The Eagle's 2013 All-Metro baseball team

This is the ninth year for All-Metro teams selected by The Eagle, recognizing the best high school athletes in team sports throughout Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties. Nomination ballots were sent to baseball coaches at high schools in those counties.

Coaches were asked to return the ballots with nominations of the best players within those counties that they saw this season, including their own players.

The team was selected by The Eagle’s Joanna Chadwick after tabulating nominations, her own evaluation of the players and additional input from coaches and other media members.

All-league teams are selected by the leagues' coaches.

Mitchell McIntyre

Northwest pitcher

Senior

A senior, McIntyre was the ace of Northwest’s pitching staff, finishing with a 6-1 record and a 0.56 ERA. McIntyre held his opponents to a .158 batting average, while striking out 74 to 14 walks, allowing 29 hits and seven runs, four earned. McIntyre signed to play at Wichita State next year.

Lucas Milner

Andover Central pitcher

Junior

Milner helped lead Andover Central to the Class 5A tournament for the first time since 2010. The ace finished with an 8-0 record with one save and a 1.63 ERA. Milner threw six complete games and one no-hitter, striking out 40 batters while walking eight.

Braden Larkey

Carroll pitcher

Senior

Although Larkey didn’t see much time on the mound last season, he worked in the offseason to fill a spot on the staff. Larkey usually pitched the second game of doubleheaders and helped Carroll reach the state championship for the second consecutive year. He finished with a 7-0 record, 1.08 ERA, 45 strikeouts and six walks.

Trevor Hughes

Eisenhower catcher

Senior

In its second year, Eisenhower reached the 5A tournament with Hughes leading the way. He hit .387 with 19 RBIs and 13 runs. He finished with 24 hits, eight doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Grant Watkins

Heights first baseman

Senior

Watkins helped lead Heights to its second consecutive state tournament appearance with a key regional championship win over Maize. Watkins hit .397 with 23 RBIs, eight doubles and three home runs.

Ben Strickfaden

Independent second baseman

Senior

After losing the first-round game at the state tournament for the past two years, Strickfaden helped Independent (24-2) win its first game and finish third. Strickfaden hit .373 leading off with 21 RBIs, 31 hits and 36 runs. He had a .460 on-base percentage and stole 12 bases.

Garrett Rankin

Derby third baseman

Junior

Despite Derby’s losing record before its regional, Rankin led the Panthers (10-13) to the Class 6A tournament with a grand slam in its regional game against Campus and a two-run home run against East. Rankin hit .412 at cleanup with eight doubles and two home runs. He finished with a .987 fielding percentage.

Wesley Phillips

Maize South shortstop

Senior

Phillips helped Maize South to the 5A tournament. Phillips hit .463 with 23 RBIs and an .846 slugging percentage. Phillips hit five doubles, four triples and four home runs, scoring 33 runs and going 19 for 19 on stolen bases.

Bryce Whitchurch

Carroll outfielder

Senior

Whitchurch offered experience to Carroll after losing players from last season’s state champion team. Whitchurch hit .426 with 31 RBIs and a .787 slugging percentage, hitting four doubles, two triples and three home runs.

Adam Wasson

East outfielder

Senior

Wasson helped lead East to fourth in the City League, falling just short of the state tournament with a loss in the regional championship game to Derby. A center fielder, he hit .491 with 27 hits, only seven strikeouts and 17 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .622, adding 28 runs.

Mack Gowing

Carroll outfielder

Junior

In his first full varsity season, Gowing’s quickness on base was a threat for Carroll. His on-base average was .573, walking 15 times while only striking out four times, and he was 9 for 9 on stolen bases. Gowing hit .483 with 16 RBIs, 30 runs, five doubles and a triple.

JC Baxley

Campus utility player

Senior

Baxley was the ace pitcher, catcher and a fill-in shortstop for Campus with two errors. He finished 6-1 on the mound with a 2.14 ERA and 45 strikeouts to nine walks. He hit .392 with 17 RBIs, 20 hits and six doubles. Baxley signed with Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Jared Gates

Northwest designated hitter

Junior

Gates missed the last six games of the season with a back injury but led the City League in batting average (.612). Gates finished with a 1.082 slugging percentage, seven doubles and eight triples, 11 RBIs and a .642 on-base average. He also played shortstop.

Charlie Ebright

Carroll coach

After losing the opening game to Heights, Ebright helped Carroll to a 22-game winning streak and its second consecutive 5A finals appearance. Ebright lost important components from last year’s state champion team, especially in the pitching staff, but the Eagles won City League and were second at state.

This story was originally published May 31, 2013 at 6:56 PM with the headline "The Eagle's 2013 All-Metro baseball team."