Five Wildcats earn all-league honors

Louisburg junior Cole Kramer was one of five Wildcats to be selected to the all-Frontier League team when it was released last week. Kramer was a first-team selection in the outfield. 

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The Louisburg baseball team put together quite a season as it doubled its win total from a season ago and the rest of the Frontier League took notice.

The Wildcats nearly doubled their all-league selections as well.

All-Frontier League teams were released last week and the Wildcats earned five spots, which was up from three last season.

Junior Cole Kramer (outfield) was selected to the first team. Senior Mitchell Caldwell and junior Colton Smith (infield) were named to the second team.

Junior Austin Henderson (infield) and senior Ethan Caldwell (outfield) were honorable mention selections.

Kramer was one of the team’s best defensive options as he used his speed in centerfield to rob a lot of hits. He also added seven assists and had just one error.

As the team’s leadoff hitter, Kramer hit .394 on the season and led the team with a .481 on-base percentage along with a .591 slugging percentage. He also had a team-high 15 RBIs, six doubles, two triples, a home run and 15 stolen bases.

“Cole had a great year for us,” former Louisburg coach Jeff Lohse said. “The other league coaches saw that as well and rewarded him for it. He covers a lot of ground in the outfield and is always a threat on the base paths.”

Smith spent most of his time at third base for the Wildcats and helped lead what was a strong infield with Mitchell Caldwell and Henderson. Smith finished the year with a .412 average to go along with five doubles, a triple and 13 RBIs.

Mitchell Caldwell, who played second base, was a strong No. 2 hitter for Louisburg as he hit .333 with seven doubles, 11 stolen bases and had a .432 on-base percentage to go along with just three errors.

Henderson manned first base for the Wildcats and had only three errors himself. He also batted .333 and had six doubles and 10 RBIs in the middle of the Louisburg batting order.

“Mitchell, Colton and Austin had great seasons as well for us,” Lohse said. “Due to injuries and other factors, Colton went from playing third base every other game to being our everyday guy. He ended up being very solid out there and had a great season at the plate.

“Mitchell and Austin anchored down the right side of our defense. Both of them are great with the glove and had good success with the bat as well.”

Ethan Caldwell was a part of a Wildcat outfield that committed just five errors all season. Caldwell also did some damage at the bottom of the Louisburg order with a .362 average, four doubles and 11 RBIs.

“Our outfield was very good at every spot this year and Ethan played a big role in that,” Lohse said. “He gets a good read off the bat and did a great job for us in right field. Ethan also provided us with some good offensive production from the bottom of our lineup.”

Lohse, who stepped down from his position as head coach following the end of this season, realizes this Wildcat team has a chance to be special in the near future.

“This program has a chance to be very, very good next year,” Lohse said. “There are a lot of returning players who have played many innings at the varsity level. Some were recognized as all-league players, while there are others who were well deserving but just came up short this year. I look forward to watching them develop and to their success in the future.”

 

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE BASEBALL

FIRST TEAM

Catcher: Dayne Jung, Ottawa, senior

Utility/DH: Avery Boehm, Paola, senior

Pitcher: Sam Carver, Ottawa, senior; Ryker Johnson, Spring Hill, senior

Infield: Brock Randels, Baldwin, senior; Greyson Jenista, De Soto, senior; Tate Jung, Ottawa, senior; Ivan Hughes, Spring Hill, junior

Outfield: Kendall Freeman, De Soto, senior; Cole Kramer, Louisburg, junior; Jordan Henning, Spring Hill, senior

 

SECOND TEAM

Catcher: Garrett Kroutch, Spring Hill, senior

Utility/DH: Keegan Finch, Ottawa, sophomore

Pitcher: Nathan Mann, De Soto, senior; Aaron Foster, Eudora, junior; Hayden Yancey, Ottawa, senior

Infield: Collin Linder, Baldwin, senior; Colton Smith, Louisburg, junior; Mitchell Caldwell, Louisburg, senior; Nick Sloan, Paola, senior

Outfield: Ben Brungardt, Baldwin, senior; Cooper Lee, De Soto, junior; Blaine Ray, Ottawa, sophomore

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Catcher: Tyler Davidson, Baldwin, senior; Brenton Michalek, De Soto, senior; Jared Fry, Eudora, junior

Utility/DH: Jackson Barth, Baldwin, junior; Donovan Sutti, Paola, sophomore; Charles Elam, Spring Hill, senior; Josh White, Eudora, senior

Pitcher: Ben Brungardt, Baldwin, senior; Garon Johnson, Paola, junior

Infield: Austin Henderson, Louisburg, junior; Connor Stepp, Ottawa, senior; Brayden Pearce, Paola, senior

Outfield: Devon Freeman, De Soto, senior; Ethan Caldwell, Louisburg, senior; Hayden Yancey, Ottawa, senior; Blain Ohlmeier, Paola, junior; Mason McDow, Paola, junior; Michael Londene, Spring Hill, senior