Cole Cunningham from Independence and Karson Frye from Winfield both have had award-winning seasons on the diamond this year.
Prior to this past weekend, however, the two standouts had never met in person.
That situation changed Sunday night at the 2024 Lootpress Spring Sports Banquet held at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
Cunningham was on hand to receive the 2024 Lootpress Golden Slugger Award, while Frye made the trip to Beckley after being named the 2024 Kanawha Valley Baseball Player of the Year.
As fate would have it, Sunday is not the only time the two stars cross paths this week.
Friday morning, Cunningham and Frye will meet again, but this time it will be in a more intense environment on the turf at Go-Mart Park in Charleston.
The big lefty will lead the Patriots into battle against Frye’s Generals in the semifinals of the Class AA state baseball tournament starting at 10 a.m.
“It’s new to me, but It’s pretty big though,” Cunningham said about winning the Golden Slugger award. “It is really great seeing everyone else and winning an award like this. It’s big for me.”
Heading into the state tournament this weekend, Cunningham and Frye both have been red-hot at the plate.
The “Big Easy” from Independence has recorded 102 official at-bats this year, hitting .422 with a .508 on-base percentage and a .745 slugging percentage.
“On my days off, I make sure to get the work in, no matter what. You don’t want to take off days,” Cunningham said about his success at the plate. “The more work you put in, the more you will get out of it. Every time you see the cage open, get it. I think it has more to do with the off-time and the work I put in.”
Frye has also been a big-time contributor for Winfield during a season where the defending AA state champions have compiled a 29-4 record.
The senior all-stater has driven in 27 runs and stole 22 bases, to go along with five doubles, three triples and five home runs this year.
Similar to his Kanawha County counterpart, Cunningham has been equally impressive on the hill sporting a 5-0 record with a 2.96 earned run average.
In sectional play, the 6-foot-2 junior has pitched a three-hit shutout to beat Shady Spring and recorded the win against PikeView to open regional action.
Frye, on the other hand, has been a beast in the postseason as well.
Last year in the 3-0 win over Keyser in the state championship game, Frye hit a triple in the third inning to jump-start the Generals and eventually scored the game-winning run on a squeeze bunt.
Over the three-game regional series win this past week against Scott, he was 5-for-7 with seven RBI. Among his five hits was a solo home run and a double.
On the mound, Frye was 5-1 with a 2.33 earned run average. Over his 42 innings of work, he has recorded 88 strikeouts, while allowing just 14 hits and 14 earned runs.
While both Player of the Year winners will likely have a big impact on the game, the surrounding cast will most likely be the difference between advancing to the state title game or seeing their season come to an end.
Although the Patriots (20-12) are considered an underdog, the Coal City kids are playing their best baseball at just the right time. Independence has won 12 of the last 15 games and is undefeated in the postseason.
“I think it came down to the end of the season when we hit that win streak. We started working as a “team” and not worrying about ourselves,” Cunningham said. “Everybody was sacrificing themselves. We were getting bunts down. We were doing all of the team work, instead trying to hit the ball as far as we could. That is when it turned on and it really showed in sectionals. I am really proud of this team.”
Winfield will have the edge in experience when it comes to playing inside the confines of Go-Mart Park, but Cunningham believes once you step over the line, it’s just baseball.
“I know they are a very aggressive team on the bases. They are going to come right at you,” Cunningham said. “Even though it is my very first time playing on a stage this big, I am really excited. I feel like the pressure affects everybody. You can’t escape it. Once you leave that dugout, you have to clear your mind. It’s just a normal game. I think that is what has really helped me so far.”
