April 23, 2024
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Morris Herald-News All-Area Baseball First Team

Following is the Morris Herald-News All-Area baseball team. The Player of the Year and rest of the All-Area teams will be in Thursday's edition.

By ROB OESTERLE

Andy Peters, Morris, Sr., P/IF: All-Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference... Had three one-hit outtings on the mound... Went 2-1 with 2.47 ERA... Struck out 55 in 34 innings... Also hit .300 with three doubles, one homer and 14 RBIs... Will play for Maryville University next season... Coach Todd Kein: "Andy had some great pitching performances for us this year, and he definitely was a leader on our pitching staff. Offensively, he came on strong in the last third of the season, while also hitting over .400 in conference play." (Dan Voitik)

Andy Peters, Morris, Sr., P/IF: All-Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference... Had three one-hit outtings on the mound... Went 2-1 with 2.47 ERA... Struck out 55 in 34 innings... Also hit .300 with three doubles, one homer and 14 RBIs... Will play for Maryville University next season... Coach Todd Kein: "Andy had some great pitching performances for us this year, and he definitely was a leader on our pitching staff. Offensively, he came on strong in the last third of the season, while also hitting over .400 in conference play." (Dan Voitik)

Sam Grushkin, Seneca, So., IF: Hit .356 with seven doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs... All-Interstate Eight Conference... Coach Kirk Houchin: "Sam played short, second and pitched for us. He was a gold glove recipient, and hit for average and for power. We are also looking for him to become our ace next season on the mound." (Submitted photo)

Steve McGrath, Newark, Sr., IF: Starter on his school's state basketball team... Four-year baseball starter broke Newark's single-season record for stolen bases with 31... Hit .441 with five doubles, a homer, 32 runs scored and 19 RBIs... Coach J.R. Veliz: "Steve has been a four-year starter and has gotten better each year. He gets on base all the time. The stats speak for themselves." (Submitted photo)

Hunter Simon, Seneca, Sr., IF/P: Hit school-record .506 with 43 hits in 85 at-bats. Had five doubles, four home runs, 28 RBIs and 25 stolen bases... Went 4-4 on the mound with 2.16 ERA. In 55 innings, collected 85 strikeouts against 19 walks... All-Interstate Eight Conference for three years... Will play at Illinois Wesleyan University next year... Coach Kirk Houchin: "Hunter's four pitching losses were by a total of seven runs. He broke the single-season batting average record, and ended his career as the all-time leader in hits and stolen bases." (Submitted photo)

Austin Kavanaugh, Gardner-South Wilmington, Sr., C: Hit .416 with /820 slugging percentage and OPS of 1.334... Had 11 doubles five triples, five homers, 33 RBis and 13 stolen bases... All-River Valley Conference... Coach Allan Wills: "Austin has been the leader of our offense the past two seasons. He has a great combination of speed and power. He probably would have been one of the better center fielders, but he had to catch most games for us due to injuries. We will definitely miss his bat in our lineup next season."

Jake Brnca, Coal City, Sr., OF: Hit .349 with one double and three triples... All-Interstate Eight Conference... Team's leading hitter in second half of season... Played entire season and did not commit an error... Will play baseball at Joliet Junior College next year... Coach Jerry McDowell: "Jake is a fun player to watch. He has one of the strongest arms in the area from the outfield." (Dan Voitik)

Blake Harseim, Coal City, Jr., IF/P: Hit team-leading .355 with four doubles and team-high two home runs.,. Played shortstop when not pitching... On the mound, went 5-2 with 1.48 ERA. Struck out 58 in 66 innings while walking just 16... All-Interstate Eight Confrence... Coach Jerry McDowell: Blake was one of the most improved players in the area. He pitched seven innings of no-hit ball in the regional championship. He's a hard worker who improved his game in all areas since last year." (Dan Voitik)

Payton Hutchings, Coal City, Fr., P/IF: All-Interstate Eight Conference... Set school record with 123 strikeouts in 66 innings... Had 8-3 record with 1.48 ERA... Hit .317 with team-lading 10 doubles and 21 RBIs... Coach Jerry McDowell: "Payton led us in RBIs and extra-base hits. He is very coachable with a great work ethic, and was very calm and relaxed for a freshman. He has a great future ahead of him." (Dan Voitik)

Hayden Laczynski, Minooka, Jr., IF: Southwest Prairie Conference co-MVP ... Hit .364 with a .481 on-base percentage and .561 slugging percentage for a 1.047 OPS ... Had eight doubles, two triples and three home runs ... Excellent defensive shortstop ... Coach Jeff Petrovic: "What a special kid Hayden is. You don't see many kids who are four-year varsity starters at shortstop, which he will be. He battled, put balls in play and found some power, hit the ball with authority, this season. He has a great work ethic."

Jackson Shepherd, Minooka, Sr. P: Southwest Prairie Conference Pitcher of the Year ... Finished 8-0 with a 1.59 ERA ... In 53 innings, allowed 44 hits and 17 walks while striking out 42 ... Hit .241 with two doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs ... Coach Jeff Petrovic: "Jackson pitched a lot last summer and made himself into the pitcher of the year in a conference loaded with pitchers. He never got himself into trouble. He was very stingy, never giving away 90 feet for free."

Jon Butler, Minooka, Sr., OF: Southwest Prairie Conference co-MVP ... Hit .427 with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs and 23 RBIs ... Had a .523 on-base percentage and .618 slugging percentage for 1.141 OPS ... Excellent defensive center fielder ... All-area in basketball ... Committed to play at Heartland Community College ... Coach Jeff Petrovic: "After Jon committed to Heartland, I've had lots of conversations with coaches [from four-year schools] about him. He is so fast and has such great instincts in the outfield and on the bases." (Eric Ginnard)

​Danny Borgstrom, Morris, Jr., IF: All-Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference... Hit team-leading .419... Also led team with seven doubles, five home runs, 23 RBIs and 21 runs... Struck out just six times in 117 plate appearances... Coach Todd Kein: "Danny has been a staple for us both offensively and defensively for two seasons now. He can hit for average and power, and we look forward to his leadership next year as a senior." (Dan Voitik)