New Richmond, Somerset well represented on All-Middle Border Conference baseball team

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You will find the New Richmond and Somerset teams well represented on the 2012 All-Middle Border Conference baseball team.

Somerset placed six players on this year’s all-conference team while New Richmond had five players selected. Prescott and Ellsworth, the top two teams in the MBC, led the all-conference roster with seven selections each.

New Richmond had the only first team selection among the local teams, with senior Max Skatrud honored as a first team infielder. Making the second team were Somerset’s Zack Waalen, Jordan Langness and Austin Bushinger, along with New Richmond’s Dalton Sabby. Honorable mention choices were Somerset’s Nate Olin, Evan Gaddis and Dominick Lohmeier and New Richmond’s Justin Johnson, Drew Durham and Geoff Peck.

New Richmond

Skatrud was the top offensive weapon for the Tigers this season. He led the team in batting average, hits, extra-base hits and runs scored. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. He batted .425 in MBC games.

Sabby overcame a difficult start to the season to become one of the team’s leading weapons, hitting .375 in conference games. He was also one of the best defensive outfielders in the conference.

“Dalton’s an absolute competitor,” said Tiger coach Chad Fehrman. “He hates to lose.”

Johnson stepped up to become the Tigers’ leading pitcher. His composure and hard work in the off-season resulted in him going 5-2 on the mound.

“J.J. was the epitome of what we asked kids to do,” Fehrman said. “He was the one guy, we knew what we’d get from him every day.”

Durham was the Tigers’ main catcher who also saw an increasing amount of time as one of the team’s top pitching options. Few teams tried to challenge his throwing arm from behind the plate.

Peck moved into New Richmond this year and he quickly became a valued team player. He saw action at catcher and first base and became a reliable part of the Tiger offensive attack.

Somerset

Waalen emerged as Somerset’s pitching ace, finishing the season with a 7-4 record. The sophomore may still be on the small side, but his pitches carry plenty of pop and he’s ready to challenge any hitter.

The Somerset coaches consider Langness as the team’s best defensive player for his stellar work at second base. One of the key changes during the season for the Spartans was when Langness was moved into the leadoff role. The offense was much more productive after that, because Langness was consistently getting on base.

Bushinger nearly became one of the rare athletes to compete at state in three sports in one year. He was a starting linebacker on the Spartans’ football team that reached the state title game, he was a state placewinner in wrestling and the Spartans came one win short of reaching state in baseball. Bushinger led the Somerset baseball team in hits as the team’s captain.

“He was the glue that kept everything together,” said Somerset coach Brandon Kadlec.

Olin worked in a pitching-shortstop rotation with Waalen. Olin’s progress as the second starting pitcher was a big reason behind the team’s advancement in the second half of the season.

Gaddis was one of the left-handed sticks in the middle of the Spartan lineup that caused opponents plenty of trouble. Gaddis led the Spartans in batting average and runs scored. His knowledge as the team’s catcher was a key component in the rapid progress of the team’s pitchers.

Lohmeier led the Spartans in extra-base hits and runs batted in. His line drive power produced a number of game-changing hits for the Spartans.

Tags: sports, baseball, tigers, spartans, prep