Three Wildcats named to all-league baseball team

Louisburg sophomore Madden Rutherford earned second team All-Frontier League honors for his efforts this past season. Rutherford was the Wildcats’ No. 1 starter and among the team leaders in batting.

 

The Louisburg High School baseball team had its ups and downs during the 2018 season as it finished the year with a 7-15 record after a loss to state tournament qualifier, Paola, in the regional tournament.

Still, a few Wildcats were recognized for their efforts when it was all said and done.

When the All-Frontier League Baseball Team was released last week, three Louisburg players found themselves among those honored.

Sophomore Madden Rutherford was the highest honored Wildcat with second-team honors, while senior Garrett Caldwell and sophomore Garrett Harding each finished with honorable mention selections.

“Our league is always very competitive and has a number of quality players,” Louisburg coach Joel McGhee said. “Each year we nominate our top performers and see how other coaches in the league viewed the competition throughout the season. This will be an even more elite group to join in the following seasons as we add the new teams to the league. We were represented well and are happy to see that our underclassmen are being noticed throughout the league.

“These three provided great at bats throughout the season. All three guys were in the middle of our lineup and they did a great job getting timely hits and driving in runs.”

Rutherford was named to the all-league second team in the outfield, but also served as the team’s No. 1 starter. In six starts, he had a 5.12 ERA and struck out 23 batters in 28 innings pitched. He also committed just three errors in 19 games.

At the plate, Rutherford had a .408 average with 10 RBIs, three doubles, a triple, a home run and scored 15 runs.

“Rutherford was our ace and consistently filled up the strike zone, keeping us competitive in a challenging league,” McGhee said. “He was extremely valuable on defense, playing multiple positions in the infield and outfield.”

Caldwell earned all-league honors for the second straight season for his work at third base. He was a fixture in the Louisburg lineup as he batted .329 on the season and had 23 hits, three doubles, two triples, two home runs and had 22 RBIs.

“Garrett had a solid performance at third base this year and provided good leadership for our team,” McGhee said. “He showed great hustle on the base path and was willing to do what was necessary to win games. He put together a very good season in his final year at Louisburg.”

Harding also spent time in a few different spots for Louisburg as he served as the team’s first baseman, designated hitter and pitcher, which garnered him an all-league selection at the utility spot.

In 21 games, Harding led the Wildcats with a .418 average and finished the season with 23 hits, a double, a grand slam and 20 RBIs. On the mound, he had 2.47 earned run average in 11 innings of work and defensively he committed just one error.

“Harding was another versatile tool, but spent a majority of his time at designated hitter,” McGhee said. “He pitched very efficiently in his outings throughout the season and provided us with quality defense at first base. He performed very well at the plate, which is what earned his honorable mention spot on the all-league team. He did not hit a lot of extra base hits, but got very timely hits that plated a significant number of runs.”

ALL-FRONTIER LEAGUE BASEBALL

FIRST TEAM

INFIELD: Darren Winans, senior, De Soto; Kurt Golubski, senior, Paola; Chad Bones, junior, Ottawa; Kaleb Shaffer, senior, Ottawa

OUTFIELD: Khalil Thrasher, senior, Eudora; Jackson Burrell, senior, Spring Hill; Nick Modes, senior, Paola

CATCHER: Chandler Bloomer, senior, Ottawa

PITCHER: Conner Mackay, senior, De Soto; Jared Parenti, senior, Ottawa

UTILITY: Anthony Slaughter, senior, De Soto

 

SECOND TEAM

INFIELD: Bryce Mohl, senior, De Soto; Cody Lucas, senior, Spring Hill; Nash Dreiling, senior, Paola; Chris Wilks, senior, Baldwin

OUTFIELD: Jack Barger, senior, De Soto; Peyton Garvin, senior, Eudora; Madden Rutherford, sophomore, Louisburg

CATCHER: Evan Peuser, sophomore, Paola

PITCHER: Tyler Barkemeyer, junior, De Soto; Jake Schrock, senior, Baldwin

UTILITY: Michael Daggett, sophomore, Paola

 

HONORABLE MENTION

INFIELD: Conner Mackay, senior, De Soto; Bryce Towles, senior, Spring Hill; Luke Angermayer, senior, Paola; Owen LaMar, senior, Ottawa; Jake Schrock, senior, Baldwin; Garrett Caldwell, senior, Louisburg

OUTFIELD: Connor Strouse, senior, De Soto; Zade Barker, sophomore, Spring Hill; Wyatt Johnston, senior, Paola; Garrett Owings, senior, Baldwin

CATCHER: Corbyn Meyers, sophomore, Spring Hill; Garrett Borth, senior, Baldwin

PITCHER: Jayden Pierce, junior, Eudora; Garret Trimmer, junior, Paola; Chance Crowley, senior, Ottawa

UTILITY: Cameron Reynolds, junior, Ottawa; Ty Bennett, junior, Baldwin; Garrett Harding, sophomore, Louisburg