Ruston athletes excel on the diamond
Ruston’s Hudson Wilkerson had a strong showing at the Prep Baseball Futures Games, while MacKenzie Roach competed well at the PGF Nationals. Submitted photos
Ruston’s future baseball and softball talent appears to be strong after a pair of standout performances on national stages this past week.
Hudson Wilkerson, an incoming freshman at Ruston High, returned from Georgia where he pitched for the Louisiana Team in 2024 15-under Prep Baseball Futures Games.
The event featured teams from 38 states and had 425 college coaches on site for all age divisions.
Wilkerson, 6-4, 195 pounds, got one start on the mound and made the most of it with 4 shutout innings before allowing a run in the fifth. Overall, he gave up 2 hits and 1 run, while striking out 2 batters.
MacKenzie Roach, an eighth grader at Ruston Junior High, competed with the Texas Bombers National Team at the PGF Nationals in California and helped the squad with an eighth place finish out of 78 teams.
She had a .500 on-base-percentage with 2 hits, 6 runs, and 3 walks.
In the circle, she faced 42 batters and gave up just 3 hits while striking out 12 for an opponent batting average of .083.