In all honesty, Andrew Patton, a 6’5,” 225-pound senior at Lanier County High (Lakeland, Ga.), has a choice of which sports he could play in college. He is a standout basketball and baseball player and has been named to the All-State in basketball and the All-Region teams in both basketball and baseball.
For Patton, though, there really is no choice at all. “I’ve had some interest from colleges about basketball. But I want to play baseball. I like being on the mound and controlling the game. In basketball, the ball changes hands so much that one person really isn’t in control all the time. When I’m pitching, I have the ball on every play. I like that,” he said.
Last year for the Bulldogs, Patton, Lanier’s number-one starter (who also hits when he’s on the mound), finished the season with a 4-5 record, one save, 86 strikeouts, and a 2.26 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. Hitting primarily out of the number three spot, he posted a .424 batting average. When he isn’t pitching, he plays the corner infield spots; he was also named region Defensive Player of the Year.
“I’ve been on the mound since I was in middle school. I always knew that I would pitch in high school,” he said.
Everyone knew Patton would be a special player from the time he first stepped on the field. Even as a freshman on a senior-laden team, his coaches showed the confidence they had in Patton by giving him the ball in the third (and decisive) game of the first round of the playoffs. He had played in games one and two, but had been in the field. In game three, he got the ball.
“It was a great experience. It helped me grow up quickly,” he said.
The game didn’t turn out the way Lanier would have liked (the Bulldogs lost 7-4), but Patton learned several important lessons during that series. First of all, he gained tremendous experience playing in big games and secondly, he saw exactly how much faith his coaches had in him. Andrew Patton would be one of the key components of Lanier County’s baseball future.
Patton is a confident, talented young man who, like all good pitchers, wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He has the arm strength (87-88 mph), the build, and the work ethic to be a great pitcher. But it might be his mental strength that gives him such a big advantage over his opponents. Patton understands that a large part of success or failure is determined before ever throws a pitch. To make sure he is ready for a start, he spends as much time getting his mind prepared as he does his arm.
“I stay to myself, get down by the outfield fence, and finish my warm up. I stay focused and I try to stay alone as I finish up,” he said.
At the time of this writing, baseball season was several months away. Still, he was working out and already preparing his strategy for the 2015 campaign.
“I want to have a winning record and make the playoffs. We made the playoffs my freshman year. That was kind of unexpected. We had a lot of seniors, and I learned a lot from them,” he said.
What is, however, in season right now is basketball. And Patton, who plays forward and on the wing and averaged 19.6 points and 10.4 rebounds a game last year and was named region Offensive Player of the Year, is hoping to lead his team to the playoffs. He was a member of the Lanier County team that won their region and made it all the way to the Final Four in 2012, and he would love to make another run like that.
“I didn’t get to play much when I was a freshman. But it helped a lot being around those guys,” he said.
As the second semester of the academic year nears, Patton can see the end of his career at Lanier approaching. Even though his athletic year doesn’t really get going until the last part of the year, he knows the end isn’t far away. Patton will attend college and more than likely play baseball. As good as he as in basketball, it’s baseball that he truly loves. “I’ve got four offers for baseball but I haven’t made a decision yet,” he said.
Special Feature/South Georgia/January 2015
Andrew Patton
Lanier County High School
Lakeland, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Two-sport star at Lanier eyes a future on the mound
