2023 Dispatch All-Metro baseball team
Adam Buerger of Gahanna Lincoln leads the 2023 Dispatch All-Metro baseball team.
Buerger was announced as Baseball Athlete of the Year at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards on June 15 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The show, presented by Encova Insurance and produced with the support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, honored athletes from 30 sports. In addition, $63,000 in scholarships were awarded.
Brock Amelung, Olentangy Liberty
The senior first baseman batted .421 with 13 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 44 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. The Bowling Green commit was first-team all-state and all-district in Division I and OCC-Central Player of the Year. Liberty lost 7-6 to Olentangy Orange in a regional semifinal.
Adam Buerger, Gahanna Lincoln
The senior shortstop was the top hitter in the state in Division I with a .518 average. He added 12 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 45 RBIs, 30 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. The Chattanooga State Community College commit was named Player of the Year in the state, district and OCC-Ohio.
Cole Cahill, Olentangy Orange
The senior pitcher and first baseman helped lead the Pioneers to the Division I state tournament. On the mound, he entered state with a 7-2 record and a 2.23 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings. At the plate, the Toledo commit was batting .411 with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 34 RBIs, 29 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. He was first-team all-state and all-district and second-team all-OCC-Central. The Pioneers lost 4-1 to Cincinnati Moeller in the state final.
Kaid Carpenter, Fredericktown
The senior pitcher and shortstop was named Division III district and Knox Morrow Athletic Conference Player of the Year, along with first-team all-state. He was 7-1 and had a 1.40 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 18 walks in 55 innings. He also batted .533 with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
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Thatcher Dietz, Westerville South
The senior catcher was first-team all-state and all-district in Division I and first-team all-OCC-Capital. The Wittenberg commit batted .485 with nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 28 RBIs, 34 runs and 20 stolen bases.
Cam Gilkerson, Hilliard Darby
A senior pitcher and first baseman, Gilkerson went 7-3 and had a 0.83 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 17 walks in 59 innings. He tossed a perfect game and two other no-hitters. Gilkerson batted .353 with 13 doubles, three home runs, 29 RBIs and 32 runs scored. The Wright State commit was first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division I and OCC-Cardinal co-Player of the Year.
Keegan Holmstrom, Grove City
The junior pitcher and first baseman led the Greyhounds on the mound, finishing 8-2 with a 2.02 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 16 walks in 62 1/3 innings. At the plate, the Ohio State commit batted .310 with two doubles, two triples, 14 RBI and 18 runs. He was first-team all-district and all-OCC-Ohio. Grove City lost to Orange 6-1 in the regional final.
Matt Keener, Fairfield Christian
The senior outfielder was first-team all-state and Player of the Year in the district in Division IV and MSL-Cardinal. The Ohio Christian commit batted .473 with 39 runs scored, 19 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.
Nick Kudika, Watterson
The junior pitcher and third baseman was first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division I, along with first-team all-CCL. On the mound, he was 7-0, allowing five runs on the season. He had a 0.56 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 innings. He also batted .424 with 21 runs scored and 20 RBIs.
Ashton Martin, Jonathan Alder
The sophomore pitcher and shortstop was first-team all-state in Division II and Player of the Year in the district and Central Buckeye Conference. On the mound, the Ohio State commit was 8-0 with a 0.39 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 55 innings. He batted .422 with eight doubles, one triple, 25 RBIs and 25 runs scored.
Mason Onate, Olentangy Liberty
The senior infielder batted .462 with nine doubles, four triples, three home runs, 23 RBIs, 50 runs scored and 37 stolen bases. A Tulane commit, Onate was first-team all-district and all-OCC-Central and second-team all-state in Division I.
Conner Peer, Dublin Scioto
The senior second baseman led the Irish in batting average (.495), doubles (10), triples (3), home runs (1) and RBIs (35) and scored 32 runs. The Wittenberg commit was first-team all-state and all-district in Division I and OCC-Capital Player of the Year.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2023 Columbus Dispatch All-Metro baseball team
