Grace Christian Academy baseball player Aiden Whittaker was honored as the GIAA 3A player of the year.

The Sophomore said that he didn’t think he’d have his award-winning season coming into the spring.

“I always try my best and expect to play well,” Whittaker said. “But I didn’t know exactly if I would play well enough to win this award.”

Whittaker played “well enough” on both offense and defense. He finished the season with a 1.12 earned run average (ERA) on the mound, his opponents only scored around 1 run against his pitching each game. 

On offense, He came out of the season with a more than .500 on-base percentage, he got on base on more that half of his at-bats.  

“I’ve always been better at pitching,” Whittaker said “The hitting has always been there, Just not normally as well as I pitch. It kind of all came together this year.” 

Head Coach Ryan Riles praised Whittaker for constantly playing at a high level.

“It was really good to see him have such a great year and to see him stay so consistent all season,” Riles said. “He definitely deserves the recognition.”

Whittaker said he plans to develop his game in the off-season and, specifically, “work on throwing harder.” He’s getting the chance now, playing travel baseball for the East Cobb Astros in Atlanta this summer. 

“It’s been pretty good so far,” Whittaker said. “It’s been hot, just a lot of games.”