ROCKINGHAM — The postseason accolades are pouring in for the Richmond Senior High School baseball program following one of its best seasons in recent memory.
Four players were named to the 2024 All-Sandhills Athletic Conference team, which was released following Pinecrest High School’s departure in the fourth round of the state playoffs Friday.
Seniors James Eason and Isaac Hinshaw, junior Landon Taylor and sophomore Evan Hodges were Richmond’s selections.
Eason, who was named as a junior, grabbed his second career selection. For Hinshaw, Taylor and Hodges, it was the first.
Eric Brown, Richmond’s head coach, was also tabbed Coach of the Year following his first season in charge of the clubhouse at his alma mater.
This spring, Richmond collected a 14-10 overall record and made the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. Facing a tough non-conference slate, the Raiders battled through and were even more impressive within their conference schedule.
Finishing with a 9-3 SAC record, the Raiders placed second in the conference behind Pinecrest, making a jump from the middle of the standings from the past few years. Richmond placed second for the first time since 2019.
Under Brown’s direction, the Raiders earned sweeps of Hoke County, Union Pines and Scotland High Schools. Splitting with Pinecrest, Lee County and Southern Lee, Richmond was the only SAC team to defeat the Patriots this season.
Brown, who played baseball at Richmond and returned this season to coach at his old stomping grounds, said his accolade was a team effort.
“Coach of the Year is a great honor for multiple reasons,” Brown said. “No. 1 and most importantly, it means that our team had a good year. It also means that we’ve got some great assistant coaches who do a lot of work but don’t get the credit.
“Our boys are lucky to have Coach (Ryan) Mercer and Coach (Andy) Shuler and they are a big reason for the success of our team this year.
“It’s really special to me because it’s my first time winning the award and doing so at Richmond, where I played, that’s really cool,” he added. “There are some really good coaches in our conference and some really good coaches that have been here at Richmond before me, so I’m just really honored and humbled to be Coach of the Year.”
James Eason, senior pitcher/shortstop
Playing his third season of varsity baseball, Eason became the Raiders’ No. 1 pitcher this spring and was a strong contributor to the middle part of the lineup.
Making 11 starts on the mound, Eason threw an impressive seven complete games. He registered a 7-3 record, earning the second-most wins in the SAC behind Pinecrest’s Bohdi Robertson (10 wins).
Eason was 5-1 against SAC teams and pitched 60.1 innings this season, also the second-most (Walker McDuffie, 66 IP). He was ranked in the top 10 in the SAC with a 2.32 earned run average (7th) and 43 strikeouts (8th).
Supporting the bottom half of Richmond’s lineup, Eason batted .239 as a senior with 16 hits, including five doubles and a triple. Scoring seven runs, he drove in 13 RBI, which was the second highest tally on the team.
Eason stole five bases and was perfect on his attempts. He finished the campaign with a .329 on-base percentage, a .343 slugging percentage and a .672 on-base plus slugging percentage.
“It feels great to be named a second time,” Eason said. “The thing that helped me be successful pitching was getting ahead in the count and throwing first-pitch strikes. For hitting, just being on time for the fastball and reacting to the off speed helped me.
“Playing at Richmond helped me learn how to play the right way, and it also taught me how to fight and be ready for a war because as a Raider you never give up. You fight until it’s your last breath. As a person, Richmond taught me to appreciate the people around you and always be 110% at whatever you do.”
Eason’s best offensive performance of the season was during a win over Scotland late in the regular season. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single and three RBI.
“James had a great year for us, especially on the mound,” Brown commented. “He did everything that you could ask your No. 1 (pitcher) to do and he went 5-1 in five complete games in conference, saving our bullpen for the rest of the week, which was huge. He did a nice job defensively playing multiple positions and was productive at the plate”
Isaac Hinshaw, senior first baseman
Hinshaw closed his Raider career with his first postseason recognition while being a consistent batter from the left side of the plate.
Of players with a minimum of 10 at-bats, Hinshaw was Richmond’s leader in on-base percentage with a mark of .444. In connection with his 15 hits, Hinshaw was hit by a pitch a team-high six times and he drew 15 free passes.
Batting in the three hole, Hinshaw padded his offensive production with a .259 average. He had five two-baggers, one home run and drove in 11 RBI, while also scoring nine runs. Hinshaw finished with a line of an .841 OPS and a .379 slugging percentage.
Anchoring first base defensively, Hinshaw had a .972 fielding percentage. He recorded 137 putouts at first.
“It feels pretty good to end my career on a positive note making all-conference,” Hinshaw shared. “I had a better offensive season my junior year, but I improved a lot on the defensive side. The thing that allowed me to be successful was working to get a little bit better every day. But really, my main focus was to do the best I could to help the team be successful.
“My favorite memories as a Raider baseball player have been during my senior year. Even though we didn’t play great at the Easter tournament, I had a great time hanging out with my teammates staying at the house and going to the Charlotte Knights baseball game. I also really enjoyed sweeping Scotland my senior year because we haven’t been able to do that much lately.”
Hinshaw’s biggest game at the plate for the Raiders was just before spring break with a 2-for-3 night against Union Pines. He drove in two of his three RBI on a single and bolstered the Raiders’ lead with a solo homer late in the game.
“Isaac was an on-base machine,” Brown said. “He had a .537 OBP in conference and was outstanding defensively at first base. He battled through a knee injury all year and gutted it out for his team.”
Landon Taylor, junior left fielder
Statistically, Taylor was the leader of several offensive categories this spring for Richmond. He played left field while serving as the Raiders’ leadoff batter.
While topping several statistics for Richmond, Taylor also ranked in the top 10 spots in the SAC. Using his speed from the left side of the plate, Taylor hustled for a team-high 24 hits, which put him eighth overall in the SAC.
Leading the team with a .320 average at the plate, Taylor notched four doubles and two triples. He scored 19 runs, tied with teammate courtesy runner Marquan Martin for the most on the team, and was tied with four players for seventh-most in the conference.
Taylor also ended the season ninth in the SAC with 16 RBI, which he tied for the team lead with Jeremiah Ritter and Caden Nolan. His 16 walks were a team-high and he also stole six bases.
One third of a really talented outfield, Taylor patrolled left field and was without an error all season. He recorded 25 putouts for a perfect fielding percentage. Other percentages for Taylor included a .441 OBP, an .868 OPS and .427 slugging.
“Making all-conference for the first time feels really good,” Taylor said. “What allowed me to be successful was having a goal to get all-conference and having that in mind every day at practice and in the weight room. I knew being at leadoff I had a big role and I went up to bat with my approach and did what I could to get on base and help score runs for my team.
“Moving into my senior year I’m planning to have even bigger goals like winning the conference and getting conference player of the year. And with being a leader on this team, I’m going to encourage everybody to have the same team goals so that we can work hard towards winning conference and going further in the playoffs.”
During the SAC tournament in the first round against Union Pines, Taylor put up his best numbers of the season. He was 3-for-4 with a trio of singles and three RBI.
“Landon was our leadoff guy all year, he was our catalyst,” Brown said. “He hit .350 in conference and scored 11 runs from the leadoff spot. He was also a lockdown defender in left field.”
Evan Hodges, sophomore catcher/pitcher
One of several underclassmen to make the jump to varsity this season, Hodges proved to be an effective player who quickly became a staple on both sides of the plate.
Taking on one of the toughest positions on the field, Hodges served as Richmond’s primary catcher (when he wasn’t pitching). Hodges logged 161 innings caught with 111 putouts and 20 assists. With a 1.000 fielding percentage, he nabbed 13 runners trying to steal (27.1%).
On the mound, Hodges made five appearances, including three starts. He pitched a total of 17 innings and had 16 strikeouts with a 4.94 ERA.
Batting .258 (fourth-best on the team) over the course of the season, Hodges knocked 21 hits, second on the team only to Taylor. That total also placed him tied for 10th in the SAC. Two of those hits were for extra bases, which included one double and one home run.
Hodges, who mostly had a courtesy runner, scored four runs and drove in eight RBI. Offensively, he had a .395 OBP, a .738 OPS and a .342 slugging.
“It feels really good to make all-conference as a sophomore and it’s an extreme honor to have even been considered,” Hodges commented. “What helped me behind the plate and in the box was just practicing and staying focused at all times. That is really a big key to being a catcher.
“My personal goal is to grow and mature on and off the field. My goals for the next two years are to help my team win a conference championship and make a good run in the state playoffs.”
When the Raiders played host Myers Park High School during the Jack Sink Baseball Classic over spring break, Hodges had a 3-for-4 night. He had his first career high school homer and added two singles for three RBI.
“If Evan wasn’t the best catcher in the conference this year, he was in the top three,” Brown noted. “I can’t say enough about what he did for our team and pitchers defensively behind the plate. He’s everything you want in a catcher.
“Evan was good at the plate, too, hitting in the middle of the order. He finished second on the team in hits (in conference) behind Landon.”
Sports editor’s note: Stats used for Richmond came from the team’s GameChanger app. All other stats for SAC schools came from MaxPreps.
