Bethesda, Md. - Tucker Childers' sweet left-handed swing has helped secure another sensational honor for the Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball alumnus.
Childers was selected to participate in the 2018 Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL) All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 11 at Shirley Povich Field, which is the home of the Bethesda Big Train.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Tigers head coach Richy Harrelson. "Once he gets in a situation and figures out what is needed, he's a very intelligent young man and he finds a way to win. He knows all about competition and loves it. He'll be ready."
The Mississippi State University commitment has proven himself against top tier pitching while playing in what is widely considered as one of the top summer leagues in the entire nation.
Childers leads his club, the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts in Maryland, with a .289 batting average. That is more than 20 points higher than anybody else on the team and ranks 18th overall in the CRCBL.
He has appeared in 26 contests so far for Silver Spring-Takoma and racked up 28 hits, which is in a stalemate for 15th most in the league. Childers has also taken 10 free passes between walks and hit by pitches plus owns a pair of stolen bases.
Childers set the Northeast record for most home runs in a single season this spring with 13. He picked up right where he left off this summer with three dingers, which is in a draw for the team lead alongside Turner Davis from Savannah State (Ga.) University and Corey Rosier of Chipola (Fla.) College.
His 17 RBIs are ranked tied for 13th most in the CRCBL and tops for the Thunderbolts. Childers has nine multiple hit performances, including a three-hit day in a victory by Silver Spring-Takoma over the Loudoun Riverdogs on June 6.
"Of course I'm excited," Childers said. "It's good to come here and put in all that time and get something out of it. It'll be fun to play with the best guys in the league and to see some of the best arms. That's going to be a plus."
The Ripley native was exceptional over his two-year career with the Tigers. He amassed 108 total hits, including 47 for extra bases, with 96 RBIs to pace Northeast's efforts offensively.
Childers guided the Tigers as a sophomore with team-highs of a .679 slugging percentage, 53 RBIs and 12 doubles. He batted .352 with 42 runs scored, five sacrifice flies and 57 base knocks.
He had a season-long seven-game hitting streak twice. His final such stretch started with a three-hit outing at Copiah-Lincoln Community College on April 7 and ended 11 days later with a two home run afternoon against Holmes Community College.
The 6-3, 235-pounder split time between catcher and first base defensively at Northeast. He wielded a solid .955 on-base percentage plus threw out six runners attempting to steal from behind the plate.
Childers was one of 31 men chosen to compete for the North All-Star squad, which is comprised of players from five CRCBL organizations. He is one of two listed first basemen for the North along with Joe Zirolli from the Baltimore Redbirds.
The South All-Stars are the defending champions after claiming a 3-0 shutout triumph in 2017. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) with a pro style workout and batting practice for Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts earlier in the day.