LONE STAR VARSITY BASEBALL (Chosen by the Lubbock Avalanche Journal)
FIRST TEAM
Player of the Year:P Koby Claborn, Sr., Frenship
Newcomer of the Year: 3B Garrett Wright, Soph., Monterey
Coach of the Year: Mitch McNeese, Littlefield: After several strong seasons as both a player and coach for the Wildcats, McNeese led Littlefield to its first ever state tournament appearance. The Wildcats lose in the state semifinals to West.
P Paxstyn Oldfield, Sr., Plainview: Oldfield was a three-year starter and two-time first team all-district player that batted .325 with 34 runs 23 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples and four homers – including three in the postseason. Oldfield had knee surgery after football season and returned to post a 1.77 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched.
C Hunter Hays, Sr., Lubbock Christian: The ACU signee batted .481 with a .602 OBP and 35 RBIs on a state championship Eagles team.
1B Brennen Fowler, Sr., Smyer: Fowler batted .605 with 25 RBIs this year and also had an ERA of 1.05 with 58 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitcher. Fowler is an LCU signee for baseball and basketball. Fowler was the Lone Star Varsity boys basketball player of the year.
2B Landon Shofner, Sr., Coronado: Shofner will play collegiately at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
3B Tresten Kennard, Jr., Frenship: Kennard hit .404 with 36 RBIs with 42 hits, 11 doubles, four triples, two homers and 36 runs scored. He also slugged .644 with a .404 OBP. Kennard is expected to play quarterback for Frenship this fall.
SS Jake Salyer, Sr., Frenship: Salyer started every game over the past three years for the Tigers and will walk-on to Texas Tech. He hit .375 with 18 RBIs and scored 39 runs. Salyer had 42 hits, 10 doubles, three triples and a homer.
OF Jordan Salas, Jr., Cooper: Salas led the Pirates with a .367 average, .468 OBP and .567 slugging percentage. He also had 20 RBIs, 11 extra base hits and nine stolen bases with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
OF J.D. Townsend, Jr., Shallowater: Townsend batted .416 as a leadoff hitter and .486 in the postseason.
OF Hayden Davey, Sr., Idalou: The Dodge City Community College signee batted .431 with 12 runs scored and 18 RBIs. He also finished his pitching career with a 15-3 record and 131 strikeouts in 97 innings.
Extra player: Ryan Kotulek, Jr., Shallowater: Kotulek finished the season throwing three no-hitters and is a verbal commitment to Texas Tech.
SECOND TEAM
P Collin Isbell, Jr., Idalou: Isbell was the District MVP after batting .529 with 31 runs and finishing 10-1 on the mound with 90 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched, finishing with a 1.28 ERA.
C Brody Barnes, Soph., Sundown: The two-year starter batted .422 this year and led Sundown with a .551 OBP and 24 RBIs. Barnes scored 22 runs and finished with a .994 fielding average.
1B Reese Rogers, Sr., Littefield: The four-year starter batted .367 with 33 hits and a .500 OBP.
2B Josh Salazar, Sr., Slaton: Normally the Tigers shortstop, Salazar batted .473 this year, including .538 in district play with two homers, 10 extra base hits and 16 stolen bases. The three-time all-district selection had 39 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched.
3B Nico Garza, Jr., Coronado: The utility played batted .368 with 34 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He also went 6-2 as a pitcher in 47.1 innings.
SS Trevor Paradoski, Jr., Coronado: Paradoski batted .447 with 12 doubles and three triples. He also added 34 RBIs and 33 runs scored.
OF Jordan Knight, Sr., Monterey: Knight batted .402 with 39 hits, three doubles, four triples and had a .525 OBP.
OF AJ Perez, Jr., Cooper: Perez batted .364 in the leadoff role with a .431 OBP. He also scored 25 runs and had 12 stolen bases.
OF Parker Pierce, Jr., Lubbock Christian: Pierce batted .471 with a .571 OBP as a leadoff batter. He stole 14 bases on the Eagles state championship team.
Extra player: Manuel Rios. Jr., Estacado: Rios batted .477 with 17 doubles and 30 RBIs. The three-year starter has also been a three-time all-district selection.
