The sixth best reliever in the 2021 Valley League season is current Florence-Darlington Tech and future North Carolina righthander Matt Poston!
Poston went 0-0, 2.55 in 24 2/3 innings for the Cannons in the regular season, with five saves, a minuscule .159 BAA, 1.053 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, and 12.0 K/9. He showed off a mid-90’s fastball as well (he was clocked at 96.9 mph this fall!). Among pitchers on this list, he finished second in innings pitched, fifth in BAA, and sixth in WHIP. He struck out the side in one inning in the All-Star game, too.
Alas, the Cannons did not make the playoffs, but Poston wasn’t done yet; he joined the Strasburg Express for the playoffs. He went 1-0, 0.00 in 3 1/3 innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. He obviously helped the Express win the VBL title.
In 2021 at Tech, Poston went 2-0, 0.63 in 14 1/3 innings, with 11 hits, eight walks, and 20 K’s. He has committed to North Carolina for the 2022-2023 season.
All Things Valley League 