Never has the area seen a baseball team as laden with Division-I prospects as South Walton. At the center of it all is our Male Athlete of the Year, Auburn University commit Coleman Borthwick, who was voted the best of the best (18,000-plus votes) among a stacked field including Niceville’s Nunu Krider and Connor Mathews and Freeport’s Julius Miles.
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound rising senior did it all for the Seahawks, who finished the season 3A state runners-up after going 33-4 and ranking as high as first in Florida and fourth in the country. They’d finish No. 8 in the Sunshine State and 25th nationally after losing 2-1 to Miami Springs in the state championship game.
At the dish in 35 games, Borthwick slashed a career-best .628/.894/1.522 with a .471 batting average, 20 extra-base hits, six homers, 51 RBIs, 37 runs and nine stolen bases, all while drawing 41 free passes compared to just five strikeouts and committing one error in 40 fielding chances. And he shined brighter in the big games.
In the playoffs alone he went 14-for-28 with 14 RBIs and 10 runs, all while drawing six free passes and stealing two bags. He was struck out just once and belted two homers, including a walk-off, 3-run shot to left field to sweep Suwannee and send the Seahawks to the Final 4.
On the mound, where his high-90-mph fastball complements a devastating slider and changeup, the right-hander allowed one earned run over 33 innings all season. While fanning 55 batters, Borthwick allowed only 4 walks and 17 hits as opposing batters hit .143 with nary an extra-base hit.
In the playoffs, he went 13 1/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and only one run (unearned) allowed on eight hits and zero walks. That includes a three-hitter against Suwannee where he struck out nine and allowed just three hits and no runs over six innings.
South Walton will no doubt be on the short list of favorites to win it all in Borthwick’s swan song, where we can hardly wait to see what numbers he puts up on the mound and at the dish.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: South Walton’s Coleman Borthwick voted Daily News Male Athlete of the Year for 2024-2025
Reporting by Seth Stringer, Northwest Florida Daily News / Northwest Florida Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
