Huskies land coach, three athletes to All-GTNS

It was a wild year in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference, with two of the top teams in the area duking it out for a conference title.

Van Buren edged out Highland for the rights to the title, but both teams made their noise in the postseason with each qualifying for their respective state tournaments.

With the Warriors and Huskies advancing to state, it?s no surprise to see the All-GTNS small-school baseball team littered with members from those squads, but there were a large number of stellar performances to be recognized from the area.

Head coach: Seth Milledge, Highland

Milledge entered his first season as the Highland baseball head coach inheriting a junior-laden team, recognizing his squad had one thing they hoped to use to their advantage: speed.

That speed helped them finish first in the state in stolen bases regardless of class, while claiming a 20-win season and the Huskies? first state berth since 1984.

While the road ended in the state quarterfinals, expect Highland to be among the best in the state next season, as they only lose one piece from this year?s squad, as they set their sights on conference and state titles next year.

Captain: Will Mertens, Van Buren

Instead of trying to list the things that the Van Buren senior excels at on the baseball field, it might be easier to list the things he doesn?t do well.

Mertens batted .461 at the plate with six homers and 37 RBIs, leading the state-qualifying Warriors in every one of those categories by a fairly wide margin.

On the base paths, he swiped 18 bags in 20 attempts; he was hit by 12 pitches and drew 14 walks to boost his on-base percentage to .583. Oh, he also had seven doubles and a triple to nudge the slugging percentage to .764.

The primary backstop for Van Buren, Mertens caught seven of 18 potential stealers and made only three errors in the field. He was also a big part of the Van Buren starting rotation, going 3-0 on the mound with a save and 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings pitched.

He was the Southeast Iowa Super Conference player of the year and was named to the Iowa Newspaper Association?s All-State team in class 2A. All in all, 2016 was a spectacular last hurrah for Mertens in a Van Buren uniform.

Pitcher: Chase Rath, Highland

A big helper for the Huskies in the 20-win season was one of the top pitchers in Class 1A, Chase Rath.

The junior finished the season 116 strikeouts (third in Class 1A) in 73 2/3 innings, while posting an 8-2 record with a 1.05 ERA.

That season on the mound was highlighted by an 18-strikeout victory over Keokuk on June 4.

However, Rath didn?t just do it on the mound for the Huskies, helping Highland out as one of their top bats on the season.

Rath batted .390 with an on-base percentage of .492, drawing 20 walks, stealing 29 bases, and driving in a team-best 33 RBIs on the season, to go with a team-best 39 hits.

Rath will be a focal point for any potential Highland run next season.

Pitcher: Robert Barker, Van Buren

The Warriors? ace pitcher dazzled opposing hitters with a devastating curveball and if they sat on it, would blow a fastball past them without any hesitation. Barker went 7-2 on the mound with a 1.17 earned run average and 71 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings.

At the plate, the only left-handed batter in the lineup provided plenty of pop in the offense, hitting .424 with a homer and 28 RBIs. He was the only other Van Buren player to reach base over half of the time along with Mertens.

Barker?s presence on the mound and at the plate will be sorely missed for the Warriors as one of six lineup regulars to graduate after this season.

Infield: Spencer Wieland, Highland

The lone senior on this year?s state-qualifying Huskie squad also was the epitome of the team?s speed threat this season.

Spencer Wieland finished the year second in Class 1A in stolen bases, claiming 53 on the season, all while batting .411 and drawing 27 walks for an on-base percentage of .555, both team highs.

The regular second baseman scored 39 runs and drove in 12 RBIs from the leadoff spot in his final high school campaign.

Infield: Keaton Winn, Pekin

The Panther senior, who signed to pitch at Iowa Western Community College, usually makes this list for his work on the mound, but this year with Rath and Barker spinning some pitching magic, Winn comes in as an infielder. Playing second base for the Panthers, his .413 average and five homers were devastating in the middle of the Pekin lineup, and he led the team with 22 RBIs.

He also led the Panthers in larceny with successful steals in all 16 of his attempts on the basepaths. He slugged .714 at the plate, smacking four doubles to go with his home runs and was on base exactly 50 percent of the time.

In terms of his pitching stats, what?s not to like? The senior went 3-1, striking out two batters per inning (66 Ks in 33 innings pitched) and allowing a .081 batting average.

Infield: Isaac McSorely, New London

Shortstop Isaac McSorely burst onto the scene this season for New London with a .394 batting average, a .479 slugging percentage and a .511 on base percentage.

McSorely co-led the team with 28 hits and had six doubles and 13 RBIs on the season.

The freshman was a menace on the base paths as well, stealing 16 bases and scoring 24 runs, both second best on the team.

Infield: Billy Burton, Highland

The second Highland player to notch a spot on the All-GTNS infield was junior Billy Burton, the Huskies? regular shortstop.

Burton notched 37 hits on the year for a .381 average, while getting on base at a clip of .496 and stealing 42 bases on the year. He scored 33 runs for the Huskies, while driving in 18 RBIs.

The junior also was strong in his relief appearances for the Huskies, making four trips to the mound, recording 6 1/3 innings pitched and posting a 2.21 ERA in those games.

Outfield: Tyler Verstraete, Keota

It was a strong year for the Keota senior, Tyler Verstraete, as he helped the Eagles to an 11-11 season.

Verstraete?s ability at the plate were evident with this strong final campaign as he batted .500 on the season, notching 29 hits, while drawing an on-base percentage of .547.

He led the Eagles with 25 runs scored and 19 RBIs, while only making two errors from his right field spot all season.

Outfield: Trevor Albert, Cardinal

The Comet junior led the Panthers at the plate, hitting .413 with 21 runs scored and a .549 on-base percentage. Albert was also the prime starter on the hill for Cardinal, compiling a 4-3 record with 58 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings pitched.

He swiped 11 of 11 bases and drew 17 walks at the plate, making him a nuisance for opposing pitchers. With the emergence of Kaleb Aschenbrenner and a lot of other returning talent, Albert and the rest of the Comets will be primed to make a postseason run in 2017.

Outfield: Trey Albert, Cardinal

Whatever categories his brother Trevor didn?t lead the Comets in, it?s likely Trey was the top guy. The Comet freshman hit the only Cardinal home run this season and led the team with 21 RBIs and a .560 slugging percentage.

Hitting .373 in his freshman season is remarkably impressive, but it?s scary to think that he?s got three more years to grow in this system. He?ll need to be a bit more patient at the plate, as he only drew 10 walks to 12 strikeouts, but that will come with more time and experience.

If he can improve upon his plate discipline and get more experience on the mound, the duo of Trevor and Trey Albert will be one to keep an eye on next season.

Catcher: Austin Bride, Cardinal

Bride was a bit of a surprise this season, batting .362 with 14 RBIs in only 47 at-bats, but the Comet backstop was one of the better catchers for small schools in our area.

The junior drew 12 walks at the plate and was hit by a pair of pitches, posting a .508 on-base percentage, good for second on the team. In his 17 hits, he collected six doubles and came around to score seven times, something that will be key to Cardinal?s success in the future.

Utility: Jayden Flowers, New London

A true utility player, Jayden Flowers did everything this year for New London. He hit .364 at the plate this year with a .455 slugging percentage and a .515 on-base percentage.

Flowers was one of the most patient hitters on the team, drawing 17 walks on the season. He also led the team in runs, with 30 and hits, with 28.

The senior had a 5-1 record on the mound with a 1.74 ERA and 32 strikeouts. He  also picked up the win in the Tigers? district semifinal victory over Notre Dame.

Utility: Austin Bartholomew, Van Buren

When you think of utility, you look at a guy who can do everything and Bartholomew is just that. The senior batted .379 while playing second base primarily for the Warriors, but he also pitched 18 2/3 innings on the mound as part of a very good Van Buren rotation.

Bartholomew was third on the team in hits and collected a homer and 13 RBIs in his final season. On the mound, he struck out 24 batters and held a 4.50 ERA, allowing only a .186 average to opposing hitters.

Van Buren as a team drew 138 walks and only struck out 102 times at the plate, something Bartholomew was also a big part of (16 walks versus 11 strikeouts). The senior?s presence at the top of the Van Buren order will be something that the Warriors will miss next season, but with Wyatt Gatton and Jacob Plecker lying in wait, someone will take the reins from Bartholomew when 2017 rolls around.

Utility: Drake Brezina, Iowa Mennonite

Taking the final utility spot for the All-GTNS small-school team, IMS junior Drake Brezina helped his squad in nearly every facet of the game.

Brezina led the team in batting average (.358), RBIs (19), home runs (2) and stolen bases (13) while finishing second in runs scored (18) and on-base percentage (.449).

On the mound, Brezina was particularly effective, making seven starts and only allowing 14 earned runs in 37 1/3 innings pitched, making a 2.63 ERA, while striking out 53 batters and holding opponents to a .192 batting average against.

He will be a key contributor to an IMS squad looking to improve from a 6-14 campaign in 2017.

? The All-Golden Triangle News Service small-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.