Pro athletes with Burke ties making major headlines
Exciting things have been happening recently for professional athletes with ties to Burke County. An athlete from Morganton recently helped his Minor League Baseball team capture a pair of championships, while another Morganton native wrapped up his third season as a pro dirt bike rider. Others of note include a pro stock car driver from Connelly Springs and a pro golf caddie who calls Morganton home.Â
Alek Thomas, a 26-year-old center fielder who lived in Morganton until he was 12 years old, was the Most Valuable Player of the Triple-A National Championship Game between his Oklahoma City Comets — the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and the Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings, which the Comets won by a 5-3 final in 10 innings thanks to a three-run double from Thomas in the top of the 10th. The game was played in Las Vegas on Sept. 26 and was a matchup of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) champion Comets and the International League champion Red Wings. Oklahoma City previously defeated the host Las Vegas Aviators earlier last week in each of the final two games of the best-of-three PCL Championship Series to capture the sixth league title in franchise history. After batting .305 with 83 hits including 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and five triples as well as 51 RBIs, 46 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 68 games for the Comets during the regular season, Thomas batted .400 with six hits including the aforementioned double as well as four RBIs and four runs scored in four postseason games. Thomas ultimately elected free agency on Tuesday, and he will be looking to make it back to the MLB level next year after playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-25 and for the first part of the 2026 season before being traded to the Dodgers on May 12.
- TOM DONOGHUE / FOR THE PAPER
Daxton Bennick, a 17-year-old from Morganton, was the third-place finisher in the points standings during the Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross Championship’s 250SX East series season (Feb. 21 through May 9) before finishing 16th in the points standings during the AMA Motocross Championship’s 250 series season (May 30 through Aug. 29) and seventh in the points standings during the AMA SuperMotocross 250SMX series playoffs (Sept. 12 through Sept. 26). The high point of Bennick’s year came when he earned his first pro victory during a playoff race on Sept. 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and he was also the third-place finisher in the second race of the day as he came in second overall. Bennick then ended the year with finishes of ninth and 12th (11th overall) on Sept. 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., and finishes of 10th and sixth (eighth overall) on Sept. 26 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Mo.
- SIMON CUDBY / FOR THE PAPER
Landon S. Huffman, a 19-year-old from Connelly Springs who graduated from East Burke High School in 2025, recently represented CR7 Motorsports in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Menards Series on Sept. 12 at Indiana’s Salem Speedway, where he came in fourth in a race that was broadcast live on the FOX network. Huffman then finished 20th during the final race of the ARCA Menards Series season on Sept. 25 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Mo. Last weekend’s event was televised on FS1.
- AUSTIN MEANS, CR7 MOTORSPORTS / FOR THE PAPER
Despite not participating in a tournament on the PGA Tour since August, 33-year-old Austrian Sepp Straka (left) — pictured with his caddie, longtime Morganton resident Duane Bock — is currently the world’s 34th-ranked golfer, and he has won more than $4.4 million in 20 PGA Tour events this year. He previously tied for 34th (1-under-par) during the FedEx St. Jude Championship Aug. 13-16 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., and he also tied for 33rd (2-under) during the BMW Championship Aug. 20-23 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. More recently, Straka has competed in two events on the DP World Tour, tying for 63rd (4-over-par) during the Amgen Irish Open Sept. 10-13 at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, Ireland, before tying for 15th (12-under) at the BMW PGA Championship Sept. 17-20 at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. Straka is presently participating in the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a four-day, three-course event in Scotland that began on Thursday and continues through Sunday.
- FOR THE PAPER
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Alek Thomas, a 26-year-old center fielder who lived in Morganton until he was 12 years old, was the Most Valuable Player of the Triple-A National Championship Game between his Oklahoma City Comets — the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers — and the Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings, which the Comets won by a 5-3 final in 10 innings thanks to a three-run double from Thomas in the top of the 10th. The game was played in Las Vegas on Sept. 26 and was a matchup of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) champion Comets and the International League champion Red Wings. Oklahoma City previously defeated the host Las Vegas Aviators earlier last week in each of the final two games of the best-of-three PCL Championship Series to capture the sixth league title in franchise history. After batting .305 with 83 hits including 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and five triples as well as 51 RBIs, 46 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 68 games for the Comets during the regular season, Thomas batted .400 with six hits including the aforementioned double as well as four RBIs and four runs scored in four postseason games. Thomas ultimately elected free agency on Tuesday, and he will be looking to make it back to the MLB level next year after playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-25 and for the first part of the 2026 season before being traded to the Dodgers on May 12.
- TOM DONOGHUE / FOR THE PAPER
Daxton Bennick, a 17-year-old from Morganton, was the third-place finisher in the points standings during the Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross Championship’s 250SX East series season (Feb. 21 through May 9) before finishing 16th in the points standings during the AMA Motocross Championship’s 250 series season (May 30 through Aug. 29) and seventh in the points standings during the AMA SuperMotocross 250SMX series playoffs (Sept. 12 through Sept. 26). The high point of Bennick’s year came when he earned his first pro victory during a playoff race on Sept. 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, and he was also the third-place finisher in the second race of the day as he came in second overall. Bennick then ended the year with finishes of ninth and 12th (11th overall) on Sept. 19 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., and finishes of 10th and sixth (eighth overall) on Sept. 26 at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Mo.
- SIMON CUDBY / FOR THE PAPER
Landon S. Huffman, a 19-year-old from Connelly Springs who graduated from East Burke High School in 2025, recently represented CR7 Motorsports in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Menards Series on Sept. 12 at Indiana’s Salem Speedway, where he came in fourth in a race that was broadcast live on the FOX network. Huffman then finished 20th during the final race of the ARCA Menards Series season on Sept. 25 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Mo. Last weekend’s event was televised on FS1.
- AUSTIN MEANS, CR7 MOTORSPORTS / FOR THE PAPER
Despite not participating in a tournament on the PGA Tour since August, 33-year-old Austrian Sepp Straka (left) — pictured with his caddie, longtime Morganton resident Duane Bock — is currently the world’s 34th-ranked golfer, and he has won more than $4.4 million in 20 PGA Tour events this year. He previously tied for 34th (1-under-par) during the FedEx St. Jude Championship Aug. 13-16 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., and he also tied for 33rd (2-under) during the BMW Championship Aug. 20-23 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. More recently, Straka has competed in two events on the DP World Tour, tying for 63rd (4-over-par) during the Amgen Irish Open Sept. 10-13 at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, Ireland, before tying for 15th (12-under) at the BMW PGA Championship Sept. 17-20 at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. Straka is presently participating in the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a four-day, three-course event in Scotland that began on Thursday and continues through Sunday.
- FOR THE PAPER
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Josh McKinney
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