By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The inaugural Your Prep Sports baseball team recognizes 11 of the best players in the area for their performance this season.

This year’s squad features division I recruits, all-state selections as well as all-district and  all-conference performers.

West High senior third basemen Izaya On-Fullard is the team captain after helping West High return to the Class 4A semifinals for the third straight season.

Ono-Fullard was a 4A first-team all-state pick, earning all-state honors for the third straight season after helping the Trojans to a 32-9 record.

Your Prep Sports Baseball Team

C – Brett McCleary, Sr., City High: Iowa recruit played a key role in the best season for City High in a decade. McCleary hit .331 while leading the Little Hawks with six home runs and 47 RBI and was the Little Hawks top pitcher, going 5-3 with a 1.33 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings on his way to first-team all-state honors.

*INF – Izaya Ono-Fullard, Sr., West High: Capped an impressive career with a stellar senior season in which he led the state with 11 home runs and ranked second in 4A with 60 RBI. A Kirkwood recruit, Ono-Fullard hit .421 and led West High with 49 runs, 16 doubles and a .771 slugging percentage.

INF – Caleb Sass, Sr., City High: Among the top leadoff hitters in the state, Sass was the catalyst for the City High offense ranking second in 4A with 58 runs. Sass led City High with a .422 batting average, 27 stolen bases, 24 walks and a .556 on-base percentage.

INF – Nate Disterhoft, Sr., West High: The senior first baseman provided a spark atop the West High lineup hitting a career-high .402 with 37 runs and 25 RBI from the leadoff spot. Disterhoft led Wet High with 26 stolen bases and a .526 on-base percentage, drawing 23 walks while striking out just nine times.

INF – Zach Stone, Sr., City High: A key piece in a resurgent season for City High, Stone hit .382 and drove in a team-high 40 runs. The Little Hawk third baseman led the team with 13 doubles and 19 extra base hits, had four home runs and posted a team-best .603 slugging percentage.

OF – Connor McCaffery, Sr., West High: An all-state basketball player who will play both baseball and basketball at Iowa, McCaffery had his best season on the diamond as a senior. McCaffery hit .385 with six home runs and 49 RBI and also posted a 6-1 record with a 1.75 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32 innings.

OF – Blake Berns, Jr., Regina: Berns made a big splash in his first varsity season leading Regina with 44 RBI while helping the Regals to their first state tournament since 2014. Hit .374 with a team-high 17 extra-base hits and a .644 slugging percentage.

OF – Kobey Schlotman, Sr., Clear Creek Amana: Senior led Clear Creek Amana with a .353 batting average and 20 walks and scored 23 runs while driving in 24 more but did his best work on the mound. Schlotman was 7-1 with a 1.90 ERA while striking out 75 and walking just 10 in 66 1/3 innings.   

UTIL – Luke Ira, Jr., Solon: One of the best all-around players in Class 3A Ira earned second-team all-state honors in 3A as a utility player. A South Dakota State commit, Ira hit a team-high .511 and led Solon in hits (71), runs (54), extra-base hits (22), home runs (6), RBI (39) and stolen bases (17). Also went 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA 55 1/3 innings.

P – Braden Houston, Jr., West High: The junior right-hander didn’t skip a beat while going from the number four spot in the rotation to the ace of the West High staff. Houston posted a 9-1 record and .89 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. He allowed just 46 hits as opposing hitters posted a .193 average against him.

P – Ryne Schooley, Jr., Regina: The ace of the Regina pitching staff came up big in the postseason, capped by a four-hit shutout of Treynor in the Class 2A quarterfinals. The left-hander went 7-1 on the season with a 2.24 ERA, striking out 85 and walking 27 in 56 1/3 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .144 against him.

*- Captain