Wehde named Flagler Palm Coast baseball's MVP

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

Dakota Wehde, a senior last season for the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs baseball team, was honored Thursday, May 24, with the team’s Top Gun pitcher’s award as well as the team’s most valuable player.

Wehde, a lefty, was also selected by coaches of Class 8A schools as Player of the Year in Florida.

Wehde finished tied for first in earned run average among Class 8A qualified senior pitchers, with a 1.27 ERA. (To qualify, pitchers had to have played in at least three games and pitched at least 26.7 innings.)

In 55 innings pitched, Wehde allowed 10 earned runs in 12 games.

Wehde also finished second among Class 8A senior pitchers in strikeouts, with 67. The pitcher with the most strikeouts (77) pitched in 78 innings spanning 30 games — 22 more innings and 18 more games than FPC's southpaw.

Wehde finished the season with a 4-4 record with two complete games.

In April, Wehde threw a two-hit complete-game shutout in the District 1-8A semifinals against Mandarin. In the game, Wehde struck out eight hitters and walked two over seven innings. He threw 107 pitches, of which 69 were strikes. The win gave FPC a spot in the state playoffs.

Aside from his domination on the mound, Wehde, 18, is nearly finished with his associate’s degree from Daytona State College. He will play baseball next season at Southeastern University, in Lakeland.