Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
Westbrook Christian rising junior Samuel Dutton (pictured above) was one of 36 players across the country selected to the USA Baseball 16U National Team Development Program on July 31 to Aug. 5 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
Dutton served as a key pitcher of USA Baseball’s World Championship last summer in the World Baseball and Softball Confederation U15 World Cup, as he did not allow an earned run during the entire tournament.
Dutton and his fellow invitees will not be competing for a spot on the national team this year, as USA Baseball only fields national teams at the 12U, 15U, 18U, co-llegiate and professional levels.
Dutton, who committed to LSU prior to his sophomore season, was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 2A All-State first team and selected as the All-Messenger team’s Player of the Year after while finishing with an 8-3 record, an 0.88 earned run average and 110 strikeouts in 63 and two-third innings. Teams batted a collective .121 average against him.
At the plate, Dutton batted .383 with 41 hits, 38 runs, 21 RBI, six doubles, two triples and two home runs while helping the Warriors win three playoff series victories and qualify for the state championship series for the first time since 2013.