JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fleming Island ace pitcher Cody Carwile knew that it had the potential to be a special kind of baseball season.
It was definitely that.
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Carwile was voted as the Class 6A player of the year on Friday, one of just two area players to finish in the top three in their classification balloting. Carwile, a Georgia Tech signee, now goes into statewide voting for Florida’s Mr. Baseball honor.
“It’s awesome. You know, going into this season, I had high hopes,” Carwile said. “But to get awards like this, it’s crazy. It’s cool.”
Carwile’s season was special. He finished 12-0 with 121 Ks in 73 innings pitched and had four complete games, the final one coming in the Class 6A state semifinals. Carwile struck out six in a 6-0 win over Viera. Flemind Island had never been past the third round of the state playoffs before this year.
The Golden Eagles wound up 25-6 and state runner-up.
“I think what really changed is the hitting. Fleming has always been known, baseball-wise, as a pitching team, a 2-1 ballgame or a 1-0 ballgame,” Carwile said. “But I mean, this year we were able to put up five, six runs a game and put teams away without even making it close. Saving pitchers and stuff like that, not putting them in hard positions. So, I think that really made this season different.”
Outside of Carwile, Bolles ace Jackson Baumeister finished third in classification balloting in Class 3A.
Fleming Island’s Grant Bigilin was the runner-up in balloting for Class 6A coach of the year, as was St. Johns Country Day’s Tom Lucas in Class 2A. Bolles’ Mike Boswell finished third in Class 3A.