February 2025 Elite Athletes of the Month
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
In conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, Elite Stone Supply presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville.
Lucas Baker represents Woodland High School as the February Elite Athlete of the Month.
Baker, a senior pitcher and third baseman on the Wildcats’ baseball team, started the 2025 campaign with a .429 batting average. He is 1-0 on the mound and recently signed to continue his education and baseball career at Albany State University.
“Lucas works extremely hard,” said Wildcats head coach Mark Collins. “He has been elected captain by his teammates.”
He is the son of Joe and Dona Baker.
Peyton Bowen is the February Elite Athlete of the Month for Adairsville High School.
A senior outfielder on the Tigers’ baseball team, Bowen has started the season with a .405 batting average.
“Peyton Bowen is a hard-working young man and always leads by example,” said Adairsville head baseball coach Billy Roper. “He is quiet, but he plays the game the right way. I can always count on him to do what is right and best for the team.”
The son of Mark and Carla Bowen, he has a 4.0 grade point average in the Adairsville High School Magnet Program.
He plans to attend the University of North Georgia to major in Nursing.
Talan Nix represents Cartersville High School as the February Elite Athlete of the Month.
He is a three-time state placer for the Canes’ wrestling team, having placed fifth, fifth, and third the past three seasons in his weight division.
“Talan is a great example of an elite athlete. He excels on and off the mat. His continued success in the classroom and wrestling directly results from the hard work he pours into everything he does. He finished strong with an outstanding senior season,” said Cartersville wrestling coach Sammy Rosario.
The son of Leslie and Kevin Nix, Talan has a 4.7 weighted GPA and 4.0 unweighted. He was selected Most Outstanding Congressman at the Georgia State Youth Assembly in 2024. He is a Georgia Merit Scholar, Mu Alpha Theta Scholar, Junior Marshall, Scholar Athlete for Wrestling, Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors, Georgia Certificate of Merit winner, National Honor Society member, and was nominated for the Governor’s Honors Program in mathematics.
Nix plans to attend the University of Georgia to study Engineering.
Darianna Sosa is the February Elite Athlete of the Month for Cass High School.
Sosa is a standout member of the Lady Colonels’ softball, basketball, and tennis teams. A 5-8 guard, Sosa concluded the recent basketball season as the team’s second-leading scorer and helped the team reach the GHSA Class AAAA state playoffs.
As a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the softball team, she led the Lady Colonels as they also reached the Class AAAA state playoffs.
She is the daughter of Sebastian and Brenda Sosa and plans to attend Fort Valley State University on an athletic scholarship for softball.
Editors Note: The respective schools and athletic departments supply Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF with photos and bios. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque and recognition during a radio feature on WBHF.
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