HILLSBOROUGH — While Chatham Central’s Caleb Staley and Northwood’s Tyler Johnson were among the many Chatham County high school individuals who received All-Conference recognition this spring for excelling in their respective sport, the pair of southpaw pitchers recently received even higher accolades for their performances on the diamond this past season.
Staley, who was named the Central Tar Heel 1A Conference Player of the Year, and Johnson, who was chosen as the Big Eight 3A Conference Pitcher of the Year, were recently awarded North Carolina’s most prestigious honor for student-athletes when both were selected to the All-State baseball team.
Staley, a senior who will be attending Queens University in the fall, was primarily a pitcher who also played outfield and filled in as a designated hitter. He had 11 appearances on the mound this spring, fashioning a 5-4 record, which included a no-hitter and a 3-0 mark in the conference along with wins over 3A opponents Asheboro and Southern Alamance, with his only loss to another 1A school coming against eventual state champion Uwharrie Charter.
He pitched a total of 43 innings and compiled an earned run average of 2.79 while recording 62 strikeouts along with 21 walks.
At the plate he batted .444, with 28 hits in 63 appearances, including four doubles and two triples with 21 runs batted in and three stolen bases.
Staley had a .534 on-base percentage, while defensively he had a .917 fielding percentage, committing only one error all season.
Johnson, a junior who will return to the Chargers for one more season, was mainly a pitcher who also played first base and was used as a designated hitter. He had 15 appearances on the hill this spring and finished the year with a record of 8-4, including a 4-1 mark against conference opponents.
He threw a total of 62 and two-third innings, compiling a 1.90 earned run average while registering 46 strikeouts with 22 walks.
At the plate Johnson batted .273, with 18 hits in 66 appearances, including three doubles and one triple with 17 runs batted in and a dozen stolen bases.
He had a .462 on-base percentage, while defensively he had a .825 fielding percentage, committing a total of seven errors.
Congratulations are extended to both Staley and Johnson for all the success they achieved this past year, including being elected to the All-State baseball squad, and here’s wishing them both much good fortune in their future pitching endeavors.