By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EDITOR'S NOTE: Over the coming weeks, TopSports.news will recognize Shawnee County's all-time best teams in 21 sports as part of our Best of the Best project. The project gets under way Thursday with baseball and readers will have the opportunity to vote through July 20, with the top teams in all categories announced in late July and August. To cast a vote for the Best of the Best, click on https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4865047x3bA54833-151 while email votes/nominations will be also accepted at
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Shawnee County high schools have won more state team championships in baseball than in any other sport ... by far.
County teams have captured 38 titles on the diamond, 11 more than in any other sport, with Silver Lake (15) and Seaman (9) combining for 24 of those championships.
Silver Lake won its first of 15 state baseball tiles in 1953. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Current Seaman athletic director Steve Bushnell (standing), with former star Ben Carlson, led the Vikings to nine Class 5A state championships as Seaman's baseball coach. [File photo/TSN]
Silver Lake won its first two titles in 1953 and '54, with future Major League pitcher Jim Golden playing a huge role.
Legendary Kansas State basketball player and college coach Lon Kruger helped lead Silver Lake to an undefeated championship in 1970, with the late Rene Poort coaching that Eagle team before going on to a long and distinguished career as a basketball and football official.
Former Silver Lake Hall of Fame coach C.J. Hamilton retired as the winningest football coach in Kansas history, but also led the Eagles to three state baseball championships and served as an assistant coach under Alan Cunningham, who coached Silver Lake to seven state titles and also played on the Eagles' championship team in 1977.
Steve Bushnell coached Seaman to nine Class 5A state championships before moving into the athletic director's position at the school.
The Vikings won their first state title in 2000 and captured three straight state championships in 2008 though 2010.
Bushnell's teams also won back-to-back state titles in his final two seasons as the Vikings' coach in 2018 and 2019.
Any of the Silver Lake and Seaman teams would be deserving of a spot in the top 10 but there are plenty of other worthy candidates as well.
Topeka HIgh was the first county school to win a championship in 1947 -- its lone title to date -- while Alton Haun's Washburn Rural teams won titles in 1950 and 1952 and Rossville captured its lone title in 1991 under Mick Keller.
Topeka West won its lone 5A title in 2003 under the late Brett Cowdin, who also coached Hayden to a state championships in 1997.
Current Hayden coach Bill Arnold has also coached the Wildcats to a pair of state titles while also coaching Hayden to a state football championship.
Hayden captured its second of five state baseball titles in 1997 under the late Brett Cowdin. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Shawnee Heights won the first of its four state baseball championships in 1994 under Craig Cox. [Submitted photo to KSHSAA.org]
Craig Cox and Ryan Schmidt both led Shawnee Heights to a pair of 5A state championships while Cox also coached Heights (2000 and 2002) and Seaman (2022) to state basketball titles and played for the Eagles' 1977 state championship team.
Shawnee Heights posted a perfect 25-0 record in 2011.
Vote for your favorite team at https://take.quiz-maker.com/poll4865047x3bA54833-151 while readers also have the option of writing in a candidate.
Vote as many times as you wish. Final selections will be based on reader vote as well as input from TSN contributors and current and past local sports media professionals.
Votes will be accepted through July 20 before TSN publishes our Best of the Best lists in late July and August.
NEXT UP: Girls basketball (ballot will be published on TopSports.news on Friday).
