By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior player of the year Aidan Newbery headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County baseball team.
Washburn Rural senior catcher Aidan Newbery has been named the Shawnee County Player of the Year after helping lead Rural to the Class 6A state championship. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]
Newbery, a catcher, helped lead the Junior Blues to the Class 6A state championship last Saturday in Wichita, Rural's first baseball state championship in 74 years.
Newbery, who was also named the Centennial League player of the year, is joined on the all-county first team by senior teammates Austin Ditch and Nate Selm and junior Tyler Edmiston while Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin was named the coach of the year after the Junior Blues posted a 22-9 record, capped by a 4-3 win over Free State in the 6A title game.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
Kade Mitchell, Hayden
Class 4A runnerup Hayden (21-6) is represented on the first team by seniors Connor Hanika, Kade Mitchell and Aiden Roberts and junior Caleb Menke while 5A runnerup Shawnee Heights (21-10) put seniors Brody Cooper and Cayden Lindsay on the all-county team and T-Bird sophomore Gabe Escobar has been tapped as the county newcomer of the year.
Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights
Silver Lake, the 3A runnerup at 18-12, put senior Drew Womack on the first team while Rossville (25-5), third in 2A-1A, is represented by the senior trio of Jacoby McDonnell, Canann Mitchell and Cameron Miller and Seaman put juniors Axton Brewer and Beau Jessop on the first team.
Brewer, Ditch, Menke, Miller, Canann Mitchell, Kade Mitchell and Selm are all first-team All-Shawnee County repeat picks while Cooper, Edmiston, Hanika, Roberts and Womack move up from the second team and Lindsay received honorable mention last season.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
Brewer received 5A All-State first-team honors from Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches while Womack was a first-team pick in 3A and Miller and Canann Mitchell earned first-team honors in 2A-1A.
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Newbery was a second-team pick in 6A, Jessop a second-team selection in 5A, Hanika and Kade Mitchell second team in 4A and McDonnell second team in 2A-1A.
2026 ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BASEBALL
First team
Name, school Class
Axton Brewer, Seaman Jr.
Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights Sr.
Austin Ditch, Washburn Rural Sr.
Tyler Edmiston, Washburn Rural Jr.
Connor Hanika, Hayden Sr.
Beau Jessop, Seaman Jr.
Cayden Lindsay, Shawnee Heights Sr.
Jakoby McDonnell, Rossville Sr.
Caleb Menke, Hayden Jr.
Cameron Miller, Rossville Sr.
Canann Mitchell, Rossville Sr.
Kade Mitchell, Hayden Sr.
Aidan Newbery, Washburn Rural Sr.
Aiden Roberts, Hayden Sr.
Nate Selm, Washburn Rural Sr.
Drew Womack, Silver Lake Sr.
Second team
Name, school Class
Drayden Accosta, Topeka High Sr.
Isaac Ansley, Washburn Rural Sr.
Preston Bahr, Washburn Rural Jr.
Mason Becker, Hayden Jr.
Conner Bush, Rossville Sr.
Gabe Escobar, Shawnee Heights So.
Cambren Floberg, Shawnee Heights Sr.
Brady Hogle, Silver Lake Sr.
Cael Horgan, Rossville Jr.
Dayne Johnson, Silver Lake Sr.
Michael Lilly, Shawnee Heights Sr.
Drew Moore, Washburn Rural Sr.
AJ Payne, Washburn Rural Sr.
Cale Rosenberger, Seaman Sr.
Everett Tourtillott, Hayden Jr.
Keaton Waggoner, Hayden Sr.
Honorable mention
Hayden: Max Becker, so.; Brady Deutsch, sr. Highland Park: Kasioun Drew, jr.; Carlos Duarte, fr.; Donny Fox, sr.; Ernesto Machado, fr.; G'Honi Montgomery, jr.; Saul Ramos Hernandez, sr. Seaman: Jack Becker, jr.; Michael Dobbs, so.; Cooper Hayes, sr. Shawnee Heights: Jackson Hayes, sr.; Nowlan Hurla, jr. Silver Lake: Kipton Kruger, fr. Topeka High: Elisha Guest, sr.; Cole Haubold, jr. Topeka West: Roman Babcock, jr. Washburn Rural: Brody Haas, sr.; Dominic Nimz, jr.; Gavin Payne, sr.
Player of the year -- Aidan Newbery, Washburn Rural.
Newcomer of the year -- Gabe Escobar, Shawnee Heights.
Coach of the year -- Jay Mastin, Washburn Rural.
