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HCHS won the Hawkeye 10 Conference title with a 17-1 mark and IKM-Manning tied for first in the Western Valley Conference south division at 13-3.
This year's 12-player, All-Area first team features no one with a batting average below .337, led by Carson Smith's .507 mark for Elk Horn-Kimballton. Nine out of 12 first-teamers finished with at least 26 RBI, led by Eric Croghan's 46 for HCHS. The second team consists of seven more players who hit .324 or higher.
Among the 16 first and second-teamers who pitched 10 innings or more, 15 recorded at least three wins and seven posted an earned run average of 2.86 or better. Eleven of those 16 pitchers averaged more than one strikeout per inning, led by Smith's 128 in just 67 and two-thirds.
All-Area distribution:
As usual, this year's All-Area baseball list is a veteran group, comprised of 14 seniors, eight juniors and two sophomores on the first and second teams. The first team alone includes eight seniors and four juniors.
HCHS dominates the first team with seven selections, while AHST leads the second team with four. The list of first and second-teamers combined is as follows: HCHS (9), IKM-Manning (5), EH-K (4), A-H-S-T (4) and Walnut (2). Each team also received one honorable mention.
Four players have made the All-Area list for the third straight year and all four are repeat first-teamers: EH-K junior Carson Smith (1st team all 3 years); HCHS seniors Jeff Hastert (1st, 1st, 1st) and Tyler Lefeber (2nd, 1st, 1st); and Walnut senior Kyle Shepherd (2nd, 1st, 1st).
The first team also includes five players who moved up a spot from last year's second team: Bobby Seivert, Eric Croghan and Michael Kaufmann from HCHS; Jason Kienast of IKM-Manning; and Walnut's Andrew Sachs.
Seven other players are also on the All-Area list in some capacity for the second straight year: Josh Krohn, AHST (1st, 2nd); Chad Jacobsen and Cory Maassen, AHST (2nd, 2nd); Tyler Bruck, IKM-M (2nd, 2nd); Nolan Himmelberg, EH-K (2nd, 2nd); Dan Velasco, EH-K (HM, 2nd); and Nate Wall, IKM-M (HM, HM).
In addition, 13 players made first team, second team or honorable mention for the first time.
2009 All-Area Baseball Capsules
1st-Team, All-Area
P: Carson Smith, EH-K, jr.
Smith finished with the area's highest batting average (.507), the most home runs (9) and the most strikeouts as a pitcher (128) while also playing shortstop for the Danes. He struck out just five times in 69 at-bats, scoring 30 runs and also driving in 30. The hard-throwing right-hander with darting slider threw two no-hitters and finished 7-2 with two saves and a 1.34 ERA . . . had the area's best ratios for strikeouts per inning (1.9) and hits allowed per inning (0.4).
Honors: 2nd-team All-State (INA) and 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 1st team 3 straight years.
P: Bobby Seivert, HCHS, sr.
An Iowa Lakes Community College recruit, Seivert continued to improve as a pitcher (5-2, 1 save, 2.19 ERA) while making tremendous strides as a hitter (.387, 22 RBI, .582 OBP). Seivert drew many of the Cyclones' toughest opponents on the mound, pitching mostly as a starter but also in relief. Showing outstanding velocity and an improved curve ball, he struck out 42 batters in 38.3 innings while walking only 10.
Honors: 3rd-team All-State (INA), 2nd-team All-District, 1st-team All-Conf.
All-Area: 2nd team ('08) to 1st team.
C: Eric Croghan, HCHS, jr.
In addition to throwing out a high percentage of would-be base stealers, Croghan's plate production improved dramatically in 2009. He struck out less often than any All-Area player (4 times in 104 at-bats) and also led the area with 44 hits, 46 RBI and four triples while batting .423.
Honors: 1st-team All-District.
All-Area: 2nd team ('08) to 1st team.
C: Jarad Gaskill, IKM-Mann., jr.
The versatile Gaskill was both a catcher and a pitcher for the Wolves, batting .366 with 26 RBI and going 4-1 on the mound with a 3.55 ERA. Only Smith of EH-K had more extra-base hits than Gaskill's 15, which included four home runs. As a pitcher, he finished with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4-to-1.
Honors: 2nd-team All-District and 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
1B: Tyler Lefeber, HCHS, sr.
Lefeber, who will play college baseball at Buena Vista University, wrapped up a stellar Cyclone career that includes 22 pitching victories. A bulldog on the mound, Lefeber also spent time at first base and designated hitter. He batted .389 as a senior with a team-high seven home runs and .674 slugging percentage while drawing 23 walks and driving in 44 runs. The co-ace of the pitching staff with Seivert, Lefeber finished 5-0 with a 3.27 ERA.
Honors: 1st-team All-State (INA), 1st-team All-District, 1st-team All-Conf.
All-Area: 2nd team ('07), 1st team last 2 years.
INF: Michael Kaufmann, HCHS, jr.
The Cyclone shortstop is not only a tough out in the batter's box, but arguably the best defensive player in the area with his great range and quick hands. Kaufmann batted .371 with area highs of 29 walks and 42 runs scored while driving in 26 and stealing 21 bases. Last year, Kaufmann drew 15 walks and struck out 17 times; this year it was 29 walks to just six strikeouts. He also went 2-0 with a save in limited pitching duty.
Honors: 3rd-team All-State (INA) and 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team ('08) to 1st team.
INF: Jeff Hastert, HCHS, sr.
Like Kaufmann, Hastert improved his walk/strikeout ratio as a hitter (23 BB, 10 K's) while batting .378 and going 3-0 with a save on the mound (1.17 ERA). The Cyclones' steady third baseman led the area with 30 stolen bases and tied for the area lead with 10 doubles and 42 runs scored; also drove in 27 runs primarily from the leadoff spot. Over the last three years, Hastert went 9-0 as a pitcher and scored 108 runs.
Honors: 2nd-team All-District and 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 1st team 3 straight years.
INF: Andrew Sachs, Walnut, sr.
Sachs developed into one of the top hitters in the Rolling Hills Conference this summer and tied Croghan for the area lead with 44 total hits. A shortstop and pitcher for the Warriors, Sachs raised his batting average 158 points to .468 and quadrupled his RBI total to 20. He also added power, belting five home runs among 15 extra-base hits and scored 26 runs. His numbers on the mound were also solid: 3-3, 2 saves, 2.72 ERA and 56 K's in 46 innings.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team ('08) to 1st team.
INF: Jason Kienast, IKM-M, sr.
A shortstop and pitcher for the Wolves, Kienast finished '09 with the ultimate statistical oddity. Not only was he hit-by-pitch 20 times (10 more than any other All-Area player), but he also pitched 34 innings without plunking a single batter (the only All-Area player to do so). Kienast improved his hitting and pitching stats nearly across the board, batting .337 with 39 runs, 29 RBI, 11 extra-base hits (4 HR) and 14 steals. He went 3-2 on the mound with a 4.08 ERA.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team ('08) to 1st team.
OF: James Cairney, HCHS, sr.
The Cyclones' speedy left fielder and notorious pull hitter did a better job of using the middle of the field as a senior and raised his batting average to .414. Cairney stole 22 bases, scored 28 runs and drove in 30 while adding nine doubles and two triples.
All-Area: Newcomer.
OF: Willie Baughman, HCHS, sr.
Baughman capped a tremendous four-sport senior year by bolstering the middle of the Cyclone lineup and moving from right field to pitcher to first base. At the plate, Baughman hit .371 with 30 runs, 29 RBI and six doubles. He was also a valuable relief pitcher and spot starter, fashioning the area's best ERA at 0.48 while going 5-0.
Honors: 2nd-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
UT: Kyle Shepherd, Walnut, sr.
Shepherd was the Warriors' leadoff batter, catcher and top pitcher as well, hitting .395 and going 7-3 with three saves and a 1.50 ERA. The hard-throwing righty struck out 92 batters in 60.7 innings, yielding only 31 hits and 17 walks. He led Walnut with 32 runs scored, tied for the area lead with 10 doubles and stole 13 bases.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team ('07), 1st team last 2 years.
2nd-Team, All-Area
P: Nathan Bruck, HCHS, sr.
The Cyclones' number-three starter had an exceptional season on the mound, going an area-best 8-0 with one save and a solid 2.86 ERA, including a late-season win over state-qualifier Denison. He walked only 14 batters in 44 innings. A .233 hitter, Bruck was valuable as a pinch-runner with 16 steals and 18 runs.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
P: Tyler Bruck, IKM-Mann., jr.
The area leader with 79.7 innings on the mound, Bruck pitched a complete game in the Wolves' 5-4 district win over Kuemper. He finished 7-5 with a 4.04 ERA, falling just two strikeouts short of the century mark. Bruck batted .225, but hit two homers and scored 19 runs.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team last 2 years.
1B: Cory Maassen, A-H-S-T, sr.
A .354 hitter, Maassen tied for the area lead with four triples and also hit four doubles. He led the Vikings with a .538 slugging percentage and 19 RBI.
Honors: Honorable Mention All-Conf.
All-Area: 2nd team last 2 years.
INF: Stephen Kenkel, IKM-M, so.
Kenkel plays third base for the Wolves and has been known to pitch both right-handed and left-handed. He went 3-3 on the mound with a 3.50 ERA, striking out 51 in 44 innings. He also batted a team-high .380 (8 doubles, 21 RBI) and struck out just seven times in 108 at-bats.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
INF: Reece Schueman, AHST, sr.
The Vikings' sure-handed middle infielder led the team with a .373 batting average, 13 stolen bases and 15 runs scored as AHST reached Substate.
Honors: 2nd-team All-District and 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
INF: Matt Vogel, IKM-Mann., jr.
Vogel posted a .354 batting average and scored 30 runs while playing second base for the Wolves. He led the All-Area teams with seven total sacrifice hits.
Honors: 2nd-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
INF: Tony Santisteban, EH-K, so.
Outside of Carson Smith, the Danes' third baseman turned in one of the team's best offensive seasons in 2009, batting .324 with three homers, 24 RBI and 17 runs. He also drew 19 walks.
Honors: 1st-team All-Conference.
All-Area: Newcomer.
OF: Brian Kloewer, HCHS, jr.
A rock in center field for the Cyclones, Kloewer elevated his offensive game as well this summer. Despite batting in the lower third of the lineup most nights, Kloewer tallied 32 runs and 32 RBI while hitting .363. He stole 19 bases and added a bit of power with three home runs.
All-Area: Newcomer.
OF: Josh Krohn, A-H-S-T, sr.
Krohn pitched a three-hitter in the Vikings' biggest win of the year - a district upset of Treynor. For the year, he was 3-6 with one save and a 5.21 ERA. He also played center field and batted .339 with nine stolen bases.
Honors: Honorable Mention All-Conf.
All-Area: 1st team ('08) to 2nd team.
OF: Dan Velasco, EH-K, sr.
Appreciated most by Coach Tony Petersen for his center field defense, the left-handed hitting Velasco also raised his batting average to .286 as a senior, drew 21 walks, stole 13 bases and scored 22 runs.
Honors: 2nd-team All-Conference.
All-Area: HM ('08) to 2nd team.
UT: Nolan Himmelberg, EH-K, jr.
The Danes' No. 2 pitcher and first baseman put together another solid all-around season as a junior, batting .286 and going 4-6 with a 3.43 ERA. Himmelberg totaled 18 runs and 17 RBI, but improved more on the mound, allowing only 32 hits in 47 innings and striking out 51.
Honors: 2nd-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team last 2 years.
UT: Chad Jacobsen, A-H-S-T, sr.
Jacobsen went 4-4 with a 4.67 ERA as the Vikings' ace, striking out 68 batters in 57 innings. He allowed only 43 hits, but battled his control at times with 52 walks. Jacobsen relieved Krohn in the Substate final vs. Adair-Casey and kept the Vikings in the game with nearly six innings of scoreless pitching. He also played second base and batted .241 with 18 walks and nine stolen bases.
Honors: 2nd-team All-Conference.
All-Area: 2nd team last 2 years.
Honorable Mention
Derek Schwartz, HCHS, so., 2B
.243, 27 runs, 16 RBI, 4 doubles, 8 SB.
Nate Wall, IKM-Manning, sr., 1B
.253, 19 runs, 13 RBI, 3 dbl. (2-1, 4.88)
2nd-team All-Conference.
2-time All-Area (HM, HM).
Ryon Rasmussen, EH-K, so., DH
.318, 16 runs, 22 RBI, 2 HR, 10 BB.
Erran Holtz, Walnut, sr., OF
.258, 15 runs, 12 RBI, 3 dbl., 10 SB.
Honorable Mention All-Conference.
Nathan Pigsley, A-H-S-T, jr., IF/OF
.340, 12 runs, 10 RBI, 2 dbl., 10 BB.
2009 All-Area Baseball
FIRST TEAM
Batting Avg. AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB HBP SO Sac SB
P: Carson Smith, EH-K, jr. .507 69 30 35 30 6 1 9 11 7 5 0 12
P: Bobby Seivert, HCHS, sr. .387 62 16 24 22 4 1 1 19 10 17 2 0
C: Eric Croghan, HCHS, jr. .423 104 21 44 46 4 4 1 9 6 4 3 6
C: Jarad Gaskill, IKM-Manning, jr. .366 93 17 34 26 8 3 4 13 0 23 2 9
1B: Tyler Lefeber, HCHS, sr. .389 95 25 37 44 6 0 7 23 7 24 0 0
INF: Michael Kaufmann, HCHS, jr. .371 97 42 36 26 2 0 0 29 5 6 5 21
INF: Jeff Hastert, HCHS, sr. .378 111 42 42 27 10 0 0 23 3 10 3 30
INF: Andrew Sachs, Walnut, sr. .468 94 26 44 20 9 1 5 6 2 15 2 8
INF: Jason Kienast, IKM-Mann., sr. .337 89 39 30 29 6 1 4 12 20 17 1 14
OF: James Cairney, HCHS, sr. .414 99 28 41 30 9 2 0 5 1 16 2 22
OF: Willie Baughman, HCHS, sr. .371 97 30 36 29 6 2 1 14 0 13 3 5
UT: Kyle Shepherd, Walnut, sr. .395 86 32 34 8 10 0 0 17 1 10 1 13
Pitching ERA W-L Saves Inn. Hits ER BB K's HBP WHIP
Carson Smith, EH-K, jr. 1.34 7-2 2 67.7 26 13 38 128 12 0.95
Bobby Seivert, HCHS, sr. 2.19 5-2 1 38.3 37 12 10 42 6 1.23
Jarad Gaskill, IKM-Manning, jr. 3.55 4-1 0 23.7 21 12 6 24 1 1.14
Tyler Lefeber, HCHS, sr. 3.27 5-0 0 40.7 43 19 14 35 2 1.40
Michael Kaufmann, HCHS, jr. 3.82 2-0 1 11.0 11 6 8 8 1 1.73
Jeff Hastert, HCHS, sr. 1.17 3-0 1 18.0 18 3 3 10 1 1.17
Andrew Sachs, Walnut, sr. 2.72 3-3 2 46.3 41 18 25 56 4 1.43
Jason Kienast, IKM-Manning, sr. 4.08 3-2 0 34.3 42 20 19 42 0 1.78
Willie Baughman, HCHS, sr. 0.48 5-0 0 29.3 29 2 12 29 9 1.06
Kyle Shepherd, Walnut, sr. 1.50 7-3 3 60.7 31 13 17 92 3 0.79
SECOND TEAM
Batting Avg. AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB HBP SO Sac SB
P: Nathan Bruck, HCHS, sr. .233 43 18 10 4 2 0 0 6 0 13 1 16
P: Tyler Bruck, IKM-Manning, jr. .225 89 19 20 16 3 1 2 15 2 29 1 4
1B: Cory Maassen, AHST, sr. .354 65 14 23 19 4 4 0 7 0 16 1 2
INF: Stephen Kenkel, IKM-Mann.,so. .380 108 19 41 21 8 0 0 11 1 7 4 9
INF: Reece Schueman, AHST, sr. .373 75 15 28 13 2 0 0 6 1 8 0 13
INF: Matt Vogel, IKM-Manning, jr. .354 96 30 34 11 2 0 0 14 6 10 7 8
INF: Tony Santisteban, EH-K, so. .324 68 17 22 24 3 0 3 19 0 18 3 4
OF: Brian Kloewer, HCHS, jr. .363 91 32 33 32 4 1 3 11 5 16 3 19
OF: Josh Krohn, AHST, sr. .339 62 10 21 8 2 1 0 9 0 9 1 9
OF: Dan Velasco, EH-K, sr. .286 70 22 20 7 5 1 0 21 3 20 1 13
UT: Nolan Himmelberg, EH-K, jr. .286 70 18 20 17 3 0 1 13 4 12 2 0
UT: Chad Jacobsen, AHST, sr. .241 54 12 13 9 0 0 0 18 2 11 1 9
Pitching ERA W-L Saves Inn. Hits ER BB K's HBP WHIP
Nathan Bruck, HCHS, sr. 2.86 8-0 1 44.0 39 18 14 30 7 1.20
Tyler Bruck, IKM-Manning, jr. 4.04 7-5 0 79.7 80 46 41 98 6 1.52
Stephen Kenkel, IKM-Mann., so. 3.50 3-3 0 44.0 40 22 22 51 8 1.41
Josh Krohn, AHST, sr. 5.21 3-6 1 41.7 50 31 32 52 5 1.97
Nolan Himmelberg, EH-K, jr. 3.43 4-6 0 47.0 32 23 32 51 2 1.36
Chad Jacobsen, AHST, sr. 4.67 4-4 0 57.0 43 38 52 68 14 1.67
HONORABLE MENTION
(One player chosen from each area team)
Derek Schwartz, HCHS, so. (2B); Nate Wall, IKM-Manning, sr. (1B); Ryon Rasmussen, EH-K, so. (DH); Erran Holtz, Walnut, sr. (OF); Nathan Pigsley, A-H-S-T, jr. (INF/OF).
Season Win-Loss Records:
Harlan Community (30-3, .909); IKM-Manning (19-12, .613); Elk Horn-Kimballton (15-10, .600); Walnut (16-14, .533); A-H-S-T (9-12, .429).
