Daily Chronicle Baseball All-Area Player of the Year

Cole Latimer, sr., OF, DeKalb

All-area first team

Gavin Cheney, jr., C, DeKalb

Cheney didn’t take a break, catching every inning of every game, hitting .344 and reaching base at a .469 clip. He drove in 21 runs on the year and was honorable mention all-conference in the DuPage Valley.

Noah Neece, jr., 1B, Sycamore

Neece had a knack for finding his way on base. He hit .311 and had a .430 on-base percentage, driving in 18 runs and scoring 25 times. He hit two homers.

Jack Peterson, sr., 2B/P, Genoa-Kingston

Peterson was first-team in the Big Northern Conference after starting every game at second base. He set the school record for singles in a season and led the team in hits, steals, walks, average and slugging. He hit .442 this with with a .535 on-base percentage, scoring 29 times and driving in 19 runs.

Kanon Baxley, so., SS/P, Kaneland

Baxley’s already 2 for 2 in making the all-area first team. He hit .417 with a .481 OBP and 1.203 OPS. He hit eight home runs, drove in 34 and scored 36 times. He was also second with 43⅔ innings pitched, finishing 4-5 with a 2.41 ERA. He stuck out 64 and walked 23.

Aidan Cooper, sr., 3B/P/OF/1B, Hiawatha

Cooper hit .380 with 15 RBIs, 29 runs scored and 15 steals. He had a .488 on-base percentage and could play most any corner spot on the field and pitch for the Hawks. When Northeastern Athletic Conference play rolled around, Cooper hit .438 with a .526 OBP. He was first-team in the NAC.

Aidan Whildin, sr., OF/DH, Kaneland

Whildin hit .372 and had the team’s second-highest OPS (1.115) thanks to his 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs. He drove in 21 runs and scored 24 times.

Caden Smith, jr., OF/P, DeKalb

Smith was an all-conference selection in the DVC, hitting .344 with 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He was an excellent table setter for the Barbs at the top of the lineup with a .431 on-base percentage. He also pitched 21⅔ innings, going 1-2 with a 2.59 ERA.

Brady Alstott, sr., OF, Kaneland

Alstott hit .327 with a home run, 20 RBIs and 26 runs scored. He only made three errors in the outfield and had an assist. He played 210⅓ of Kaneland’s 217⅓ total defensive innings in centerfield - more innings than any other Knight at any other position.

Ryker Rissman, so., OF, Sycamore

Rissman’s .371 batting average led the team, as did his .508 OBP. He scored 28 times, drove in 12 runs and hit a home run.

Hunter Kriese, sr., P, DeKalb

The DeKalb ace and Elgin Community College commit was 5-1 with a 1.86 ERA this year. He struck out 76 and walked 19 in 56⅓ innings this year. Opponents hit .196 off of him and he allowed just over one hit and walk per inning pitched (1.083).

Jackson MacDonald, jr. P/DH, Sycamore

MacDonald blasted a team-leading five home runs while hitting .322, scoring 20 runs and driving in 30. He also threw nearly 20 more innings than any other Spartan, going 6-0 with a 1.25 ERA. He struck out 83 and walked 17 in 50⅓ innings.

Breydon Martin, sr., P/SS, DeKalb

Martin missed some time early in the year with some arm tightness and then late with an illness, so it was hard for him to completely get going. But he was still a clutch competitor for the Barbs. He hit .278, had a .430 OBP, drove in 20 runs and hit two homers. He also went 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA, striking out 43 and walking 18 in 27⅔ innings.

All-Area Second Team

Colten Sargent, so., C/3B, Hinckley-Big Rock

Cody Cravata, sr., 1B, Genoa-Kingston

Hayden Foster, sr., P/2B/SS, Kaneland

Skyler Janeski, sr., SS/P, Hinckley-Big Rock

Lane Davidson, jr., SS/P, Genoa-Kingston

Blake Ides, jr., P/C/OF, Genoa-Kingston

Evan Johnson, sr., OF, DeKalb

Bentley Payne, so., OF/P, Hiawatha

Ben Anderson, jr., P/OF, Sycamore

Will Smrz, so., P, DeKalb

All-Area Honorable Mention

Colton McDowell, sr., P, Genoa-Kingston; Jack Frey, sr., P, Kaneland; Zach Dyer, sr., P, DeKalb; Mason Weber, sr., P, DeKalb; Carter Guymon, so., P, DeKalb; Jacob Orin, sr., IF/OF, Hinckley-Big Rock