All-Tidewater 2009 | Baseball

PLAYER OF THE YEAR | Chris Taylor

No one would be surprised if Cox’s Chris Taylor was preparing for a college wrestling career. His grandfather Armand and father, Chris Sr., wrestled at Virginia Tech, and the younger Taylor was a city wrestling champ at Great Neck Middle School in Virginia Beach. But Taylor’s future isn’t on the mat, or with the Hokies. He’s headed to Virginia to play baseball. Full story

• Cox Senior shortstop
• Batted .444 with 24 stolen bases, 37 runs scored
• Beach District, Eastern Region and Group AAA state player of the year
• Signed with Virginia

Dean Ali

• Indian River Junior pitcher/infielder/outfielder
• One of the region’s most versatile players, Ali played first base, third base and outfield
• Batted .448 with five home runs and 30 RBIs and stole 13 bases
• On the mound, went 8-2 with a 1.73 ERA
• Southeastern District Player of the Year
• First-team All-Eastern Region and second-team All-Group AAA

Isaac Ballou

• Nansemond-Suffolk Senior outfielder
• “A natural leader and tremendous asset,” said coach Mike Curry
• Fleet-footed centerfielder who scored 29 runs and was 25 of 25 on stolen-base attempts
• Helped the Saints win the Tidewater Conference tournament championship
• Batted .431 with 17 RBIs and a .580 on-base percentage
• First-team All-Tidewater Conference and All-VISAA
• Signed with Marshall

Blake Boyce

• First Colonial Senior catcher
• Led the Patriots offensively “while being pitched around all year,” said coach Scott Stubbe
• Helped First Colonial finish second in the Beach District regular-season race and win the Beach tournament title
• Batted .456 with four home runs and 23 RBIs
• First-team All-Beach District and All-Eastern Region
• Signed with Campbell

Eddie Butler

• Greenbrier Christian Senior righthanded pitcher
• Ace of a Gators staff that was ranked No. 1 in South Hampton Roads and won a third consecutive Virginia Independent Schools Division II state championship
• His fastball has been clocked above 90 mph
• Went 8-0 with a 1.40 ERA
• At the plate, batted .469 with two home runs and a .778 slugging percentage
• First-team All-Tidewater Conference and All-VISAA
• Signed with Radford

Jeff DiFulgo

• Kellam Junior righthanded pitcher
• Ace on a Kellam team that finished second in the Beach District
• Went 10-1 with a 1.85 ERA
• Became the Knights’ third baseman early in the season and finished with a .380 batting average
• First-team All-Beach District and second-team All-Eastern Region

John Garrett

• Maury Senior third baseman
• Helped lead the Commodores to Eastern District regular-season and tournament titles
• Batted .568 with five home runs and 43 RBIs
• Also a righthanded pitcher, went 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA
• Eastern District Player of the Year, first-team All-Eastern Region and second-team All-Group AAA
• Signed with VMI

Patrick Harrington

• Kellam Senior outfielder
• “Most dangerous hitter in the area,” Cox coach Bill Conroy said. “Any time he is on base, it’s a double or triple.”
• Batted .484 with seven home runs
• Scored 25 runs and was successful in all 22 of his stolen-base attempts
• First-team All-Beach District and All-Eastern Region, second-team All-Group AAA

Erickson Keeton

• Nansemond River Senior outfielder
• One of the region’s most fearsome hitters and a two-time All-Tidewater first-team selection
• Batted .550 with eight home runs, seven doubles, four triples and a 1.200 slugging percentage
• Struck out just four times all season
• First-team All-Southeastern District, All-Eastern Region and All-Group AAA
• Signed with VMI

Josh Richardson

• Greenbrier Christian Senior shortstop
• Nearly flawless at shortstop for a Gators team that won a third consecutive Virginia Independent Schools Division II state title
• Batted .463 with three home runs, 32 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and 35 runs scored
• Also a key part of Greenbrier’s rotation, the righthander went 5-1 with a 2.10 ERA
• Tidewater Conference and VISAA state player of the year
• Signed with Liberty

Richie Salter

• Indian River Junior pitcher/infielder/outfielder
• Cox Senior lefthanded pitcher
• Anchored a Falcons pitching staff that won Beach District regular-season and Eastern Region titles and made its first Group AAA state tournament appearance since 1996
• Finished 10-0 with a 1.86 ERA and struck out 70 batters over 60 innings
• Signed with Norfolk State
• First-team All-Beach District and All-Eastern Region

Sammy Serafine

• Greenbrier Christian Senior second baseman
• Part of a Gators senior class that won three private-school state championships and three Tidewater Conference regular-season crowns
• Batted .496 with three home runs, 47 RBIs and a .761 slugging percentage
• Stole 16 bases and scored 42 runs
• Two-time All-Tidewater first-team
• First-team All-Tidewater Conference and All-VISAA
• Signed with Norfolk State