Etowah Grad Named Metro Atlanta High School Player of the Year

WOODSTOCK, GA — An Etowah High School graduate will be honored later this week as the Atlanta 400 Baseball Club’s 2017 Metro Atlanta High School Player of the Year. Drew Waters, who was recruited by the Atlanta Braves last spring, will be honored at the Club’s 52nd Annual Eddie Glennon Gameboree winter banquet and fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

The Club, formerly known as the Braves 400 Fan Club, is a non-profit organization supporting the Atlanta Braves and baseball at all levels, awarding baseball scholarships to metro Atlanta colleges and recognizing metro Atlanta high school all-stars as well as minor and major league players in the Braves organization. For more information, visit the club's website at www.atl400.org.

In May, Waters, who graduated from Etowah in 2017, was named the Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year. He was the first Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Etowah in the award's 32-year history. That award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field.

As an outfielder, Waters led the Eagles to a 26-16 record and the Class AAAAAAA state championship title, batting .494 with 13 home runs, 35 RBI and 43 runs scored through 42 games, with a 1.126 slugging percentage.

Waters, who earned a 92.1 grade point average in the classroom before graduating, volunteered for Goshen Valley Boys Ranch and Never Alone Food & Clothing Outreach Center, and helped raise more than $12,000 for a family whose son was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Photo: Drew Waters. Credit: Cherokee County School District