By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High senior Nate Plankinton and Hayden junior Cooper Grace have been named Centennial League baseball co-players of the year by league coaches after helping lead their teams to state tournament berths this week.
Topeka High senior Nate Plankinton was selected as the co-player of the year in the Centennial League after helping lead the Trojans to a second straight Class 6A state berth. [File photo/TSN]
Hayden junior Cooper Grace has been named the Centennial League co-player of the year after helping lead the Wildcats to a Class 3A state tournament berth. [File photo/TSN]
Plankinton helped 17-4 Topeka High reach the Class 6A state tournament for the second straight season while Grace helped 15-12 Hayden reach the 3A state event.
Plankinton and Grace also earned first-team honors from league coaches, their team's lone first-team selections.
Both Plankinton and Grace made the all-league first team for the second straight season.
Washburn Rural, which posted a 13-10 record this spring, put a league-high four players on the All-Centennial League first team, with seniors Kyle Walker, Colin Redeker, Connor Wells and Braden Hauschel representing the Junior Blues.
Walker moved up to the first team after being a second-team pick as a junior.
Rural coach Jay Mastin was voted the league coach of the year by his peers while Manhattan sophomore Jackson Goos was named the newcomer of the year.
Topeka High put seniors Isaiah Kincade, Hank Stamper and Matt Genrich and sophomore Drayden Acosta on the all-league second team while Hayden is represented by senior Evan Lenherr, junior Brady Heinen and freshman Mason Becker and Washburn Rural by senior Braden Ailslieger.
A total of six city players received all-league honorable mention.
ALL-CENTENNIAL LEAGUE BASEBALL
First team
Cooper Grace, jr., Hayden; Nate Plankinton, sr., Topeka High; Kyle Walker, sr., Washburn Rural; Colin Redeker, sr., Washburn Rural; Jake Wolcott, sr., Manhattan; Connor Wells, sr., Washburn Rural; Sam Spiegel, jr., Manhattan; Braden Hauschel, sr., Washburn Rural; Owen Ruge, jr., Emporia; Lincoln Upham, sr., Junction City; Carter Aslin, jr., Manhattan.
Second team
Jackson Goos, so., Manhattan; Isaiah Kincade, sr., Topeka High; Drayden Acosta, so., Topeka High; Evan Lenherr, sr., Hayden; Brady Heinen, jr., Hayden; Muaadh Harris, fr., Junction City; Hank Stamper, sr., Topeka High; Braden Ailslieger, sr., Washburn Rural; Matt Genrich, sr., Topeka High; Cael Smith, jr., Junction City; Mason Becker, fr., Hayden.
Honorable mention
Landon Ott, sr., Manhattan; Kaeden Fenton, sr., Washburn Rural; Aiden Roberts, so., Hayden; Jamarcus Tyson, so., Junction City; Chris Coy, so., Junction City; Kyler VanDonge, sr., Washburn Rural; Micah Gray, fr., Emporia; Owen Goode, sr., Manhattan; Branton DeWeese, sr., Washburn Rural; Andrew Ruxton, jr., Emporia; Brock Bazan, sr., Junction City; Lee Gonzales, sr., Topeka High; Isaac Ansley, so., Washburn Rural.
Co-players of the year -- Cooper Grace, jr., Hayden, and Nate Plankinton, Topeka High.
Newcomer of the year -- Jackson Goos, so., Manhattan.
Coach of the yer -- Jay Mastin, Washburn Rural.
