Morgan County baseball’s Hudson Reed was recently recognized as the Region 4-AAA Offensive Player of the Year.
Reed, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore slugger, proved to be a game-changer for the Diamond Dogs with his outstanding performance at the plate this season.
Reed was a hard out for opposing pitchers this past season, batting .412 with a slugging percentage of .690. He also blasted five home runs and had 29 RBIs with a .510 on-base percentage this year.
“I thought the season was great, and I was able to mature a lot at the plate,” Reed told Lake Oconee News. “I got a better eye and had better swings on balls in the strike zone. I didn’t chase many out of the zone, so that’s good. My approach was better from freshman to sophomore year with our coaches helping me.”
Reed’s strategic change of approach was a critical factor in his success at the plate. He displayed patience, waiting for pitches he believed he had a high chance of hitting. Reed said he was determined not to fall behind in the count, a testament to his ability to adapt and change his approach.
“I learned to stay inside the ball and still have power hitting it to my side of the field. And I maintained power with pitches out of the zone, too,” Reed said. “During my freshman year, I would hit it (to the opposite field) with little power behind it. That changed when our coaches sat me down and talked to me about it.”
Defensively, Reed rotates around the infield, though primarily at third base, but he can also line up at any spot in the outfield and pitch. He was one of his team’s better defenders during its run to the second round of the state playoffs.
Reed takes pride in helping his coaches and teammates in any way he can. He said he would do “anything possible” to help the Diamond Dogs succeed and thought they played “as a team” throughout the year.
“I thought our season went pretty well, considering our team had to endure so much adversity,” he said. “We had a pretty good year, and we all worked together trying to build a strong team bond. I’d do anything for those guys.”
Reed transferred to Morgan County from Piedmont Academy in Monticello before the start of his freshman year. He committed to play at the University of Georgia around that time and has remained firm on his pledge.
Reed is a dual-sport athlete at Morgan County, playing football and baseball. He will go through weekday football workouts while playing travel baseball on weekends but wants to grow more on the diamond this summer.
“I want to see me improve in the field and get more athletic on the basepath,” Reed said. “I want to improve my defensive game and be more of a threat when I get on base. I feel confident I can grow in those two areas.”