CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Greeneville’s Brodie Johnston and Pulaski’s Matt Porter were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of July 1-7.
Johnston, 18, garnered Hitter of the Week honors after batting .526 (10-for-19) with a .591 OBP and .947 slugging in five games for the Flyboys. The infielder recorded three extra-base hits, including two home runs, while scoring six runs and tallying 11 RBI. He led all Appy League hitters during the period in average, slugging, OPS (1.538), hits (tied), total bases (tied-18) and RBI. Johnston also finished third in stolen bases and OBP (tied).
Johnston registered at least one hit, run and RBI in all five games for Greeneville, highlighted by four multi-hit and four multi-RBI games. He was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI at Johnson City on Tuesday to begin the week and homered again the following day in another two-hit, three-RBI performance. In the series finale, Johnston was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a steal. Facing Elizabethton over the weekend, Johnston was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and two stolen bases Saturday and 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and another stolen base Sunday.
An Ooltewah, Tenn., native, Johnston is batting .314 (32-for-102) with a .391 OBP and .559 slugging through 26 games this season with Greeneville. The right-handed hitter leads the circuit in runs scored (28), home runs (tied-5), RBIs (29), extra-base hits (tied-12) and total bases (57). He also ranks third in hits, fifth in slugging (tied) and ninth in OPS (.950). Overall, Johnston has recorded multiple hits in 10 games and multiple RBI on nine occasions. The Boyd Buchanan High School (Tenn.) is committed to Vanderbilt for the 2024-25 season.
Porter, 21, earned Pitcher of the Week honors after he tossed five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in Pulaski’s win over Bristol on July 2. The left-hander yielded two hits, hit one batter and issued one walk, posting a 0.60 WHIP and a .111 BAA for the week. He threw 79 pitches in the outing, 50 for strikes.
Porter (1-0) has been a staple in the River Turtles’ starting rotation this summer, posting a 1.59 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across four starts. He has allowed nine hits and six walks while piling up 23 strikeouts in 17 innings. Porter’s outing against the State Liners was his second straight completing at least five innings, and he has yet to allow more than two earned runs in a start. The southpaw’s nine strikeouts against Bristol was a season-high.
A Crystal Lake, Ill., native, Porter appeared in 14 games, all in relief, as a Pittsburgh junior this year, going 1-0 with a 5.31 ERA. He totaled 27 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings, averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings while limiting the opposition to 16 hits. Before joining the Panthers, Porter played two seasons at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.
For more information about the Appalachian League, visit appyleague.com or follow @appyleague and @appyleaguedata on Twitter, and @appyleague on Instagram.
