All-GTNS baseball

The Golden Triangle area featured a lot of great baseball this season. From a thrilling last-inning comeback for the Southeast Conference championship to watching the final undefeated team in the state fall in the first round of the state tournament, many players were worthy of selection to the All-GTNS team.

Here were the players ultimately chosen for this recognition:

Captain: Garrett Saunders, senior, shorstop, Van Buren:

Garrett Saunders was a baseball machine this season. He led the state in stolen bases with 52, was only caught stealing once. Oh, by the way, he also hit .440, led the Warriors with nine homeruns, and drove in 39 RBIs. His on-base plus slugging percentage was an outstanding 1.305.

On the mound, in the rare occasions that coach Chad Scott decided to pull him out of the infield, Saunders went 4-0, collected two saves, and struck out 32 hitters in 21 1/3 innings. He allowed only one earned run on the mound in five appearances and held opponents to a .137 batting average, good for best on the team.

The senior shortstop led Van Buren to a 29-1 record, the team?s only loss coming at the state tournament to North-Linn.

Pitcher: Keaton Winn, junior, Pekin:

Count me among those absolutely stunned that Winn didn?t receive All-State recognition. The junior was lights-out of the mound, going 6-2 with a 0.65 earned-run average in 10 appearances on the year. He allowed only five earned runs and 13 hits in 53 2/3 innings, holding opponents to an unbelievable .067 batting average.

At the plate, Winn also led the Panthers in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs.

Pitcher: Taylor Blunt, senior, Cardinal:

Not to say that the numbers don?t back me up. Taylor went 7-1 with a 1.71 ERA in nine starts. He struck out 60 batters in 65 2/3 innings and walked only 16. He was also a proficient hitter, batting .300 and driving in 14 RBIs. Blunt also was the pitcher of record in seven of his team?s 12 wins.

Infield: Pat Canby, sophomore, Mt. Pleasant:

Canby has been a rising young star for the Mt. Pleasant baseball team. The sophomore was a staple offensively and defensively, batting toward the top of the lineup for the Panthers and being the captain on defense at the shortstop position.

Canby hit .392 this season, which was second-best number the team. He led the team in slugging (.598), OBP (.539), hits (38), doubles (eight), homeruns (four) and RBIs (28). He was also one of the best base runners on the team, swiping 20 bases in 18 tries.

Infield: Alex Crile, junior, Fairfield:

Alex led the Trojans in batting average with .377, hit the team?s only two homeruns, and was second in RBIs with 31. As the second hitter in the lineup, he also scored 34 runs, good for third on the team behind Narendra Martin and Jordan Reid.

The stat that might pop out the most for the Trojans? second baseman is his .518 slugging percentage; the next closest to him was Kosta Papazaglou at .494. Crile?s ability to hit for extra bases was pivotal to Fairfield?s success, and the fact that he?s a left-handed batting second baseman is a very rare commodity, allowing head coach Josh Allison to bat Crile second and alternate righty, lefty, righty in the order, nullifying any potential pitching matchups.

Infield: Jordan Reid, junior, Fairfield:

The Fairfield third-baseman was an absolute pest for opponents this year. He hit .336, stole 17 bases, and had a knack for making things happen in the clutch.

Reid?s a savvy defender as well, knowing when to be aggressive and go for the lead runner and when to take the free outs. On the base paths, however, anything goes as the junior will take the free base when it?s offered.

Infield: Blake Weidman, senior, Washington:

As the lone senior on the Washington baseball team, Blake Weidman provided critical leadership to a Demon team that went 6-20 on the season, which helped him earn his first career nod as an All-GTNS infielder.

Weidman played third and second base this season for the Demons, and carried a pretty hot bat all season, boasting a .363 batting average.

Weidman finished the year with team-highs in doubles (10), RBIs (17) and hits (29), while putting together an on-base percentage of .427.

Outfield: Brandon Plecker, senior, Van Buren:

Plecker?s the only man on the Warriors who can claim a higher batting average than Saunders. He hit .465 for Van Buren and finished second on the team with 32 RBIs. The senior was a doubles machine, with 12 of his 46 hits going for two bases. He also picked up three triples and two homers, to give him a slugging percentage of .707.

Plecker ended up with 18 stolen bases on 21 attempts, which was good for second on the team.

Outfield: Austin Smith, senior, Mt. Pleasant:

Austin Smith was one of the fastest guys on the conference, leading off for the Panthers this year. Smith hit .343 with a .469 OBP and 17 RBIs at the plate, but what really made him stand out was his base running.

Smith went 24-24 on attempted steals this season, which led the team and scored 32 runs, which was second on the team. Smith knew how to get on base to start offensive rallies, hitting 31 singles this year and drawing 12 walks.

Outfield: Matthew Niebuhr, junior, New London: Matthew Niebuhr makes the All-GTNS team due to an all-around great season. The junior hit a team-leading .416, slugged .623 and had an OBP of .541. He hit six doubles, three triples and three homers while knocking in 21 RBIs.

Niebuhr, who often hit in the meat of the lineup, was patient at the plate, drawing a team-leading 19 walks and went 21-23 on stolen base attempts. Niebuhr was a big part of the Wolves? postseason win over New London, going 3-4 with three RBIs.

Catcher: Ross Vantiger, junior, Winfield-Mt. Union: Perhaps the best offensive catcher in the area this year, Vantiger hit .400 and led the team in RBIs with 25. The junior was also the best base-stealer on the team, going 23-23 in attempted steals.

In late May, Vantiger had a fantastic game against Lone Tree. Vantiger scored on a triple and an error in the sixth inning to tie up the game and then delivered a walk-off single to defeat the Lions 3-2.

Utility: Cameron Baumann, sophomore, Fairfield:

Fairfield?s representative on the All-State team as a pitcher does make the cut as a ?utility? player on our team. He led the Trojans with 83 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings and held opposing teams to a .134 average. When his command is on and he hits his spots, he?s unstoppable.

The sophomore pops the mitt with an electric fastball and has the off-speed pitches to complement it, completing a formidable arsenal to keep hitters off-balance. As his command continues to improve, his walk numbers should drop from the 32 he allowed this season, as well as reducing the 17 hit-batters he allowed.

But, even with more base runners than some of the other pitchers on the list, Baumann locks down with them on. He allowed only eight earned runs to the tune of a 1.18 ERA.

Utility: Robert Barker, junior, Van Buren:

Another pitcher who gets lumped into the ?utility? role, Barker also played an outstanding first base for the Warriors this season. He was the ace on the mound in a pitching staff that was tough to pick just one nominee. Barker?s six wins did lead the Warriors and he had the lion?s share of innings pitched with 52.

Barker finished with a .341 batting average, three homers, and 26 RBIs on the year. His 11 doubles were second on the team and his .610 slugging percentage was third. One of Barker?s best qualities, though, is his patience at the plate. The junior drew 33 walks versus striking out only six times on the entire year.

On the mound, he had a 1.75 ERA and led Van Buren in strikeouts with 50, holding opponents to a .173 batting average.

Utility: Quincy Porter, senior, New London:

There weren?t a lot of players in the area who showed more power and athleticism this year than New London?s Quincy Porter. The senior hit .452 and slugged a ridiculous .919 for the Tigers, and led the team with eight homeruns and 27 RBIs.

Porter was also one of the best pitchers on New London?s team, going 3-2 this season with a 4.71 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He held his opponents to a .136 batting average in the process. Head Coach: Chad Scott, Van Buren:

Not too much surprise here. The Warriors came off a disappointing (for them) finish last season and beat everybody (but North-Linn) this season. While there were a couple of games that were closer than would have been expected, Scott and the Warriors were unstoppable in the regular season and always found a way to come out on top.

Scott recognized that his team?s strength was in its pitching and found effective ways to use that talent. Against Central Lee, in a game that should have been a laugher, Scott turned to Saunders with his team trailing, and his best pitcher came through, striking out the majority of the batters he faced and keeping his team in the game.

Even with seven departing seniors, four of them starters, counting Scott and the Warriors out next year would be a bad idea. He still has Barker returning along with most of his pitching staff in Austin Bartholomew and Tyson Sprouse. Along with the emergence of Will Mertens in the outfield, Scott will find a way to be successful in 2016.

The All Golden Triangle News Service baseball team is selected by sports editors Aaron Viner of the Washington Evening Journal, Andy Krutsinger of Mt. Pleasant News, and Josh Dillon of the Fairfield Daily Ledger.