CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Johnson City’s Gunner Boree and Elizabethton’s Manning West were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for June.
Boree, 21, garnered Hitter of the Month honors after batting .400 (26-for-65) with four home runs, two doubles, two triples and 17 RBI in 18 games for the Doughboys. He led all qualified Appy League hitters during June in batting average, OBP (.552), slugging (.677), OPS (1.229) and total bases (44). He was tied for second in hits and home runs, third in walks (18) and sixth in RBI.
Boree recorded multiple hits in nine games in June and had four straight multi-hit performances with at least one extra-base hit from June 8-12, during which he hit .733 (11-for-15) with a 2.122 OPS, two home runs and eight RBI. The Doughboys infielder hit his first home run of the season and scored a season-high three runs in a 3-for-4 performance at Burlington on June 8 and was 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the series finale the next day. Boree had a season-high four hits while reaching base five times against Bluefield on June 11, going 4-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, a walk and two stolen bases. He hit a three-run home run en route to a season-best four RBI in a 2-for-4 showing against the Ridge Runners on June 12.
Boree concluded June on an eight-game hit streak (June 18-29), during which he batted .382 (13-for-34) with five multi-hit games for the Doughboys. He homered in back-to-back games to conclude the month, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run against Elizabethton on June 28 and then hitting a two-run shot in a 2-for-5 performance against Kingsport on June 29.
Boree produced a .412/.583/.824 batting line with six extra-base hits, including three home runs, and nine RBI in 10 games at Johnson City’s TVA Credit Union Ballpark. Defensively, he logged 12 games at second base for the Doughboys while also seeing time on the infield at third base (3 games), first (2) and shortstop (1).
The Jacksonville, Fla., native appeared in 35 games (34 starts) as a Brown University junior in 2024, batting .287 with a team-leading .421 OBP, .522 slugging and five home runs. He ranked second on the Bears in totals bases (60) and walks (24) and was third in batting average and RBI (22). Boree was one of three Brown baseball student-athletes to receive College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-District honors.
West, 21, was named Pitcher of the Month for June after he went 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA over 20 innings in four starts for Elizabethton. The right-hander’s 37 strikeouts during the month led all Appy League pitchers, and he paced all hurlers who made at least four starts in strikeouts-per-nine innings (16.65). West’s 1.00 WHIP also led all Appy League pitchers who made at least four starts, and he finished second and BAA (.172) and third in strikeout-to-walk rate (4.63).
After completing four innings against Bristol in his season debut June 7, West worked at least five innings while allowing two earned runs or fewer in his next three starts. He did not allow more than four hits in any start.
West recorded at least eight strikeouts in all four starts for the River Riders and posted double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts June 13 and June 19. Earning the win against Danville on June 13, West racked up 10 strikeouts over a season-high six innings, allowing one run on three hits, and had a season-high 11 strikeouts in a no-decision against the Otterbots on June 19, when he yielded three runs (two earned) on one hit. He struck out the side twice in the outing, posting stretches with five and four consecutive strikeouts, and had multiple strikeouts in all but one inning.
The Winder, Ga., native was an All-TCCAA First Team selection as a Walters State Community College (Tenn.) redshirt freshman this year after he went 8-1 with a 3.64 ERA in 14 appearances, including 13 starts, for the Senators. He struck out 66 batters in 54 1/3 innings. West recorded seven strikeouts in a season-high six innings in a win over Chattanooga State Community College on March 16, allowing one run on two hits. He had a season-best eight strikeouts and allowed one hit over five scoreless frames in the Senators’ April 20 victory over Cleveland State Community College.
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