Four Demons land on Big School All-GTNS baseball

The sports editors of the Fairfield Daily Ledger, Washington Evening Journal and Mt. Pleasant News have selected the 2016 All-GTNS baseball and softball teams. Normally, we restricted it to one big team for each, combining our smaller schools and large-city schools, but with the amount of talent and excellence we witnessed this season, we?ve decided to make four teams. Here are our selections for the All-GTNS large-school baseball team:

Head Coach: Josh Allison, Fairfield

When your team finishes as one of the top-5 in the state in your class, you probably deserve to be the all-area coach. Allison did a fantastic job managing his pitching staff this season, preserving ace Cameron Baumann for what looked like a deep postseason run.

His philosophy of playing as a team first and having fun second kept the team loose and relaxed through rough times, and Fairfield?s 27-8 record showed the success of that belief system. His biggest task next year will be replacing some strong departing seniors, many of whom will make appearances on this list.

Captain: Cameron Baumann, Fairfield

Known for his electric fastball on the mound, the tall junior didn?t allow a run, earned or otherwise, until his final start of the regular season. Scouts were flocking to Fairfield games in the hopes of seeing the lefty pitch, but he only made six starts this season.

Even so, he struck out 79 batters in 43 2/3 innings, holding foes to a .178 batting average. At the plate, Baumann finished second on the team in RBIs with 39 and smacked a team-leading four home runs, striking out only four times at the dish.

Pitcher: Tristan Ledger, Fairfield

The senior?s improvement on the mound this season from last year was phenomenal. Ledger went 8-0 on the year with a 0.93 ERA, held opponents to a .190 batting average and he earned two saves on the mound.

When the pressure was on, he was even better, getting out of numerous bases-loaded jams throughout the season. Ledger was the guy Fairfield turned to in the district final against Mt. Pleasant, and he allowed only three hits in a complete-game effort over his conference rivals.

Pitcher: Zach Londberg, Washington

Washington?s first member of the All-GTNS team was one of their best all-around performers this season, and earned a spot as a pitcher on this year?s team.

Londberg led Washington in nearly every statistical pitching category, posting a 7-1 record in 49 2/3 innings pitched, posting a 1.13 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.

He struck out a team-best 34 batters and held opponents to a .184 batting average against.

The Demon junior?s contributions didn?t end at the mound, however, as he served as the team?s regular designated hitter when he wasn?t pitching, leading the team with a .402 batting average and .587 slugging percentage, driving in a team-best 27 runs and tying for the team lead with 10 doubles.

Infield: Austin Simpson, Fairfield

Simpson?s tall frame and left-handed power bat was an asset to the Trojans this season, replacing the graduating Cody Craff. The freshman was third on the team in RBIs with 38 and hit a no-doubt grand slam against Iowa City-Regina that cleared the tree line beyond the tall right field fence.

He anchored the infield defensively as well, committing only two errors on the season in 208 chances.

Infield: Alex Crile, Fairfield

Definitely not a new name to all-area, all-district or all-state lists, Crile?s natural athletic ability really shines on the diamond. The senior led the team with a .429 batting average and really thrived in the leadoff spot, where he scored 48 runs and drove in 30 more.

Crile?s combination of speed, power and natural talent made him an absolute terror to pitch to, especially as the season waned. His leadoff homers in back-to-back postseason games against Mt. Pleasant and Solon were jump-starts to the Fairfield offense and proved that he won?t hesitate to pounce on a good pitch early in the count.

Infield: Pat Canby, Mt. Pleasant

Pat Canby was a star on the Mt. Pleasant team once again this season, hitting .388 with a .563 slugging percentage and a .530 on-base percentage.

The junior shortstop hit two home runs this season and had 26 RBIs. He also led the team in doubles, with 10, and runs scored, with 44.

Canby is one of six Panther juniors who got significant playing time this season. The core will return next year with eyes on an SEC title.

Infield: Cooper Huckabone, Mt. Pleasant

One of the leading underclassmen for Mt. Pleasant this season was third baseman/designated hitter Cooper Huckabone.

The sophomore hit .330 in the regular season with a .429 slugging percentage and a .432 on-base percentage. He led the team with three home runs and had 29 RBIs, one short of team leader Caleb Potts.

Huckabone stepped up his game this season when playing against rival Fairfield. He went deep against the Trojans once in the regular season and once in the district final.

Catcher: Kosta Papazaglou, Fairfield

?K-Pop,? as Simpson and his teammates called him throughout the season, certainly did that.  The freshman backstop led the team with 15 doubles and 43 RBIs on the year and skillfully handled the pitching staff in his first season as the full-time catcher.

Known for an uncanny ability to hit a pitcher?s pitch, swinging freely didn?t stop Papazaglou from posting a .419 batting average and .469 on-base percentage.

Outfield: Cade Lisk, Fairfield

Lisk was a jack-of-all-trades for the Trojans this season, appearing at the designated hitter, outfield and pitcher positions. On the mound, the sophomore went 3-3 with a 4.93 ERA, throwing a no-hitter against Fort Madison early in the season.

At the plate, he batted .314 with a homer and 23 RBIs. Lisk filled the same role that Ledger filled last season, and if he takes a similar step forward next year, he?ll be a very dangerous player in his junior season.

Outfield: Ryan Loy, Washington

The next Demon on the list was a consistent presence for the Demons, with Ryan Loy earning the nod as an All-GTNS outfielder.

Loy finished the year with a .370 batting average and a .417 on-base percentage to go with 10 doubles and a team-best 37 hits.

The Demon right fielder led the team with 23 runs scored while driving in 21 RBIs after taking over the No. 3 spot in the Demon lineup in the latter half of the season.

Outfield: Noah Enfield, Washington

Washington junior Noah Enfield?s stellar defensive play in center field may have been enough on its own merit to earn an All-GTNS spot, but his bat helped him secure the nod as one of the top area athletes.

Enfield worked his way up to the leadoff spot throughout the year, and finished the season second on the team in hits with 28, batting .298 with an on-base percentage of .371.

Enfield stole a team-high 12 bases this season, drove in 17 RBIs and scored 23 runs, tying for the team high.

Utiliy: Jordan Reid, Fairfield

It was a toss-up between Reid and Canby for the final infield slot, but the Trojan senior makes the team here in the utility position. He moved back to his natural position at shortstop and flashed some dazzling plays at the most active position on the diamond.

At the plate, he batted .404 with 11 doubles and 26 RBIs, stealing 17-18 bases on the way. He even appeared three times on the mound, allowing only one hit and striking out four batters in 4 1/3 innings of work. Reid, like Crile, will be sorely missed next season in a Trojan uniform.

Utility: Michael Gier, Washington

There was much discussion about the final utility spots, but eventually, one performer who couldn?t be ignored was Washington?s Michael Gier.

The junior, who battled an injury, and was eventually limited to just hitting at the end of the season, made his mark with a conference leading 27 walks drawn.

That number helped the Demon utility player to a staggering .505 on-base percentage, to go with 9 runs scored and 21 RBIs, while also notching seven doubles to his credit.

Before his injury limited him, Gier was also a good presence on the mound for the Demons, recording three starts and 23 innings pitched, posting a 3.65 ERA  and 24 strikeouts in his contests.

Utility: Zac Ebeling, Mt. Pleasant

Junior first basemen Zac Ebeling hit .330 this season with a .429 slugging percentage and a .432 on base percentage.

Ebeling was a force in the middle of the lineup for the Panthers, hitting four doubles, two triples, a home run and 29 RBIs, which was tied for second on the team.

He was also toward the top in non-power statistics, getting second on the team in hits, with 37, and runs, with 30.

With that, we?re down to one final All-GTNS summer team remaining, with small-school baseball being revealed in Friday?s edition of the three papers. The final team features players from Van Buren, Highland, Pekin, New London and a couple of more area schools.

? The All-Golden Triangle News Service big-school baseball team is selected by: Josh Dillon, sports editor at The Fairfield Daily Ledger, Aaron Viner, sports editor of The Washington Evening Journal and Andy Krutsinger, sports editor of The Mt. Pleasant News.