By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's baseball team had nine players earn All-MIAA recognition by the conference on Thursday afternoon, led by first-team picks Payton McHarg and Cash Jay.
Payton McHarg, Washburn University
Cash Jay, Washburn University
McHarg, a junior, is a first-team selection as an outfielder in his first season with the Ichabods. With 20 home runs on the year McHarg is tied for the most in the nation while also batting a team-high .373 with 69 hits and 63 runs batted in.
McHarg is coming off a week which saw him earn MIAA Hitter of the Week honors after hitting .579 with a .704 on-base percentage and 12 runs scored. McHarg played and started in all 48 regular-season games, one of just two Ichabods to do so.
Jay joins McHarg on the first team after his first season at Washburn. He gets the nod as a utility player after hitting .365 on the year. He slugged 13 home runs and a team-high 21 doubles with 56 RBI.
Jay has started 45 of the 48 games he has appeared in, picking up hits in all but seven of them to tie for the team lead with 69. He also made 85 assists on the year in the field.
Cale Savage earns All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career as a member of the second team at first base. Along with McHarg, Savage also played and started in all 48 games this season, hitting .321 and leading the team with 41 walks for a .443 OB%. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 45 total runs while holding a .992 fielding percentage for the year.
Jett Buck joins the second team at shortstop after his junior campaign and first at Washburn. Buck hit .324 on the season and was second on the team with 14 homers for 52 RBI. He played in 45 games, making 44 starts, and was second on the team, stealing eight bases on 12 attempts.
Hayden Priest is a third-team selection in his first season as the Ichabod catcher after transferring for his junior year. Priest was third on the team with a .360 batting average on the season with 62 hits and 55 RBI along with eight home runs. He was successful on the bases, stealing six of seven bases while throwing out nine would be base-stealers from behind the plate.
Washburn had four players earn honorable mention honors with Cooper Carlgren representing the starting pitching staff in his first season with the Ichabods. The Topeka native made 13 appearances, all starts, and threw a team-high 62.1 innings along with 59 strikeouts. He went 4-3 on the year with a 6.64 earned run average.
Griffin Huiatt is also an honorable mention honoree, earning all-conference recognition for the first time in his career. He split his time as a starter and reliever and gets the nod for his work out of the bullpen. In 15 appearances with seven starts he tossed 53.2 innings with a 6.20 ERA and was second on the team striking out 54. He has gone multiple innings in all but one bullpen call and has one save on the season.
Cal Watkins received honorable mention at second base. It is the third time in three seasons with Washburn that the senior is an all-conference selection. This season Watkins played in 41 games, making 37 starts, and hit .264 with 12 doubles and four home runs to drive in 25. He also went three-for-three on stolen base attempts.
Connor Scott completes the list of Ichabods as he earns All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career as an honorable mention while also being named an outfield selection to the Gold Glove Team.
At the plate Scott hit .356 on the year with 14 doubles and three triples for 27 RBI. He led the team in stolen bases going 16-18 on his attempts this season. He played in 46 games and made 43 starts while not committing an error in the field on 114 putouts. He added four assists from the outfield as well in his redshirt-sophomore season.
Washburn enters the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed and will travel to Edmond to face No. 4 Central Oklahoma in a best two of three series. First pitch for Game 1 is on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m.
2024 MIAA Baseball Postseason Awards and All-MIAA Teams
Player of the Year – Brennan van Breusegen – Central Missouri
Pitcher of the Year – Conner Wolf – Central Missouri
Co-Freshman of the Year – Logan Myers – Emporia State
Co-Freshman of the Year – Jack Scott – Central Missouri
Coach of the Year – Kyle Crookes – Central Missouri
FIRST TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Cole Gayman – Missouri Southern
Starting Pitcher: Ty Riley – Fort Hays State
Starting Pitcher: Conner Wolf – Central Missouri
Relief Pitcher: Valek Cisneros – Central Oklahoma
Catcher: Chase Heath – Central Missouri
First Base: Josh Patrick – Central Missouri
Second Base: Tyson Fourkiller – Northeastern State
Shortstop: Max Holy – Central Missouri^
Shortstop: Henry Kusiak – Missouri Southern^
Third Base: Dylan Kurahahi Choy Foo – Pittsburg State
Outfield: Payton McHarg – Washburn
Outfield: Brennan van Breusegen – Central Missouri
Outfield: Carter Young – Central Missouri
Designated Hitter: Vance Tobol – Central Missouri
Utility: Cash Jay – Washburn
^Reflects Ties In Voting
SECOND TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Jacob Wilson – Central Missouri
Starting Pitcher: Brett Pense – Central Oklahoma
Starting Pitcher: Tanner Leslie – Pittsburg State
Relief Pitcher: Boston Dowd – Pittsburg State
Catcher: Nixon Brannan – Pittsburg State
First Base: Cale Savage - Washburn
Second Base: Cole Moore – Central Missouri
Shortstop: Jett Buck – Washburn
Third Base: Jacob Steele – Central Missouri
Outfield: Carson Carpenter – Central Oklahoma^
Outfield: Kaleb Glass – Central Oklahoma^
Outfield: Ryan Koval – Missouri Western^
Outfield: Jack Schark – Central Missouri^
Designated Hitter: Caden Robertson – Central Oklahoma
Utility: Drew Townsend – Missouri Southern
^Reflects Ties In Voting
THIRD TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Jack Scott – Central Missouri
Starting Pitcher: Dax Sharp – Central Oklahoma
Starting Pitcher: C.J. Briley – Northeastern State
Starting Pitcher: Casey Stalzer – Northwest Missouri
Starting Pitcher: Brady Gilmore – Central Oklahoma
Relief Pitcher: Jacob Gajic – Northwest Missouri^
Relief Pitcher: Landon Riley – Rogers State^
Catcher: Gage Williams – Northeastern State^
Catcher: Hayden Priest - Washburn^
First Base: Elliott Herrmann – Fort Hays State
Second Base: Deagan Brady – Pittsburg State
Shortstop: Orlando Gonzalez – Central Oklahoma
Third Base: Will Doherty – Missouri Southern
Outfield: Brady Kreutzer – Fort Hays State
Outfield: Isaiah Ural – Fort Hays State
Outfield: Isaiah Keller – Northeastern State
Designated Hitter: Trey Morris – Northwest Missouri
Utility: Ryan Williams – Northwest Missouri
^Reflects Ties In Voting
GOLD GLOVE TEAM
Pitcher: Conner Wolf – Central Missouri
Catcher: Chase Heath – Central Missouri
First Base: Elliott Herrmann – Fort Hays State
Second Base: Cole Moore – Central Missouri*
Shortstop: Orlando Gonzalez – Central Oklahoma^
Shortstop: Henry Kusiak – Missouri Southern^
Third Base: Trey DeGarmo – Fort Hays State
Outfield: Brennan van Breusegen – Central Missouri*
Outfield: Connor Scott - Washburn
Outfield: Carter Young – Central Missouri
^Reflects Ties In Voting
*Unanimous Selection
HONORABLE MENTION
Central Missouri: Harrison Babbitt (Relief Pitcher)
Emporia State: Cade Barton (Starting Pitcher), Graham Brunner (Starting Pitcher), Kadyn Williams (Third Base)
Fort Hays State: Rafael Espinoza (Starting Pitcher)
Missouri Southern: Trent Harris (Starting Pitcher), Kyle Moore (Relief Pitcher), Garrett Rice (First Base), Ethan Clark (Outfield), Treghan Parker (Outfield)
Missouri Western: Robert Farrell (Relief Pitcher)
Newman: Blake Mitchell (Outfield)
Northwest Missouri: Cole Slibowski (Second Base), Caden Diel (Outfield)
Pittsburg State: Brady Pacha (Starting Pitcher), Cade Clemens (Shortstop), Josh Holmes (Outfield), Blaze Mozley (Designated Hitter)
Rogers State: Colton Anderson (Starting Pitcher), Matthew Delgado (Catcher), AJ Folds (Outfield)
Washburn: Cooper Carlgren (Starting Pitcher), Griffin Huiatt (Relief Pitcher), Cal Watkins (Second Base), Connor Scott (Outfield)
