Seniors pepper 2012 All-GTNS baseball squad

Southeast Iowa showcased some of the best baseball the state had to offer in 2012, and a major reason why was its senior class. Out of the 13 athletes selected to the All-Golden Triangle News Service baseball team, 10 were seniors.

One of those seniors, Washington?s Jake Redlinger, had arguably the best season of them all and has been named captain of the All-GTNS team. The cleanup hitter batted .382 this season with seven doubles, and his seven triples ranked fourth in Class 3A. He also led the Demons in RBIs (41), stolen bases (21), slugging percentage (.706) and tied for the team lead in home runs with four. Redlinger also displayed great range in center field, using his sprinter speed to track down many long fly balls.

Redlinger, who will continue his baseball career next year at Muscatine Community College, makes the All-GTNS squad for the second straight year. It marks the second time this school year he was given the honor after captaining the All-GTNS football team last fall. Redlinger became the first Demon to earn first team all-state honors since the team?s current head coach, Nathan Miller, was named to the first team in 1998.

And for helping Washington earn a state bid for the second straight season, Miller was named Coach of the Year once again. Last year Miller led the Demons to their first state tournament appearance since he was a senior pitcher and right fielder in 1998. This year the fifth-year coach took largely a new cast of characters ? the Demons graduated seven senior starters last year ? and returned to Des Moines, earning a share of the Southeast Conference title along the way. Miller will have the same task next year, as seven seniors graduate from this year?s squad, which finished with a record of 22-15 and lost to the eventual state champions in extra innings in the 3A state quarterfinals.

The Washington coach-captain duo is joined by an all-senior infield representing four different schools. Pekin?s Tater Clubb, Fairfield?s Corbin Harwood, Mount Pleasant?s Joey Vaughn and Washington?s T.J. Rausch all made the team for the first time.

Clubb, a first team all-district and all-conference selection, earned an infield spot after leading his team in nearly every batting category this summer. Clubb was first among all Panthers in RBIs (34), runs (36) and doubles (12). He also ranked second in his entire conference in home runs, with five.

But no area player cleared the fences more often than Harwood. The tablesetter?s nine homers ? five of them came against Washington ? was tops in the area and ranked him third in all of Class 3A. When he wasn?t adding to his home run total, chances are he was hitting one of his 10 doubles or swiping one of his 16 bases. Harwood batted .326 and led the Trojans in runs (31) and walks (18), and he only struck out six times. The senior was both a first team all-conference and second team all-district selection.

Like Harwood, Vaughn was a team leader at the plate this season. Taking over the role of leadoff hitter for Mount Pleasant, Vaughn had a team-high 18 walks while striking out a team-low seven times in 113 at-bats for an on-base percentage of .500 and .372 average. He also had a team-high 42 hits; six of those hits were doubles and three were triples. Vaughn knocked in 20 runs and was also a threat on the base paths, going 16-for-16 in stolen bases on the season. He also was chosen first team all-district and first team all-conference.

Meanwhile, Rausch helped Washington get back to the state tournament after missing out on playing in last year?s tourney. After suffering a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last year, Rausch had knee surgery and rehabbed, and then made the most out of his second chance this summer. He went 6-for-10 with four doubles and six RBIs in Washington?s first three postseason games. Rausch finished the year as Washington?s top hitter, batting .388. He also had 10 doubles, a triple, a home run and 32 RBIs on the season, earning second team all-conference honors.

Rausch?s senior teammate Jared Henry was another big reason the Demons made their second straight trip to the state tournament, and for that he earns a pitching spot. Henry was the winning pitcher in Washington?s district opener against Fairfield, as well as in the substate final game against Williamsburg, allowing just three runs combined in those two contests. He also got the ball to start Washington?s state quarterfinal game, allowing just two runs in 4 1/3 innings. On the season, Henry compiled a record of 7-4 with a 2.50 ERA. He combined his fastball and curveball with a nasty splitter to strike out 49 batters in 67 1/3 innings, and opposing batters hit just .213 against him. Henry earned first team all-conference and second team all-district honors this season.

Two of the three outfield spots also go to seniors, with Cardinal?s Tanner Chance and Van Buren?s Jacob Wolf making their first All-GTNS appearances.

Chance was perhaps the Comets? most complete player in 2012. The senior had a .420 batting average, 24 steals and three triples to lead the Comets from the plate. He also let his glove do the talking from center field ? he had the team?s best fielding percentage at .981 ? and was named first team all-conference and second team all-district.

Wolf made his first full season as a starter count, and came out of relative obscurity to lead a great Van Buren squad in batting average (.458) and slugging percentage (.736). He also ripped a team-high four dingers, scored 33 times and knocked in another 33 runs. Though he split his time at both right field and designated hitter, Wolf had a perfect fielding percentage, and he earned first team all-conference and second team all-district accolades.

Wolf?s teammate Blake Scott, also a senior, earns his second straight appearance on the All-GTNS baseball team, this time as a utility player. Scott, a first team all-district and first team all-conference selection, hit .450 and knocked in a team-leading 42 runs. He also went 7-1 with a 2.39 ERA on the mound for the Warriors, who won 26 games and put together 22 straight wins before falling to Eddyville-Blakesburg in the postseason?s second round.

IMS catcher Christopher Perez rounds out the group of 10 seniors making the 2012 team. The senior led IMS in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.425), slugging percentage (.575), on-base percentage (.533), doubles (9) and RBIs (29). He also played outstanding defense behind the dish, boasting a team-best .983 fielding percentage while throwing out six would-be base stealers. For his efforts, Perez earned first team all-conference and second team all-district honors.

Highland junior Derrick Stewart, Mount Pleasant sophomore Dustin Amos and Fairfield sophomore Joe Hietpas make their way onto the All-GTNS squad as the only non-seniors.

Stewart, an outfielder, provided a steady bat and solid defense for Highland this year. The junior batted .425 with five doubles, two triples and a home run. He also stole 17 bases, drove in 12 runs and scored 24 himself. In left field, he made just one error on the season, earning first team all-conference accolades.

Amos proved effective from both the mound and inside the batter?s box this season to earn a utility spot. After starting a few games as a freshman in 2011, he took over the No. 2 spot in the Mount Pleasant rotation. He went 6-4 on the mound and finished the season with 44 strikeouts, just 15 walks and an ERA of 2.12. At the plate, Amos had 31 hits, including seven doubles, in 95 at-bats. The sophomore was also named second team all-district and second team all-conference this season.

Hietpas, another promising young pitcher, makes the squad for the first time as well. After pitching like an ace in his inaugural season, Hietpas returned with even better stuff in 2012 to finish atop the Southeast Conference in several categories. The sophomore led the league in strikeouts, fanning 66 in 58 2/3 innings, and posted a miniscule 1.43 ERA, also tops in the conference. Hietpas was named first team all-conference for his efforts.

The 2012 All-GTNS baseball team was selected by Michael Leach of The Fairfield Ledger, Travis Brown of The Washington Evening Journal and Ashlee De Wit of Mt. Pleasant News.