Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The annual Your Prep Sports area baseball team recognizes some of the top area players for their performance on the diamond this season.

Once again the Your Prep Sports area was home to some of the top individual players and teams in the state this season.

This year’s 19-member team features all-state and all-conference performers, division I recruits and school record holders.

The fifth edition of the Your Prep Sports area team has six repeat selections including two players that have previously been named captain of the Your Prep Sports area team.

City High juniors Gable Mitchell, Cade Obermueller and Carter Seaton, Liberty High senior Ethan O’Donnell, Clear Creek Amana senior Brock Reade and West High senior Marcus Morgan are all repeat selections.

Morgan is the captain of the 2021 squad, earning the honor for the second time in the past three seasons.

An Iowa recruit, Morgan went 4-2 with a 1.48 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings and also hit .396 with six home runs and 48 RBI.

2021 Your Prep Sports Area Baseball Team

*P – Marcus Morgan, Sr., West High: An Iowa recruit, Morgan proved why he is widely regarded as one of the top all-around players in the state with a huge senior season. On the mound Morgan went 4-2 with a save while posting a 1.48 ERA, .94 WHIP and .173 opponents batting average with 108 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Morgan also hit a team-high .396 with 16 extra-base hits, six home runs 48 RBI and 24 walks.

P – Cade Obermueller, Jr., City High: A mid-season injury caused Obermueller to miss a few starts but the junior was still among the top pitchers in the state posting a 4-2 record with a 1.80 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 35 innings.

P – Brock Reade, Sr., Clear Creek Amana: The left-handed throwing Reade followed up a stellar junior season with a strong senior campaign in which he posted a 2.16 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while striking out 54 in 32 1/3 innings.

P – Alex Knudtson, Soph., City High: In his first full-time varsity season Knudtson emerged as a front of the rotation starter for the Little Hawks posting a 5-1 record, 1.38 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out 32 in 40 2/3 innings.

P – Ethan O’Donnell, Sr., Liberty High: A fixture in the Lightning rotation since the start of the program O’Donnell posted a 5-3 record with a 2.75 ERA as a senior while striking out 56 in a team-leading 48 1/3 innings.

C – TJ Kimm, Sr., Liberty High: A strong defensive catcher, Kimm had his best offensive season as a senior hitting .327 with nine extra-base hits, 25 RBI and 21 walks.

C – Joey Bouska, Jr., City High: Bouska settled into a nice role in the leadoff spot in the City High order and finished the season hitting .342 with seven doubles, 18 RBI, 10 steals and 26 runs scored from his spot atop the Little Hawk lineup.

INF – Gable Mitchell, Jr., City High: One of the best defensive players in the state regardless of position Mitchell built on an already stellar career resume with another strong season. The slick-fielding shortstop hit .352 with a team-high 41 runs, 35 stolen bases and 24 walks and also drove in 30 runs.

INF – Kinnick Pusteoska, Jr., Solon: Among the most dangerous hitters in Class 3A, Pusteoska hit .404 with 21 extra-base hits including a team-high six home runs and led the Spartans with a .731 slugging percentage and 1.293 OPS.

INF – Carter Seaton, Jr., City High: A stalwart in the City High lineup since he was a freshman Seaton has his best season to date this summer leading the Little Hawks with a .357 batting average, scoring 32 runs and driving in 27. Seaton stole 15 bases and was solid on the mound going 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA in a career-high 31 innings.

INF – Mitch Frey, Soph., West High: In his first varsity season Frey emerged as a major force in the middle of the West High lineup hitting .327 with nine doubles and 31 RBI while drawing a team-high 28 walks.

INF – Brett White, Fr., Solon: White followed up a strong debut season by hitting .356 as a freshman with a team-high 23 extra-base hits and led the Spartans with 56 RBI.

OF – John Klosterman, Jr., City High: Klosterman did a little bit of everything in his first season in the City High lineup hitting .319 with 15 extra-base hits, two home runs 28 RBI and 24 walks and also went 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

OF – Brody Fishman, Sr., Liberty High: Fishman made the most of his only season as a full-time starter leading the Lightning with a .350 batting average and 25 stolen bases and ranking second on the team with 38 runs and a .464 on-base percentage.

OF – Danny Gavin, Soph., Regina: In his first varsity season Gavin led Regina with a .392 batting average, 23 runs, 25 walks and a .523 on-base percentage while being named to the River Valley Conference South Division squad.

OF – Cedric Dunnwald, Sr., City High: Dunnwald made the most of his only season as a full-time starter hitting .333 with two home runs and 26 RBI on his way to earning MVC all-Mississippi Division honorable mention honors.

UTIL – Jack Funke, Jr., Liberty High: The emergence of Funke helped fill a void in the middle of the Lightning lineup left by graduation as the junior first baseman hit .346 with 27 RBI and a team-leading 13 doubles.

UTIL – Blake Timmons, Soph., Solon: A starter as a freshman a year ago Timmons took his game up a notch in 2021 leading the Spartans in batting average (.431), hits (53), runs (59), stolen bases (21), triples (4), walks (29), and on-base percentage (.582) and also went 5-2 with a 2.05 ERA in 44 1/3 innings pitched.

UTIL – Lucas Pierce, Jr., West Branch: After seeing spot duty as a sophomore in 2020 Pierce emerged as a force in 2021 hitting a team-high .382 while leading the Bears in doubles (9) and RBI (18) and going 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 33 innings.

* – Denotes Team Captain 

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