Staff report
The County baseball race wound up in a three-way tie for the championship this season, and that was reflected in the All-County Team announced this week.
Of the 18 players named to the first two teams, 15 of them play for tri-champions Anna, Fort Loramie and Russia, who are all playing in district championship games today. Each team had five players on those first two teams.
Russia junior Hunter Cohee garnered the most votes from the coaches and that earned him Player of the Year honors.
Cohee is hitting .410 on the season, with 25 runs scored and a team-high 34 runs batted in. He also leads the team in homers with three and is tied for the lead in doubles with seven.
In addition, he heads up the pitching staff, owning a 6-2 record with a 2.16 earned run average.
Folowing is the rest of the first-team selections:
Colin Wuebker, senior, Anna — Wuebker went into Friday’s district final game with a .393 average for the Rockets. A senior, Wuebker was playing in his fourth district final. He’s scored 27 runs, driven in 18 and has 33 hits. He is second in the area in stolen bases with 24.
Drew Sherman, senior, Russia — Sherman is hitting the ball at a .452 clip for the Raiders, with a team-high 38 hits, including four triples. He has scored 36 runs and driven in 32.
Daniel Berning, senior, Fort Loramie — Berning is hitting .345 for the Redskins, with 20 runs scored and 25 RBIs this season.
Nathan Frilling, senior, Anna — Frilling is currently hitting .364 for the Rockets, with 25 runs scored and 16 RBIs. He has also stolen 18 bases.
Aidan Endsley, junior, Anna — Endsley is second on the Rockets with a .375 average and has driven in 25 runs, second on the team. He also leads the team in runs scored with 35 and is second in stolen bases with 22.
Dylan Hensley, senior, Houston — Hensley had an outstanding season for the fourth-place Wildcats, leading the team in hitting with a .408 batting average. He had 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Kevin Drees, senior, Russia — Drees is the third first-teamer from Russia. He is hitting .386 with seven doubles and three triples. He has scored 21 runs and driven in 26.
Carter Siegel, senior, Fort Loramie — Siegel took a team-high .394 batting average into district final action, with 26 hits this season so far. He has scored 19, driven in 21 and has nine stolen bases.
Second team
Zach White, junior, Anna — White has enjoyed a solid year for the Rockets, hitting .321 with 27 runs scored and 28 RBIs.
Dion Puthoff, junior, Russia — Puthoff has had a monster season for the Raiders, leading them in hitting at .459, in hits with 39, and in stolen bases with 25, which also leads the area.
Alex Jutte, senior, Botkins — Jutte was Botkins’ leading hitter at .373 and is also the team’s top pitcher with a 3.08 ERA. He drove in 16 and scored 11.
Jared Middendorf, sophomore, Fort Loramie — Middendorf is one of only two sophomores on the first two teams, and he has been key in Fort Loramie’s stretch run to the County title and a sectional championship. He has scored 15 and driven in 14, but done most of his damage on the mound. He is currently 6-2 with a 1.32 ERA.
Dylan Albers, junior, Fort Loramie — Albers is currently second on the Redskins in hitting at .370, with a team-high 33 runs scored and 26 RBIs, second on the team. He also leads the team with 17 stolen bases.
Eli Rosengarten, sophomore, Fort Loramie — Rosengarten has been solid for the Redskins all season, hitting .356 with six doubles, 24 runs scored and a team-high 31 RBIs.
Derek Coverstone, junior, Anna — Coverstone is hitting .324 for the Rockets, with 27 runs scored and 15 RBIs. He has also stolen 22 bases.
Brady Wildermuth, senior, Jackson Center — Known more for his basketball prowess, Wildermuth earned a second-team spot on the All-County team after leading the Tigers in hitting this season with a .419 average. He also led in runs scored with 22.
Jack Dapore, junior, Russia — Dapore drove in 22 runs for the Raiders and scored 18, and was also a key pitcher for coach Kevin Phlipot. He is 5-1 on the season with a 2.32 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 501/3 innings.
Honorable mention
Thirteen more players received All-County recogition by being placed on the honorable mention list.
They are as follows:
Anna — Mitchell Lindsey, senior
Botkins — Alex Bergman, senior; Luke Bergman, senior; Nick Buettner, junior
Fairlawn — Jared Hina, senior
Fort Loramie — Ben Barhorst, sophomore; CJ Billing, sophomore
Houston — Isaiah Beaver, senior; Howie Ludwig, sophomore
Jackson Center — Corbin Murphy, sophomore
Russia — Clay George, senior; Daniel Kearns, sophomore; Evan Monnier, sophomore.
