By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
An airborne Trey Holmes received yet another postseason honor.
Holmes, the MVP of the state tournament and Southeast Regional, was selected as the first baseman on the American Legion World Series all-tournament team.
Rowan County placed third nationally, losing 15-14 against Midland (Mich.) on Monday night at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D. The all-tourney team was announced following Midland’s title-clinching victory Tuesday afternoon as Holmes and his teammates were returning home.
Holmes went 4-for-6 with three RBIs and one run scored in his final Legion game.
“Individually I had a good year, but I would take away all the numbers and everything just to be part of this again,” he said Monday night. “It was a wonderful ride, and hopefully we made Salisbury proud.”
Regional statistics were relevant to the distribution of awards in Fargo, and Holmes hit a combined .395 in Rowan’s final two tournaments. He had seven doubles, two homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs in 10 games.
A rising sophomore at Pitt Community College, Holmes completes his Rowan Legion career ranked first in doubles (56), second in RBIs (168, four fewer than Coe Brier) and third in home runs (25).
Holmes set single-season records for hits (96) and doubles (28) while compiling the second-most RBIs (73, eight fewer than Brier in 1980) and runs (85, three fewer than Kirk Huffman in 1993).
Holmes batted .455 and belted 16 homers (third behind Brier, who had seasons of 17 and 22) in 2009.
“That’s special,” Rowan coach Jim Gantt said. “I think that’s what he’s capable of, and I hope more people paid attention to what he did. He didn’t just go out there and do it; he worked hard to do it.”
Holmes had a positive influence on many teammates, notably shortstop Preston Troutman.
Gantt said watching and playing alongside Holmes helped Troutman, a rising senior at East Rowan High School, become more mature.
“(Holmes) got closer to his abilities than probably the rest of us,” Gantt said. “That’s what it takes to have a special year.
“You don’t just walk out there and have it happen for you. You have to prepare for it and have that ability. Then you have to have that mental approach.”
That combination enabled Holmes to perform near his best on the biggest stages.
He batted .500 with three home runs and 11 RBIs at the state tourney in Greenville and .440 with two homers and seven RBIs at the regional in Sumter, S.C.
Playing with an injured foot and balky back, Holmes endured a 1-for-10 start in Fargo before ending on a high note. He scored twice in the last four innings of a win against defending national champion Southern Nevada and produced hits in his final four at-bats against Midland.
Holmes doubled and tripled in an eight-run sixth inning. His seventh-inning single cut Midland’s lead to 15-13.
Fittingly, Holmes had Rowan’s final hit and RBI of the season. His two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning scored pinch-runner Casey Little.
“Many guys on this team had great seasons,” center fielder Jon Crucitti said, “but the numbers and the situations that Trey Holmes came through, I’ll always remember his season.”