4B

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Denton Record-Chronicle

Denton Record-Chronicle

All-Area Baseball Team 2012

FIRST TEAM
Pitcher : Hayden Holley, Liber ty Christian, Jr. Holley stepped into the role of becoming Liberty Christians ace, and he excelled during his junior season. Holley pitched 72 2/3 innings, compiling a 7-2 record with a 1.54 ERA. Holley had solid command of his pitches, as he struck out 81 batters while allowing 27 walks on the season. Holley helped the Warriors reach the TAPPS Class 5A semifinals. Pitcher : Seth Jones, Arg yle, Jr. Jones emerged as a rock in the Eagles rotation this season after being an occasional starter and closer in 2011. Jones went 8-2 on the season with a 2.22 ERA. The tall lefty was overpowering at times, striking out 87 batters while issuing just 26 walks on the season. At the plate, Jones also helped his own cause by driving in 17 runs. Pitcher : Jud Kinzy, Guyer, Jr. Though his team eventually lost out on a playoff spot in a tough District 7-5A, Kinzy did more than his part to keep the Wildcats hopes alive. The righty posted a 6-3 record and a 1.74 ERA as the teams No. 1 pitcher. He allowed opposing hitters to hit at only a .193 clip and put up a minuscule 0.97 WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched) with only 15 walks on the season. Pitcher : Keenan Wingfield, Lake Dallas, Sr. Aside from Dalyn Williams, no other Lake Dallas player played a bigger role for the Falcons than Wingfield. Aside from Williams, Wingfield was the teams top hitter with his .359 batting average to go with a triple and 15 RBIs. But he made his presence felt most on the pitching mound as the teams ace, putting up a 6-3 record with a 1.52 ERA and 73 strikeouts. Catcher : Tanner Whitlock, Ryan, Sr. In the process of batting a blistering .442 on the year, Tanner Whitlock broke Ryans season hit record. Whitlocks 53 hits broke the previous record by four. The record was held by current Detroit Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson. Whitlock batted .600 with runners in scoring position, and had a 1.000 fielding percentage at catcher. Infielder : Jay Gonzales, Arg yle, Sr. If not for his teammate, Austin Aune, Gonzales wouldve been up for MVP consideration after having yet another monster season at the plate. Gonzales hit .371 for the Eagles and drove in 26 runs with four home runs. He also scored 23 runs while racking up six doubles and a triple. He capped his career at Argyle as a four-year starter by earning 9-3A Offensive Player of the Year honors. Infielder : Justin Graham, Kr um, Jr. Along with District 9-2A co-Defensive MVP Josh Reeves, Graham helped pace the Bobcats in potentially their last year in Class 2A. Graham, a 9-2A first-team selection at first base, hit .405 and tallied 27 RBIs to lead the club in run production. Krum, the 9-2A runner-up, lost to Paradise in the opening round of the playoffs and will move up to Class 3A next season. Infielder : Blake Manning , Sanger, Sr. Manning, a first-team District 9-3A selection, was a threat at the plate and on the bases. The shortstop batted .406 for the Indians, driving in 20 runs. Manning also recorded 25 stolen bases on the season. The senior was part of a core group that led the Indians to only their second regional quarterfinal appearance in school history. Infielder : Travis Wiley, Ryan, Sr. Wiley split time with Chris McKeehan, spearheading Ryans rotation. Wiley went 4-4 with a 2.51 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 17 walks. When Wiley wasnt on the mound, he played third base and batted .330 on the year. Wiley excelled in Ryans playoff series against Lake Dallas, picking up a complete game victory in Game 2 and going 5 for 6 at the plate in the final two games of the series. Outfielder : Car son Dowdle, Liber ty Christian, Jr. Among full-time starters, Dowdle was the Warriors leading hitter with a .464 batting average to go with a .491 on-base percentage and a .701 slugging percentage. The junior hit three home runs and led the Warriors with 32 RBIs while also scoring 31 runs. Next season, he will be a key part of the Warriors, who will be loaded with returning talent. Outfielder : James Mar shall, Ryan, Sr. Despite being banged up for much of the season with a shoulder injury, Marshall still put up stellar offensive numbers. The pitcher and center fielder batted .376 with a home run and 25 RBIs. Marshall served as one of Ryans unofficial team captains, leading the Raiders to the Class 4A regional semifinals. He struck out 11 batters in a playoff win against El Paso Andress. Outfielder : Landon Roger s, Arg yle, Jr. Rogers was a welcome addition to the Eagles lineup in 2012. He hit .356 out of the No. 2 spot in Argyles order with six doubles, 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He also stole six bases. He was also big defensively, covering a lot of territory as the teams center fielder and filling in as a key member of the pitching staff with a 5-2 record and a 2.74 ERA. Outfielder : Hunter Whitlock, Ryan, Sr. Hunter Whitlock, one half of Ryans Whitlock twin tandem, batted leadoff for the Raiders and led Ryan with 34 runs. He hit .353 on the season, driving in 21 runs and belting two home runs. Whitlock had a on-base percentage of .500, one of three players in Ryans lineup to get on base at or above a .500 clip. Whitlock was named to the District 4-4A first-team.

CO-MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

Dalyn Williams

Austin Aune

Lake Dallas, SS, Senior

Notable: With a top-10 finish in all of Dallas-Fort Worth, regardless of classification, Williams .515 batting average was good for tops in the Denton area. As the Falcons leadoff hitter, he did more than his fair share of getting on base. Once he got on base, he didnt let up, stealing 10 bases on 12 attempts and scoring a team-high 33 runs. Williams led the Falcons to the regional quarterfinal round of the playoffs where they eventually fell to District 4-4A foe Ryan. Williams paced the Falcons offensively in every significant category with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 29 RBIs while tying for the team lead with 14 walks. Among regular starters, Williams had a team-low for strikeouts this season with 10. Also a star quarterback for the Falcons, Williams will be taking his dualsport talents to Dartmouth, where he will play football and walk on to the baseball team.

Argyle, SS, Senior

Notable: A shoo-in for MVP honors for much of the season, Aune earned the same honor in District 9-3A after putting together a stellar senior season before being drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees. Aune was Argyles leadoff hitter and led the Eagles in every offensive category. The shortstop hit .447 on the season, including playoffs, to go with a eight home runs and 41 RBIs, a big number for a leadoff hitter. Aune also stole 20 bases and scored 39 runs with 10 doubles and five triples. Aune had a football scholarship to TCU to play quarterback after leading the Eagles to the Class 3A Division II state title game in December and was set to play baseball for the Horned Frogs as well before the Yankees came calling. Aune made his debut with the Gulf Coast Yankees on Tuesday, getting his first professional hit, run and RBI all in one day.

CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Dalton Brown
Ponder, Senior
Notable: The Arizona-bound senior went 6-3 and had a 1.85 ERA while racking up 114 strikeouts. In 68 innings pitched, Brown walked 21 batters. At the plate, Brown was equally as capable. He batted .333 on the season, hitting four home runs and knocking in 16 runs while drawing 23 walks. His importance to the Ponder program made him a nobrainer for District 9-2A Most Valuable Player honors. Brown was considered a strong candidate to be chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, but instead he will take his talents to Tucson, Ariz., the home of the 2012 NCAA national champions where he will compete for a spot in the Wildcats rotation. Brown is the first athlete from the Class 2A town to receive an athletic scholarship to a major-conference program.

CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Chris McKeehan
Ryan, Junior
Notable: Whenever junior Chris McKeehan stepped on the mound this past season, Ryans bullpen was essentially guaranteed a night off. McKeehan pitched a complete game in nine of his 13 starts, including two shutouts. The junior was dominant throughout, going 11-2 on the season while posting a 1.42 ERA. McKeehan compiled 86 strikeouts while walking 28 batters. At the plate, he batted clean-up for the Raiders, and drove in 27 runs while maintaining a .340 batting average. With most of Ryans core group graduating, McKeehans return next year will be vital to Ryans playoff chances in Class 5A.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Collin Scribner
Aubrey, 1B, Junior
Notable: In helping Aubrey avenge a firstround loss to Bonham in 2011 with a firstround series win in 2012, Scribners walk-off double in Game 1 set the Chaparrals on their way to the area round. Scribners offensive prowess was well on display in the heart of Aubreys lineup. The first baseman batted .434 on the year, had an on-base percentage of. 561 and a slugging percentage of .776. His OPS on-base percentage plus slugging percentage was an other-worldly 1.338. The senior hit seven home runs and had 34 RBIs while scoring 26 runs. In the infield, Scribner was just as impressive. He posted a near-perfect .995 fielding percentage, committing one error in 182 chances.

SECOND TEAM
P Tanner Buxton, Aubrey, Jr. P Drew Gooch, Argyle, Soph. P Colt Ritzel, Sanger, Jr. P Zach Wilson, Denton, Sr. C Beau Ewton, Pilot Point, Jr. C Dillon Harp, Argyle, Jr. C Michael Speanburg, Liberty Christian, Sr. IF Josh Reeves, Krum, Jr. IF Wilding Smith, Sanger, Fr. IF Ted Wisdom, Sanger, Soph. OF Cole Fiola, Guyer, Sr. OF Austin Hayden, Ponder, Jr. OF Michael Kister, Aubrey, Jr. OF Jackson Owens, Lake Dallas, Jr. OF Caz Wojciak, Krum, Soph.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Notable: Playing at arguably the most demanding position on the diamond, and doing so in a stout Class 5A district, was never too much for Cullum to handle. The Guyer senior was a solid part of the Wildcats lineup, hitting .312 on the season with a .434 on-base percentage as the teams leadoff hitter. But he was most impressive as the anchor of the teams infield, racking up a .925 fielding percentage while committing only six errors in 80 total chances. Cullum had 42 assists to go with 32 putouts on the season while earning District 7-5A Defensive Player of the Year honors.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Bret Warnack
Ryan
Notable: Ryan head coach Bret Warnack capped his 18th year at Ryan by leading the Raiders to the Class 4A Region I semifinals and his eighth district championship. Ryan tied Wichita Falls for the 4-4A crown before defeating the Coyotes in a one-game playoff for the districts No. 1 playoff seed. Despite a roster void of any Division I recruits, Warnack took his team past the regional quarterfinals for the first time since 2008, a team which boasted two future MLB draftees (Curtis Petersen and Zach Voight).

Team selected by Denton Record-Chronicle staff in consultation with area coaches

Photos are by Denton Record-Chronicle photographers David Minton and Al Key, along with DRC file photos and courtesy photos.

Lance Cullum
Guyer, SS, Senior