Month: July 2023

Jamar Davis: Davis ended a successful track & field career at N.C. State in June in the NCAA Championships in Austin, TX on June 9th. He had a leap of 15.65 meters in the men’s triple jump to finish as a second-team All-American. He finished in 14th place nationally. Davis was a second-team All-American in his freshman year of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field championships. Davis will go down as one of the greatest all-around athletes in Orange High history. In his senior year, Davis won an individual state championship and was named Most Outstanding Performer at the 3A State Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also was the leading scorer for the men’s soccer team, which reached the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Earlier in his career, he was a wrestler on three Orange teams that won Big 8 Conference championships.

Mia Davidson: It’s been a summer full of softball for Davidson. She started with Athletes Unlimited AUX, then journeyed to Dublin, Ireland to play for the United States in the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Softball World Cup. The United States won all four of its games in order to qualify for the World Cup Finals, which will be held in Italy next June. In Ireland, Davidson served mostly as a reserve. She served as a pinch-hitter in America’s 1-0 win over Australia on July 13. On July 12, the Americans won 15-0 over Botswana. Davidson backed up catcher Sahvanna Jaquish, entered the game as a pinch-hitter, drew a walk and scored a run off a single by Hannah Flippen. Davidson also played in the American’s 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei. The U.S. won all four games and didn’t surrender a run in the entire tournament. Over the weekend, Davidson started her second season with Athletes Unlimited. In the opening week, Davidson was drafted by Team McCleney. In the opening game that started on Friday, Davidson hit a grand slam. The game was suspended by rain but resumed on Monday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, IL. Team McCleney won 8-3. Davidson was selected as the 3rd MVP which earned her 20 additional points. On Saturday, Team Mulipola defeated Team McCleney 3-1. Davidson went 0-for-3 with a walk. On Sunday, Team McCleney edged Team Rhodes 4-3 in a thrilling game. Davidson went 1-for-3 with a walk. At the end of the first week, Davidson is 10th in the Athletes Unlimited points standings with 314. On Monday night, Davidson was selected to play on Team Sierra Romero for this weekend’s three-game series.

Bryse Wilson: On Monday night, Wilson closed out the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 loss to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Wilson threw a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one and walking one. As of Monday night, the Brewers are one-and-a-half games behind the Cincinnati Reds for first place in the National League Central. Wilson has pitched 35 games this season. He is 3-0 with three saves and a 3.38 earned run average. Last month, Wilson had four straight appearances without giving up a run, starting with a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 6 at Miller Park. On July 21, Wilson faced his former team, the Atlanta Braves. He threw three scoreless innings, striking out five, but the Braves went on to win 6-4.

Joey McMullin: On Sunday, McMullin announced he would play the remaining two years of his college basketball eligibility at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. For the past two years, McMullin has played at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, which were among the most successful in the 15-year history of the program. Last year, the Flyers finished 30-4, which included an 18-game winning streak, and won the Region 10 regular season and tournament championships. Sandhills was ranked #1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III polls nine times during the season. McMullin was the second-leading scorer on the team with 14 points per game. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds per game.

Aidan McAllister: Following the conclusion of baseball season in June, McAllister announced he was entering his name in the transfer portal after one season at Hofstra University. A former All-Central Carolina Conference performer at Cedar Ridge, McAllister didn’t play in a game for the Pride during his only season in Nassau County, New York.

As we look back to the 2023 spring sports season, our Orange Panther of the Week is recently graduated Orange shortstop Jackson Berini. For the second straight year, Berini was named All-Central Carolina Conference. A mainstay as Orange’s leadoff batter, Berini ended his career with an 11-game hitting streak. Orange won its third consecutive conference championship this year, ending the season with a trip to the state quarterfinals of the 3A State Playoffs. Berini was Orange’s leading hitter with a .398 batting average. He also had the top on-base percentage at .522. He scored a whopping 40 runs for the Panthers. Jackson started his career sharing the middle infield with his older brother, Joey, in 2020. The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Jackson was just starting his excellence in a Panther uniform. The final three years he played, Orange won a conference championship. Berini was tied for the team lead with 35 hits in 2023. Along the way, he was an instrumental player for an Orange team that went 25-3, its best overall win total since the 2013 team. Berini will move on to play at Gaston College next spring, but his impact across Orange High can be found on the championship banners aligned outside the press box for years to come.

Orange Panther of the Week: Jackson BERINI

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