After notching their best campaign since 2017, the Durant Lion baseball team was rewarded with three 5A-4 All-District selections as well as a pair of honorable mentions choices.
Leading the charge was All-District outfielder Aiden Diviney, who led the club with a solid .315 average at the plate that included seven doubles, three triples, 21 batted in and nine runs scored during a dynamic freshman campaign.
Eli McClure snagged plenty of attention from league coaches behind the plate and was tabbed as All-District Catcher, adding a .272 average, four doubles, two homers and 22 driven in.
Joining the pair on the prestigious team was Cole Robbins, who garnered recognition at third base while chipping in a strong season on the mound as well. He hit .237 with three doubles, a triple, 12 batted in as well as team-leading 15 stolen bases. In 49 plus pitching innings in 10 appearances, the sophomore yielded 44 hits, 33 runs (25 earned) while striking out 71 and walking 22 with a solid 3.52 earned run average.
The honorable mention choices were super utility man Lucas Mc-Clure in addition to first baseman Kaden Neill.
McClure posted a .262 average with one triple, 14 RBI and 13 runs scored. Neill batted .276 with six doubles and 12 knocked in. He was also impressive down the stretch of the season on the mound where he sported a 3.21 average in 28 plus frames. He allowed 23 hits, 20 runs (13 earned), struck out 30 and walked 25 with a 3.21 ERA.
“There was definitely a lot of talent in our district, but we found a way to get several of these kids on the list,” head coach J.W. Parsons stated. “A lot of other coaches in the district mentioned Eli at catcher before me even having to bring him up in the meeting. Robbins had really good pitching stats but there were some great pitchers in our district. They put him on at third base, but he was really a utility guy for us.
“Diviney was a talented youngster and we started out just mixing him in but knew pretty quickly we couldn’t keep him out of the lineup. He stepped up when we had big injuries. He led the team in batting average, which was cool for freshman. Lucas McClure really came on late. He played multiple positions for us. Neill is one of best defensive first basemen I’ve been around in a long time.”
Finishing an even .500 with an 1818 overall record, the young Lions took major steps in Parsons’ first season at the helm and will look to take even more strides next season.
Everyone returns for Durant, which did not have a single senior on this year’s roster.
“There’s definitely lots of excitement surrounding this young team,” Parsons added. “It’s neat to do it with a few juniors and whole slew of sophomores. Next year we’ll see if we can break 20 wins. That is definitely one of the goals we’ll be focused on.
“The summer season starts in less than two weeks, and we have a good group of upcoming freshmen we are looking forward to seeing. We want to get the younger kids more opportunities this summer. Hoping next year we’ll have a freshman schedule, JV schedule and varsity schedule next year and get young men more playing time.”
