BRIAN HOLBERTON, JEN ROSENE AND CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN TAKE TOP HONORS AT 3RD ANNUAL HOT STOVE DINNER

A sellout crowd of over 450 guests were treated to a very special night of awards for area baseball and softball players.  The 3rd Annual Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League Dinner was held Saturday January 26th inside the 50,000 square foot Carolinas Baseball Center.  With special guests UNC Head Baseball Coach Mike Fox, Peace College Head Softball Coach Charlie Dobbins and Former Negro League Player Carl Long on hand, 12 awards were distributed to the top youth baseball and softball players in the Greater Charlotte Area.

Myers Park catcher and UNC Chapel Hill commit, Brian Holberton was named as The Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League Baseball Player of the Year.  Holberton is one of the leading hitters and catchers in North Carolina and has set all sorts of records for The South Charlotte Panthers Showcase organization.  Other finalists included; Ty Linton, Olen Little, Tyler Lewis and Jack Reinheimer.

On the softball side, Ardrey Kell senior Jen Rosene was named The Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League Softball Player of the Year.  Rosene, a pitcher and infielder, will attend College of Charleston next season to continue her softball career.

“The Hot Stove Dinner was a great way to bring together some of the most talented ball players in the area,” said Rosene.  “It was a great honor to be recognized among this group and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of such an amazing community.”

Other finalists included; Kelly Braman, Chelsea Ingersoll and Sarah Mooney.

The battle for the High School Team of The Year Award was extremely close with three state champions, Ardrey Kell, Charlotte Christian and Lake Norman, battling it out.  In the closest vote of the year, Charlotte Christian was named as The High School Team of the Year.  Head Coach Greg Simmons led his team to the state title behind current Georgia Tech Freshman Pitcher Luke Bard and powerful hitting from Ty Linton among others.
The Scholar-Athlete Award produced two winners on this special night.  Ardrey Kell senior Alex Baker and Myers Park Senior Grant Fisher had near identical academic records and each received a scholarship check to use on college expenses.

The first annual Lou Presutti Contributions to the Game of Baseball Award was presented to Mike Shildt.  Named for the founder of Cooperstown Dreams Park, Lou Presutti, the award honored Shildt for his lifelong dedication to baseball.  In his career he has coached on the high school and professional level and was the founder of On Deck Baseball Academy.

Additional Award winners included:  Daniel Calabretta, (Youth Baseball Player of the Year), Peyton Jordan (Youth Softball Player of the Year), Ben Boykin, (Comeback Player of the Year), Ryan Butler (Pitcher of the Year) and Brad Zebedis (York County Player of the Year).

The guests were treated to some very important advice from Coach Mike Fox, Coach Charlie Dobbins and Mr. Carl Long.  The guests spoke about taking advantage of opportunities and always carrying a passion for the game.  Former Myers Park and UNC Chapel Hill Pitcher Robert Woodard, now a member of the San Diego Padres organization introduced Coach Fox and spoke about the outstanding experience he had while playing at UNC Chapel Hill.

In addition to the guest speakers, a charity silent auction was held to benefit three outstanding charities; Coaches Curing Kids Cancer, Team MLE, and The Hot Stove League Scholarship.

The evening was closed with a challenge from Hot Stove League President and South Charlotte Sports Report Publisher Tripp Roakes for everyone to serve as “Guardians of the Game.”