This Week’s Orange Panther of the Week is sophomore pitcher Cross Clayton. In March, Clayton became a permanent part of the Panthers’ starting rotation. That was one of the moves that led to Orange winning the Central Carolina Conference regular season championship. In his first year at the varsity level, Clayton leads the team with eight wins, the most by an Orange player in a single season since Bryse Wilson won ten in 2016. On Tuesday night, Clayton came on in relief and got the victory over Cedar Ridge in nine innings. Clayton is 8-2 with a 2.45 ERA this season. Clayton has a 23-inning scoreless streak that spanned four games, starting on April 8 against Person when he shutout the Rockets in a 10-0 win. He’s also made his presence with his bat. On April 12, Clayton hit a solo home run against Northwood. In the eighth inning of that game, Clayton hit the game-winning single off the fence in centerfield. On Thursday, Clayton earned the start in the Panthers’ 8-5 victory over Terry Sanford in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. Clayton has been an instrumental part in the winningest Orange team since 2016.