Who's been the best high school baseball player so far this year? Here's the top 20 picks
SAINT CLOUD — Midway through the high school baseball season, several upperclassmen — and a few young players — have emerged as some of the most talented in the area.
Combing through stats provided by local teams, here is a list of players putting up the most eye-popping numbers.
Included are athletes from Albany (8-4), Becker (10-5), Foley (9-3), Holdingford (12-3), ROCORI (6-5), Sartell-St. Stephen (7-7), the St. Cloud Crush (9-3) and St. Cloud Cathedral (7-6).
Pitchers:
Drew Lange
Holdingford senior
Holdingford is also second in its conference, the Central Minnesota Conference. The Huskers have only lost games to teams above .500.
Drew Lange has diced up opposing rosters this spring, throwing 26 2/3 innings and putting together a 4-1 record so far. He has allowed 11 runs on 17 hits, though just six were earned. Lange has struck out 41 batters, most in the area, but he’s walked 14. He has a 1.575 ERA and a WHIP of 1.162. Batters are hitting .168 against Lange, but at the plate himself, he’s gone 13-48 for a .271 average. He has four triples and a home run for 11 RBI and 11 runs. Lange also has 10 stolen bases and 13 Ks.
Josiah Petersen
Foley senior
Last year’s Times’ player of the year Josiah Petersen again has impressed. Starting at catcher with regular pitching appearances, Petersen’s stats at both positions are elite.
He hits .421 with an OBP of .500 and a SLG of .737. Out of 16 hits, Petersen clubbed six doubles and two dingers, picking up 12 RBI and 13 runs. He’s drawn seven walks and only three pitchers have notched a K in a Petersen AB. He also has five steals.
After six appearances on the mound, Petersen hasn’t allowed an earned run. Opponents only have 10 hits in 20 2/3 innings and six runs on nine walks. His 38 strikeouts are second most in the area after teammate Emmerich.
One of Petersen’s two errors came as a pitcher otherwise, he’s fielded .973 percent of chances.
Like last year's run, Foley is again seeking a state bid out of Section 6-2A. With Elk River (9-6), Holdingford, Eden Valley-Watkins (10-5). Albany and Cathedral, it will be a tough tournament.
Kaden Rausch
ROCORI senior
ROCORI is yet to have a streak of at least three wins or losses. The Spartans sit in the middle of CLC standings, four points back from Alex and three ahead of Sauk Rapids-Rice (3-10).
Kaden Rausch pitches and plays first for the Spartans, cutting his WHIP to 1.000 and ERA to 1.591 in 22 innings on the mound. Rausch has six bullpen appearances, all but one facing fewer than eight batters. But in May he also has two seven-inning starts with 80 and 79 pitches apiece. Rausch has given up eight runs in total, five earned and has only walked one batter. He has 14 Ks and has 21 runners left on base.
His batting average is .333 and his high OBP and SLG combine for a .945 OPS. Out of 11 hits, Rausch has four doubles and a homer. He has 10 RBI and has crossed home six times. He struck out 10 times and walked five times.
Rausch has four errors in the field.
Cade Simones
Cathedral senior
In a down year for the Crusaders, senior Cade Simones gave up his first earned run of the season Monday against Little Falls. He’s pitched 34 innings this year, making his ERA .206. Opponents only have 16 hits and four runs against the Crusader ace, who has a 5-1 record and a decision in all of his starts. Simones has 36 strikeouts and 19 walks, holding hitters to an average of .136.
He also regularly bats, picking up four singles and two doubles in 39 plate appearances. He’s stolen four bases and scored six runs this year. Simones has three RBI and 15 Ks.
Catchers:
Max Kiffmeyer
St. Cloud junior
The St. Cloud Crush now sit in second in the Central Lakes Conference standings after a third conference loss last week. Alexandria (9-4) leads the conference.
Max Kiffmeyer has hit seven RBI and crossed the plate 11 times on .343 hitting. The junior has three doubles and a triple, striking out in seven at-bats. His OPS is .952.
Tyler Prom
ROCORI junior
Catching for ROCORI, Tyler Prom has been a singles specialist at the plate. He’s 14-33 with one double keeping his OPS at 1.000. Prom has nine walks and a hit-by-pitch, making sure he’s on base at a .545 clip. He also has three steals and three scores. With those 13 base hits, the junior has six RBI.
Prom has only recorded one error behind the plate.
First basemen:
Gerad Hanle
Becker freshman
Still in control of the Mississippi 8 Conference after a loss to Monticello (10-5) on May 9, Becker (13-2) has its eyes on a potential run at the Section 5-3A championship.
Gerad Hanle is one of two Becker pitchers who have stats worthy of recognition, but both are recognized where they play in the field. When not pitching, Hanle plays first base and he hits .346 with a .500 on-base percentage. Most of Hanle’s hits are singles, though he’s knocked two doubles and 11 RBI. Hanle has an equal number of walks and strikeouts, eight apiece.
A lefty, Hanle has a record of 5-1, holding opponents to 16 hits, 16 walks and racking up 40 strikeouts. He’s held hitters to an average of .180 in 22 2/3 innings, only giving up six earned runs. Two of the earned runs came last week against Monticello, when Hanle was pulled in the second inning after giving up eight runs on five hits, picking up his first loss. The freshman hasn’t thrown more than 86 pitches this year and he could be an exciting arm for the Bulldogs for several years.
Max Fredin
ROCORI sophomore
Taking over 50 putouts for ROCORI at first, Max Fredin is fitting in on varsity, hitting .324 with an OBP of .410 and a SLG of .529. He has hit two doubles, a triple and, on Friday against Brainerd, a home run. Fredin has nine RBI this year and 10 runs scored. He’s taken five walks and struck out in six at-bats. He also has four steals and has pitched 10 innings in two appearances, only giving up three runs. Fredin is 0-1 with nine strikeouts, a 1.400 ERA and a WHIP right at 1.000.
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Second basemen:
Bennett Hylla
Albany junior
Albany trails Pierz (12-1) in Granite Ridge Conference Standings by two points and will be hard pressed to catch up with three GRC games remaining.
Bennett Hylla has led Albany’s offense this year, averaging .500 with 19 hits. His OPS is 1.258, among the highest in the area. Hylla isn’t just hitting singles, he has a SLG of .658 thanks to four doubles and a triple, in all scoring 19 runs and hitting 11 RBI. He also only has five strikeouts compared to 10 walks.
Jaxon Kenning
St. Cloud senior
Jaxon Kenning is the second second baseman on the list to clear a 1.000 OPS. Kenning is hitting .382 with an OBP of .532 and he’s slugging .618. He has a homer to add to a double and two triples out of 13 hits. Kenning’s also only struck out five times and he has seven walks. The senior is responsible for 18 Crush runs, scoring eight himself.
Third basemen:
Kellan Graning
Becker senior
Graning has held down two positions at high levels this year, hitting in the middle of the lineup as a starting pitcher and third baseman. Graning’s OPS has climbed recently to .964 thanks partially to a double, triple and single Monday against Princeton (12-3). He’s hit .367 this year with 17 RBI, eight runs scored, one walk and eight strikeouts. Graning also hit one home run back on April 9 in the second game of the year.
On the mound, Graning has started five games, most recently against Princeton. He’s 2-1 with 13 runs, six earned, 17 walks, 36 strikeouts and holds opponents’ batting average under .200. Graning’s ERA is 1.658 and his WHIP is 1.382.
Brett Leabch
Foley senior
Brett Leabch had seven hits in the Falcons’ last two games including a home run and a double Monday against Royalton (5-11). He raised his average to .368 and slugging to .500. Leabch’s OPS is .944 with his first dinger and second double of the year. With 11 singles, Leabch has been reliable for 13 RBI and 13 runs scored with only five strikeouts.
He has three errors in 16 chances at the hot corner, throwing for nine assists and getting four put-outs.
Shortstops:
Isaac Daluge
Becker junior
Hitting .460 in 50 at-bats this season, Isaac Daluge has led Becker’s outstanding offense. He leads his team in almost all categories including slugging (.640) and OPS (1.140), hits (23), RBI (16) and runs scored (15). Daluge has a home run and a triple in addition to his four doubles.
Daluge has had some drops in the field – he’s had eight errors in 37 total chances. The shortstop has 16 assists and 13 putouts.
Wesley Johnson
Sartell senior
In his last year as a Sabre, again Wesley Johnson impresses as a pitcher and a shortstop.
The senior has hit .457 a year after playing into the state tournament, leading his team. He has an OBP of .487 and a SLG of .686 that’s calculated from 16 hits. Johnson’s hit a home run this year in addition to three doubles and a triple. He has scored three runs with five RBI.
On the mound, Johnson is 1-2, but has an ERA of 1.380 with 30 strikeouts. Only eight runs, five earned, have been scored against Johnson and he has a save in 25 1/3 innings.
Outfielders:
Luke Bieniek
Holdingford junior
Luke Bieniek’s main position is shortstop, but he’s occasionally played in the outfield this season. The junior has 11 errors, but is hitting .356 with an OPS of 1.016. It’s as hard to leave him out of the lineup as it is this list.
Getting on base at a .483 clip, five of Bieniek’s 16 hits were for extra bases, including a triple and a homer. He's hit 12 teammates home and scored 13 runs for the Huskers. Bieniek has also showed his patience at the plate, drawing 11 walks and striking out nine times
Trey Emmerich
Foley senior
Emmerich has impressed at every facet of the game this year. He’s one of two main starters for the Falcons and usually plays right field on days off.
Emmerich has hit six doubles and six singles this year, holding an average of .364 and an OBP of .500. His OPS crests 1.000 at 1.045 and the senior has nine RBI and runs scored. He’s worked five walks, has eight strikeouts and a stolen base.
He’s had 16 fielding opportunities and only made one error.
As a pitcher, Emmerich has started five games and made a long bullpen appearance. His record is 3-2 and Emmerich maintains a 1.167 ERA and WHIP of 1.083. Opponents have only scored four earned runs out of nine total and he has a K/BB ratio of 39/11.
Bryce Gapinski
Foley senior
Bryce Gapinski had several hits in recent games that bolstered his average to .361 and his OBP to .490. He has 13 hits this year with a double, a single and nine walks. With the base knocks, Gapinski has hit 14 RBI and he’s come around to score on 15 occasions. The utility player only has two errors in 18 chances all around the field and he’s struck out seven times. Gapinski also has nine stolen bases.
He has three appearances on the mound, totaling 4 1/3 innings. Three runs given up in his first appearance April 9 are what keeps his ERA at 4.846. However, the 20 hitters faced are only batting .071 against Gapinski.
Joshua Groskreutz
Becker senior
Becker scores over seven runs a game, three by the outfield trio of senior Joshua Groskreutz, senior Ethan Guck and sophomore Isaac Guck.
The only Bulldog to have scored more runs than centerfielder and leadoff hitter Joshua Groskreutz is Daluge from the center of the order. Still, Groskreutz has managed to cross the plate 14 times and pick up seven RBI. He hits .340 and has an OBP of .421 with two doubles, eight steals and nine Ks. Groskreutz has only been caught stealing once.
He also has 17 2/3 innings of 1.981 ERA pitching under his belt. Groskreutz has started four games and has five appearances, building a 2-0 record with five earned runs and nine unearned. He’s struck out 17 and walked 10.
Isaac Guck
Becker sophomore
Playing left field for Becker, Isaac Guck has done damage at the plate. He hits .391 and leads the team in on-base percentage, finding his way to first in .517 percent of plate appearances. All nine of Guck’s hits were singles, but he’s hit two RBI and only stuck out three times. The sophomore has scored 13 runs and has five stolen bases.
Guck has appeared in one game as a pitcher, facing three batters. After failing to get an out and giving up two runs, he was pulled.
He has one error in the field.
Benjamin Schmitt
St. Cloud senior
Benjamin Schmitt has hit .324 this year with an on-base percentage of .511. He’s only slugged .382 with two doubles, but he’s had four RBI and nine runs scored from the top of the lineup. Schmitt has struck out seven times and has five stolen bases.
Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. cloud times midseason high school baseball athlete of the year
