Walton and Woodstock put Their Talented Groups on Display Friday Night

March 19, 2018
Blake Davis
State Director, Georgia

In a big 7-A, Region-4 battle Between Walton and Woodstock high schools, both teams showed why they play in one of the best leagues in not only Georgia, but the entire country. The two teams split the doubleheader Friday, giving Walton the season series after taking game 1 on Tuesday.

Walton High School is home to one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the country in Luke Bartnicki (2018 Georgia Tech Commit). The highly touted Left-hander is the 3rd ranked LHP in our High School Draft 100, and the number 19 prospect overall. Bartnicki was the winning pitcher in game 1 of the 3 game series between these two programs, striking out 10 in 5.1 innings but not before Woodstock pushed across 6 earned runs.

This three game regular season series featured a strong cast of characters from the 2019 classes. Lead by shortstops Brennan Milone (South Carolina Commit) Woodstock and Pierce Gallo (Clemson Commit) Walton. Both kids competed well and showed their skills on Offense and Defense. Even though the two kids picked different conferences to play college baseball, they both picked South Carolina schools and will continue the competition well into their college years. Should be fun to watch the competition in the coming years.

Pierce Gallo SS / Walton, GA / 2019

Gallo has a mature body and is a strong kid. He posses good athleticism between the lines, showing range to both his left and right with the ability to make accurate throws. Offensively Gallo stands tall at the plate with a big leg kick, and relies on his athleticism to make it all work. He is the kind of athlete that can impact the game on offense and defense.

Brennan Milone SS / Woodstock, GA / 2019

This Shortstop is not going to blow you away physically or with a huge tool-set, but over time he makes you appreciate just how good of a baseball player he really is. He has a balanced approach at the plate, with advanced feel for the zone and the barrel. Defensively he has good feet and sure hands. His instincts for the game allow all other facets of his game to play up.

Game 2 offered another top left-handed prospect. This time from the 2019 class in Jake Baldino. The University of Virginia commit showed strong ability and projection, but scuffled with command at times walking 5 in 3.1 innings.

Jake Baldino LHP / Walton, GA / 2019

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, the projectable left-hander has both size and length on the mound. Featuring a fastball that ranged up to 88 when he wanted but sat mostly 84-86. Baldino also shows feel for landing a soft breaking ball (68-72). Though he does not offer a true swing and miss pitch at this time, the left-hander has plenty of ceiling and projection to what he does.

For all the ability the pitchers in this series featured, the position player group was not too shabby either. Woodstock got strong showings from team captain and catcher Caleb Bartolero (2019 Troy Commit) who went 2-4 with 2 RBI’s, table setter outfielder Justin Bailey (2018 North Georgia Commit) 1-3 with 2 BB’s, and Spencer Keefe (2019 Georgia Commit) going 2-4 with 2 RBI’s, while Walton was lead by first-baseman Luke Boynton (2019 Nebraska Commit) who went 3-3 with 3 RBI’s.

Caleb Bartolero C / Woodstock, GA / 2018

Stocky strong right-handed hitting catcher who is heading to Troy. He shows good bat-speed out of a pull approach, with the ability to turn around a fastball. Behind the plate he has a nice set-up with strong hands and accurate arm.

Justin Bailey RHP / Woodstock, GA / 2018

The 5-foot-10 170 pound table setting outfielder shows good balanced approach, with feel for the zone and solid baseball actions. Will be a nice addition for Nighthawks.

Spencer Keefe 3B / Woodstock, GA / 2019

The third-baseman is a big boy with big time strength at the plate and offers good straight-line speed. Though he is not shifty, he is powerful in all things he does on a baseball field. At the plate he is geared up for loud contact. Defensively he will have to work to stay at third-base at the next level, but is a good enough athlete to move to the outfield if asked too.

Luke Boynton 1B / Walton, GA / 2019

Is a big kid at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. The Nebraska commit is a sneaky defender for his size with soft hands around the bag. He has plus raw power and the ability to hammer balls left out over the plate. Darin Erstad will be happy with this potential middle of the order bat heading to Lincoln.

Game 3 of the series was matchup of arms. Walton ran out its impressive 3rd man of their rotation in right-handed pitcher Cameron Bloodworth (2018 Wofford Commit), while Woodstock countered with a strong outing from Zach MacManus (Uncommitted 2019). Bloodworth took the loss in a low scoring affair, giving up four runs on five hits over six innings of work, while striking out nine. McManus was the winning pitcher, and will be featured in this Tuesdays “Uncommitted Player Spotlight”. He allowed just 3 hits and two runs over six innings of work, striking out 12.

Cameron Bloodworth RHP / Walton, GA / 2018

Med framed right-handed pitcher with compact arm and repeatable delivery. Fastball was (84-86) touching 87 with ability to spin a breaking ball. Bloodworth has the look of a strike thrower and is a nice pick-up for Wofford.