73.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFuture Stars Baseball Alum Nabs Minor League Honors

Future Stars Baseball Alum Nabs Minor League Honors

The territory’s own Akeel Morris was named "South Atlantic Pitcher of the Week" after dominating on the mound last week for the Savannah Sand Gnats, a single A affiliate of the New York Mets.

Morris went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, striking out 14 over six and two-thirds innings pitched during the week of April 3-11, according to an article on the organization’s website.

Facing off on April 9 against the Augusta GreenJackets, the relief pitcher struck out nine of 11 batters over three innings; four of the strikeouts came in the eighth.

Morris earned his first win of the season Sunday against the Rome Braves, throwing the last two and two-thirds innings while adding another three strikeouts to his league leading 18.90 strikeout-per-nine-inning ratio, according to the website.

Morris, an alumnus of the the territory’s Future Stars Baseball Program, was drafted by the Mets in 2010 upon graduating from Charlotte Amalie High School, a story that the organization’s founder, Darren Canton, recently described as "inspirational."

"We’re proud of him," Canton told the Source on Tuesday. "There’s a myth that goes around, that when the kids succeed, it’s because they left island and went to high school somewhere else, but Akeel finished school right here on St. Thomas. He didn’t have to go anywhere else to get the better coaching.”

“Our kids are certainly at a disadvantage,” Canton continued, “but they have the aptitude and skill set to be successful. I think Akeel Morris is a very good story for kids here because he was able to come straight out of CAHS and be successful and he’s one of the top prospects in the Mets organization now, so he’s very inspiring to me and our organization."

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.