Former BE star makes stellar debut in Braves promotion
Former Bishop England and College of Charleston baseball star Daniel Brooks took the next step in his pursuit of a major league dream when the Atlanta Braves promoted the hard-throwing right-hander from the Augusta GreenJackets to the Rome Emperors on Aug. 20.
Brooks wasted little time in his debut two days later for the Emperors, the Braves’ high-level Class A team. Brooks, who made his first start of the season in his last appearance with the GreenJackets, was the starter on Aug. 22 vs. Hub City, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
Brooks, whose fastball has been hitting the mid- to upper-90 mph range, was limited to 60 pitches in his first start for the Emperors. He pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, walking a batter, while striking out six.
In his second start, he pitched four more scoreless innings, allowing only two hits with five strikeouts.
His numbers for the GreenJackets and Emperors include 24 games with two starts. He is 4-1 overall with a 1.89 ERA as of Aug. 31, with 68 strikeouts in 47.2 innings of work.
“I just want to be more consistent and remain healthy,” Brooks said in an interview when he was assigned to Augusta. “I’m happy to be part of the Braves’ organization. They are first class all the way.”
VOLLEYBALL
The Bishop England and Philip Simmons boys’ volleyball teams clashed in the first match of the season, a match that included the head coaching debuts of the Iron Horses’ Jorge Riesgo and the Bishops’ Annie Franklin.
The Bishops posted a 3-1 homecourt victory on Aug. 18.
Riesgo is in his third year as a head coach. He spent the last two seasons at Oceanside Collegiate Academy and led the Landsharks to two state championships.
Franklin joined the Bishops’ staff as an assistant to Alec Swanson in 2024.
TONON TWINS
Bishop England identical twins Chase and Trevor Tonon both had solid sophomore seasons for the Bishop England football team last fall and were impressive when they went “camping” over the summer.
The brothers, who will graduate in 2028, have the ability to play on both sides of the ball, but their future is on defense at the next level.
Chase had 116 tackles last fall, including 54 solo stops. Trevor logged 96 tackles, including 43 solos. He had 3.5 sacks.
The brothers received offers from The Citadel, East Tennessee, Miami of Ohio, and Appalachian State. Chase, 6-0, 205 pounds, also received his first major offer last week from Wake Forest.