DEEP RUN — Grant Tyndall can fly.
He’s so fast he was never thrown out on the base paths this season. He’s so fast perennial powerhouse Mount Olive College signed him. And he’s so fast the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him straight out of high school.
He’s also so fast that The Free Press had to name him its 2013 Baseball Player of the Year.
Tyndall didn’t have the area’s highest batting average or drive in the most runs, but his one key skill is one that can’t be taught and it’s what gave teams fits all season.
He led South Lenoir with a .362 average and had a .486 on-base percentage as a lead-off man. Tyndall scored 18 runs and drove in 12, and had eight extra-base hits, including three triples and a home run. He walked 13 times, and was 19 for 19 in stolen bases.
He also hit .588 with runners in scoring position, which is exceptional for a leadoff man.
“There are so many good things to say about Grant Tyndall,” first-year Blue Devils head coach David Combs said. “He’s a great player, competitor and leader.”
Combs inherited a young and inexperienced team, and he all but put it on Tyndall’s back.
The Blue Devils were a contender in the East Central 2A Conference. They won 11 of their 21 games overall and went 8-6 in conference and finished fourth.
While Tyndall wasn’t alone in the process, he was a big reason South Lenoir the success it did.
“He’s done so much for our team this season,” Combs said. “He’s the ultimate team player.”
Tyndall, who played in the Powerade State Games of N.C. last summer, began to get recognition last year for his potential.
He verbally accepted an offer as a walk-on at N.C. State in August, and has had major league scouts attending his games for quite some time.
The Pirates liked what they saw enough to make Tyndall just the sixth player in Lenoir County history to be drafted right out of high school since the first-year player draft began in 1965.
Pittsburgh took him in the 26th round at pick No. 779 overall.
“It’s pretty amazing. It’s a dream come true,” Tyndall said a day after being drafted. “But it doesn’t mean I can stop working.”
Tyndall’s work ethic is something his coaches can’t — and won’t — stop raving about.
“He works constantly and daily, and the other kids see that,” Combs said. “It rubs off of the rest of them, which is a good thing.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.