By Brandon Hall
Director of Scouting, PBR NC

Follow on Twitter & Instagram: @PrepBaseballNC

Player of the Week nominations are submitted by High School coaches across North Carolina each week.  Along with the nominations, Prep Baseball Report is diving into box scores, talking to coaches and scouts, and attending as many games as possible. 

The North Carolina Player of the Week for March 20-26 is MacKenzie Gore of Whiteville HS.  Gore a senior, is the top ranked player in the Prep Baseball Report player rankings for the 2017 class.  Coming off a game where he combined for a no-hitter, Gore was even better.  In the 5-inning complete game, Gore struckout every hitter he faced, registering a Perfect Game against East Columbus.  The outing only took 56 pitches, or an average of 3.73 pitches per hitter.

MacKenzie Gore, LHP/1B, Whiteville HS, 2017
+ Worked a Perfect Game, striking out every hitter he faced
+ 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 15 K”s
+ Hit .625 on the week with two doubles and 6 runs scored
+ Also recorded 2 stolen bases
+ Second consecutive game Gore has factored into a No-Hitter

You can follow all of the NC High School action and news right here at PBR:
+ Around the Bases: Daily Scoreboard
+ NC HS Scout Blog: In-depth player scouting reports from this spring
+ PBR - NCBCA Team Polls
+ PBR NC Player of The Week

Honorable Mention

Several players had big weeks and some even compared with Gore’s Perfect Game.  A set of no-hitters, a player with 2 grand slams in the same inning, and several players carrying their teams offensively to big weeks.  Below are some of the other great performances from the week.

Jacob Edwards, LHP, Southwest Guilford HS, 2018
+ No hitter in 8-0 win over Ragsdale
+ 17 strikeouts in the outing

Thomas Umphlett, RHP, South Mecklenburg HS, 2018
+ No Hitter vs. Olympic HS
+ 7 IP, 0 H, 4 BB, 10 K’s in 86 pitches
+ Also recorded three hits in 2 games, with 2 RBI’s

Jamie Sheek, SS, Forbush HS, 2017
+ 9 hits in 3 games this week, hitting .750
+ Scored 12 runs and recorded 12 RBI’s
+ Hit two grand slams in the same inning vs. East Wilkes

Zachary Knapp, 3B/RHP, Jack Britt HS, 2017
+ 6IP 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 7K - 10-0 Win v. South View
+ Scoreless innings streak now at 28 IP (dating back to 2016)
+ Hit .714 on the week, including 4-5, 3(1B), 2B, RBI vs. South View
+ Added a hit and RBI vs. Cape Fear

Hunter Connell, 2B, Roanoke Rapids HS, 2017
+ Hit .538, going 7-13 with 4 doubles and a triple
+ Scored 4 Runs
+ Stole 3 Bases
+ Recorded 9 RBI’s
+ Roanoke Rapids went 3-0 on the week

Justin Greene, RHP/INF, Mitchell HS, 2017
+ Hit .538 on the week, recording 9 hits in 3 games
+ 2 HR, a triple, 3 doubles
+ Scored 8 runs

Luke Tipton, CF, Mitchell HS, 2017
+ Hit .615 with 3 doubles and a triple in 3 games
+ 9 total runs scored

Trystan Jenkins, RHP/INF, Mitchell HS, 2018
+ .462 average on the week
+ Week included 2 doubles, a triple, and a HR
+ 5 runs scored

Connor Norby, SS, East Forsyth HS, 2018
+ Hit .625 for the week with 5 hits, including 2 doubles
+ 4 RBI’s on the week

Spencer Calloway, RHP, East Forsyth HS, 2019
+ Complete Game Shutout
+ 7 IP, 1 Hit, O R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K’s

Logan McNeely, C, Crest HS, 2017
+ vs. Burns HS went 4-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s

Tyler Snead, OF, Millbrook HS, 2018
+ 5-8 in three games with 2 triples
+ 5 RBI’s and 4 runs on the week
+ Also stole 2 bases

Tyler Garoutte, P/OF, Atkins HS, 2018
+ Hit .778 with a HR, 2 doubles and a triple
+ 4 RBI’s to go with the 7 hits
+ Stole 4 bases
+ 5 IP, 4 K’s, with a 1.40 ERA on the week

Ryan Rizk, SS, Fuquay-Varina HS, 2017
+ 6 total hits and 9 RBI’s on the week
+ 3 doubles and a HR
+ Scored 5 runs and stole 2 bases

Kevin Catrine, OF, Fuquay-Varina, OF, 2017
+ 6 total hits on the week with a double and HR
+ 7 runs scored with 2 stolen bases

Zachary Kelly, RHP/SS/C, South Brunswick HS, 2018
+ Hit .500 on the week in 3 games
+ 5 RBI’s and 2 runs scored
+ 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 7 K’s in a win on the bump

Hunter Stevens, RHP, Wakefield HS, 2017
+ Worked 6 innings, only allowing 1 hit in a 2-1 win over Broughton
+ Struckout 12 in the outing

Matthew Helms, RHP, Marvin Ridge HS, 2018
+ Complete game shutout vs. Sun Valley
+ 7 IP, 4 H, 8 K’s

Ted McNeill, SS/RHP, St. Pauls HS, 2017
+ Recorded 9 hits on the week, hitting .818
+ 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 4 RBI’s
+ 4 stolen bases on the week as well

Brian Bartlett, RHP, Owen HS, 2017
+ Win vs. Mountain Heritage
+ Struck out 7, giving up 2 hits
+ Also went 5-7 at the dish with 2 triples

All high school players in NC can update their profiles here.