By DAN BISER

On April 4, 2006, West Columbus senior righthander Daniel Britt became the first Columbus County high school player to pitch a perfect game in the Vikings’ 2-0 Southeastern Conference road victory St. Pauls.

Britt also hit one of his team-high seven home runs in that victory, which boosted the Vikings toward the Southeastern Conference title.

Britt, one of several star-studded group of seniors on this spring’s state 1A finalist Viking squad has been selected Columbus County Baseball Player of the Year and heads 2006 News Reporter All-Columbus County Team.

For the second straight season, West Columbus’ Ricky Young as been selected Columbus County Baseball Coach of the Year.

Britt, who signed last winter to play his college baseball at Elon University, closed out his senior season with124 strikeouts in 88.2 innings pitched. He walked only six batters and finished with a 1.42 earned run average. He had a 9-4 mound record and five saves. He batted .380 with his seven home runs and drove in 41 runs. He was also named the Southeastern 1A-2A Conference Player of the Year.

Britt is on of six West Columbus players – all seniors – selected to the all-county team as the Vikings fashioned a 28-4 season record, the most number of regular-season wins by a Columbus County team since 1983 when Whiteville High won the state 2A championship with a 28-2 record.

Shortstop Ryan McCleney, catcher Zack Andrews, pitcher/outfielder John David White and outfielders Devon Brown and Brett Godwin have also selected. All but Godwin received the honor last season.

Whiteville High, which finished in a tie with South Columbus for the Waccamaw 1A-2A Conference championship, have junior pitcher/outfielder Robbie Penny, freshman pitcher/outfielder Sprandon Mahoney, senior infielder Scott Stephens and senior catcher Alex Hooks selected to the all-county team. Stephens received all-county honors as last season

Selected from Waccamaw Conference co-champion Whitevilel are senior pithcer/infielder Justin Creech, senior outfielder Landon Simmons, junior outifilder Charlie Gore and sophomore infielder Donovan Watts.

East Columbus players chosen are senior pitcher/outfielders Jonathan “Earl” Reaves and Cameron Spears, and senior infielder Mark Brisson.

Waccamaw Academy players chosen are senior pitcher/outfielders Dustin Williamson and Ben Rouse, and senior cather/infielder Justin Rhodes. These players paced Coach Robbie Allen’s Warriors to a fourth straight NCISAA state 1A championship. Williamson has been named to the all-county team for the second straight year and Rouse earned the hosnor last year while playing for East Columbus.

Coach Young over the past two seasons has guided West Columbus to a combined record of 49 wins and 10 losses. two conferenc titles, the 2006 Eastern N.C. 1A regional title and a combined state playoff record of 6-3.

Other players considered for all-county honors were Stephen Nealey, DeMichael Smith and Timothy Brown of West Columbus; Cameron White, Ben Deans, Quan Gaddy and Lloyd Enzor of Whiteville; Garrett Bullock, Dakota Piver and Jeremy Harrelson of South Columbus; Chad Malpass and B.J. Patrick of East Columbus; Ian Hooks, Kyle Hufham and Matt Ward of Waccamaw Academy.