All-Metro baseball team: Wichita Eagle honors the top players from the 2023 season
The Wichita Eagle announced its annual All-Metro baseball team on Monday, recognizing some of the best high school baseball players in the state of Kansas from the 2023 season.
The All-Metro first team features the top players and the top coach from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties, based on statistics, team success, postseason recognition and area coaches’ feedback. Eisenhower senior pitcher and Nebraska signee Tyner Horn was selected as the Player of the Year after another superb season on the mound to help the Tigers return to the Class 5A state tournament.
2023 Wichita Eagle All-Metro baseball team
Brett Black, Collegiate senior infielder
Black was once again a vital part to Collegiate’s championship run, as the Spartans won their second straight Class 3A state title. The Friends signee held a 1.56 ERA on the mound with 92 strikeouts in 62-plus innings, while playing first base and hitting .383 at the plate with 16 RBIs and 15 runs. Black, a 2-time All-Metro pick, was voted first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. IV and earned first team all-state honors in 3A as a pitcher.
“Brett was a true student of the game this year,” Collegiate coach Joe Gehrer said. “He did anything he could offensively and defensively to improve his game. He added a changeup this year to keep hitters off-balance and offensively, he caught fire for us and was hitting balls really hard and far by the end of the season.”
Cooper Burke, Maize senior outfielder
Burke was a foundation piece this season for Maize, playing superb defense in the outfield on top of a solid season at the plate. The Hutchinson Community College signee finished with a .420 batting average, six RBIs and 15 runs on top of throwing some innings for the Eagles. He was voted the MVP of the AV-CTL Div. I by coaches and was honorable mention all-state in Class 5A.
“Cooper was our team leader this spring and I had great confidence in him, whether it was at the plate or on the mound,” Maize coach Rocky Helm said. “He is just a competitor that hates to lose. I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses at the next level and watching him have even more success. I hope that my future players can emulate what he brought to the field everyday.”
Reed Haneberg, Bishop Carroll senior infielder
A senior leader on the Bishop Carroll team that won the Class 5A state championship, Haneberg was as consistent as they come. The Neodesho signee finished with a .371 batting average with 29 runs and 23 RBIs for the Golden Eagles. He earned first team all-league honors at third base in the City League and also received first team all-state honors in 5A.
“Reed was an absolute beast for us defensively the entire year,” Carroll coach Charlie Ebright said. “He turned the double-play ball really well and took away bunts from teams. On offense, he was our 2-hole hitter for us and was able to drive the ball to whatever part of the field he needed. He did a little bit of everything for us and had a great year.”
Shane Holman, Bishop Carroll junior pitcher
Teaming with senior Peyton Newell, Holman formed one-half of a dynamic duo on the mound for Bishop Carroll. Holman was lights out during the state tournament, pitching a shutout to help the Golden Eagles ultimately win the Class 5A state tournament. He finished with a 5-1 record, 0.83 ERA and 41 strikeouts to only three walks in 42 innings.
“Shane was a guy that we knew early on could command the strike zone with all three of his pitches,” Carroll coach Charlie Ebright said. “He made a nice velocity jump from the previous year, which really helped his breaking ball and his changeup. He just pounded the zone and we knew he would be our most reliable guy and he certainly turned into that.”
Tyner Horn, Eisenhower senior pitcher
There was no question who had the most electric arm in the Wichita area this season. Horn might have a case for the best pitcher in the state after piecing together a superb senior season that saw him go 4-0 without allowing a single earned run in 37-plus innings to go along with 64 strikeouts and just nine walks. The Nebraska signee, a two-time All-Metro signee, also hit .387 for Eisenhower, which reached the Class 5A state tournament, with 26 RBIs to earn Player of the Year honors in AV-CTL Div. II and Pitcher of the Year honors in 5A.
“Tyner took the next step from last year and he was just really dominant this year,” Eisenhower coach Mike Warren said. “His fastball command was excellent, which is why his pitch counts were down a lot from last year. He was able to finish games, instead of getting caught up in pitch counts. He developed a nice breaking ball and changeup and his velocity went way up. Scouts ask me all the time what does he have to do to make it to the next level and I just say, ‘Get a year older.’ He might be the best competitor I’ve ever seen on the mound.”
Brady Hunt, Collegiate senior catcher
No one was more clutch than Hunt at the state tournament, as the senior catcher hit the go-ahead, grand slam to propel Collegiate to its second straight Class 3A state championship. The Cloud County signee finished with a .500 batting average, a team-high five home runs, 35 RBIs and 16 runs. Hunt, a two-time All-Metro selection, was voted the MVP of the AV-CTL Div. IV and a first-team all-state catcher in 3A.
“Brady showed such great resilience this season,” Collegiate coach Joe Gehrer said. “He did everything for us behind the plate, calling every pitch, getting beat up and he was still able to hit .500 at the plate. He was just outstanding and that’s because he put in a ton of work in the offseason to get to that point.”
Mitchell Johnson, Derby senior pitcher
The best arm in Class 6A from the Wichita area this season belonged to Johnson, who put together a superb senior season to power Derby back to the state tournament. The Cowley County signee finished with a minuscule 0.72 ERA in more than 48 innings of work to go along with 82 strikeouts. He was voted the Pitcher of the Year in AV-CTL Div. I and earned second team all-state honors in 6A.
“He gained control of all three of his pitches and that really helped him this year,” Derby coach Todd Olmstead said. “He’s a big, strong kid and he is just built to go deep into games and battle. He pitched like he did when he was a sophomore when he was just overpowering people. He should have strongly been considered the 6A Pitcher of the Year.”
Hayden Malaise, Collegiate senior utility
Another two-time All-Metro selection from the Collegiate core that helped lead the Spartans to two straight Class 3A state championships. Malaise was once again superb on the mound, finishing with a 1.77 ERA and 96 strikeouts in just 47-plus innings of work. But he also had timely hits at the plate, finishing with a .290 batting average, 10 runs and 10 RBIs when he wasn’t pitching. The Cloud County signee was voted a first team all-league pitcher in AV-CTL Div. IV and the Pitcher of the Year in 3A.
“Hayden was the most dominant pitcher I saw all season,” Collegiate coach Joe Gehrer said. “He was able to greatly increase his control over the last two seasons and get to the point where he was nearly unhittable for long stretches and he did it on a broken foot. He just had surgery to repair it. So it was an extremely impressive season considering he did it without a plant foot really.”
Easton Norris, Trinity Academy senior infielder
A versatile senior who helped spur a significant turnaround at Trinity Academy, Norris is a first-time All-Metro selection. The Cloud County signee finished with a .525 batting average, 31 RBIs, 38 runs, three home runs, five triples and seven doubles on top of striking out 34 in 18 innings of work on the mound. Norris was named the Player of the Year in the Central Plains League and also Player of the Year in Class 3A.
“Easton is a natural center fielder, but out of necessity for his team, stepped up and played shortstop for us and made first team all-state as a shortstop,” Trinity coach Josh Robertson said. “That kind of shows you his tremendous athletic ability. He was a great role model for our younger kids. We think he’s going to flourish at Cloud and I look forward to seeing how far baseball can take him because he’s a tremendous character guy and just an awesome human being.”
Will Rogers, Eisenhower senior outfielder
It was a no-fly zone in the Eisenhower outfield with Rogers pairing with fellow senior Carson Roy this season. The duo proved to be one of the more dynamic pairings in the state, as both players were superb defenders and Rogers provided the power numbers with a .444 batting average, 20 RBIs, 24 runs and five home runs. The Cowley County signee helped lead the Tigers back to the Class 5A state tournament and was voted first team all-league in AV-CTL Div. II and second team all-state in 5A.
“Will knew his role and he knew he was that guy for us and he delivered when we needed him,” Eisenhower coach Mike Warren said. “He had the power numbers. Every time he came to the plate, we thought he had a chance to hit it out of the yard or hit it in the gap. He was a very good defender for us and threw out three or four guys in crucial situations. He was just a really good ballplayer.”
Cooper Tabor, Andover Central senior designated hitter
The speed of Tabor made him a slick-fielding middle infielder for Andover Central. At the plate, Tabor hit .352 with a team-high 25 runs and 12 RBIs to go along with two home runs. The Barton County signee was voted first team all-league at second base in AV-CTL Div. II and also earned first team all-state honors in Class 5A.
“Cooper goes all-out 100% in everything that he does,” Andover Central coach Grant Bacon said. “He’s probably the hardest-working kid I’ve ever had, to be honest with you. He’s a special, special kid and a kid who grinds out (at-bats). He’s a tough out and on defense, he’s always thinking ahead, staying positive with his teammates and grinds at everything he does.”
Nathan Tajchman, Bishop Carroll junior outfielder
Arguably the most improved player in the area, Tajchman went from off Carroll’s varsity team last season to helping the Golden Eagles win a Class 5A state championship this year. On top of playing stellar defense in center field, he also hit .403 with a team-high 40 RBIs and 30 runs with six doubles, five triples and two home runs. He was voted a first team all-league outfielder in the City League and first team all-state in 5A.
“Nathan proved to the coaches early on that he was a guy that not only needed to be in our lineup, but needed to be in our 3-hole,” Carroll coach Charlie Ebright said. “He was a switch hitter with power and with speed and played some good defense for us in right field and drove in a program-record 40 RBIs. He ended up having one of the best years I’ve had as a coach.”
Coltin Watkins, Goddard junior infielder
A two-time All-Metro selection, Watkins was once again a standout pitcher for Goddard this season to help lead the Lions back to the Class 5A state tournament. Watkins finished with a 1.99 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 59-plus innings, but also hit .307 at the plate with 19 RBIs and 12 runs. He was voted the Pitcher of the Year in AV-CTL Div. II and also named first team all-state in 5A.
“Colton definitely carried us this year,” Goddard coach Jim Foltz said. “He’s a very humble young man and he just wants to please everybody. He’s a strike-thrower on the mound and he’s going to push close to 70% strikes every single night, which is huge. We’re hopeful that he continues to get stronger and maybe gets a little more velocity to make him one of those can’t-miss college prospects because he’s definitely been our best player the last two years.”
Charlie Ebright, Bishop Carroll coach
All of the pieces came together this season for Bishop Carroll during a run to a 24-1 record and the Class 5A state championship. The Golden Eagles rallied for multiple come-from-behind victories in the postseason to give Ebright his first title since 2012 and his third overall during his tenure. Carroll’s roster was littered with talent this season featuring standout players such as Peyton Newell, Reed Haneberg, Kayden Embry, Shane Holman, Austin Selenke, Nathan Tajchman, Van Haneberg, Tyler Boothe, Braxton Martin, Isaac Lager and Cal Purvis.
“It’s validation,” Ebright said. “We’ve been runner-up a couple of times and gotten to the show a lot, but when you don’t bring home the trophy, you question things. Am I doing the right things as a coach? You always try to learn from every year and become better. I’ve got a fantastic coaching staff that I trust and rely on and it makes me feel really good to win this one. It’ll help me sleep a little easier at night, just knowing that we’re doing a good job here.”
All-Metro second team
Taccarri Brown, Northwest junior
Harley Buller, Campus senior
Brenden Buseman, Andover senior
Scotty Carr, Rose Hill junior
Josiah Claassen, Remington senior
Corey Crumrine, Sedgwick sophomore
Colby Gomez, Newton junior
Robert Diaz, West junior
Landon Haines, Circle junior
Van Haneberg, Bishop Carroll junior
Hunter Higgins, Maize South freshman
Owen Myers, Newton senior
Peyton Newell, Bishop Carroll senior
Matt Omundson, Trinity Academy junior
Whit Rhodes, Hesston junior
Colton Roberts, Rose Hill sophomore
Carson Roy, Eisenhower senior
Colton Ruedy, Derby junior
Joaquin Sanchez, Trinity Academy junior
Kael Shelite, Hesston senior
Carson Smith, Heights junior
Brady Unrein, Northwest junior
Drew Veatch, Andover Central senior
Hank Welu, Valley Center junior
All-Metro third team
Brooks Allen, Andover junior
Easton Boone, Valley Center senior
Sandler Bowyer, Goddard senior
Ben Brittian, Augusta junior
Max Brown, Eisenhower junior
Dylan Burr, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Josh Burdick, Cheney sophomore
Josh Cline, East senior
Canon Cole, East junior
Brett Cox, Hesston senior
Jackson Daniel, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Ethan Eberhardt, Trinity Academy junior
Nolan Fevurly, Mulvane sophomore
Logan Garner, El Dorado junior
Peyton Gosch, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Sterling Lies, Sedgwick junior
Jace Jefferson, Andover Central sophomore
Braxton Martin, Bishop Carroll sophomore
Shane McGuire, Augusta junior designated
Cooper Oakley, Heights junior
Carter Pabst, Eisenhower sophomore
Cal Purvis, Bishop Carroll freshman
Landon Ramsey, Collegiate senior
Zach Root, Northwest senior
Easton Roth, Maize junior
Austin Rudkin, Goddard junior
Austin Selenke, Bishop Carroll junior
Kade Sheldon, Derby senior
Jacob Vulgamore, Campus senior
Brett Wetta, Collegiate junior
Gannon White, El Dorado senior
Max White, Derby junior
Gavin Worrell, Bluestem senior
Luke Youngdahl, Maize South junior
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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