – 2017."