The accolades keep rolling in for Elliott.
A four-year player both with American Legion Post 27 and Plymouth High School baseball, was nominated to the North All-Star team after hitting .438 last spring for the Pilgrims, scoring 39 runs and driving in another 22. Elliott was also named the District I Player of the Year for 2009 and received an All-State Hon-orable Mention nod to boot.
“Great honor, great credit to him,” said Tony Plothow, who serves double duty as both Plymouth’s and Post 27’s head baseball coach. “He’s recognized around the state from a few coaches. They really pushed for him. He was our District I Player of the Year as well at our meeting, so he garnered some good post-season awards and is very well deserving of this.”
Elliott got the news that he’d been selected for the All-Star game and given an All-State nomination while on vacation last week in Florida.
“It’s been a big week,” he said. “I’m getting all these calls in Florida. I’m like ‘What? What’s going on?’ My mom’s like ‘You just made this, hey you just made this’ and I’m ‘Whoa, whoa.’ I’ve been gone for two days, and I’m missing all these things. It’s fun to know that you’re one of the top athletes or competitors in the state. Hopefully I can prove myself there.”
Elliott, a three-sport starter for Plymouth baseball, basketball and football, garnered some attention on the gridiron as well.
An All-Northern Lakes Conference pick after helping lead Plymouth to the NLC title in his senior football season, the free safety was selected at outside linebacker in the Indiana North-South All-Star Football Game to be played at North Central High School on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. There will be no rest for the weary as Elliott heads straight for Indianapolis following the conclusion of the All-Star baseball series Saturday.
“It’s a great honor,” Elliott said of the All-Star football pick. “I’m going in there playing outside linebacker instead of safety, but basically I played outside linebacker for us, too. Either way it’s good to be out there.”
While a versatile athlete, Elliott’s favorite sport remains baseball. A Murray State recruit, he’ll play baseball for the Division III Racers next spring, and he’s looking forward to the state All-Star Series as a sneak peek of what’s to come at the next level of play.
“We have a pitcher that’s playing at Notre Dame next year, so it’s going to be top-level competition,” Elliott said. “Hopefully that’ll be a little test on what next year will entail.”
As the American Legion state tournament begins July 17, Plothow’s time with Elliott is drawing to a close. The shortstop he’s coached for the past four years is going to be missed he said, but he knows Elliott is off to bigger and better things.
“This program is going to miss him and so is the American Legion program next year,” said Plothow. “You can’t replace a kid like that. He played for four years for us, and he’ll do well in college. I just can’t say enough good things about him.”