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Memorial, Stratford tie for team-high all-district honors
By MIKE TENNEY
examinersports@hcnonline.com
Memorial and Stratford each tied for team-high honors in the recent District 18-5A All-District first team baseball selections with each school having four first-teamers and each team receiving district awards.
The postseason accolades also continue to roll in for Memorial graduate Michael Ratterree, who was named the District 18-5A MVP. Ratterree is headed to Rice University on a baseball scholarship and was also recently selected in the latter rounds of the Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals, who also picked first in the draft.
In a different move, but most deserving, the entire Memorial coaching staff was named Coach of the Year.
There’s little doubt this is a move started by head coach Jeremy York, who spoke glowingly of his pitching coach Brian Jasek and assistants Jacob Rube and Bradley Small.
All season long, York talked about how his pitching coach had his guys ready to go and did as fine as job as any pitching coach he had ever had. He also credited his assistants for his guys’ constant readiness to play and their scouting charts on the opposition.
The only sophomore in the Mustangs lineup – sophomore Carter Burgess – was also honored with the 18-5A Newcomer of the Year award for his outstanding play. He was one of eight different players to hit over .300 this season and was solid in the field.
Stratford senior Kevin Hahn was named the Pitcher of the Year in 18-5A.
Hahn finished this season with seven wins and had an Earned Run Average below 3.00. Hahn also showed great endurance, pitching into the sixth inning or beyond in all of his starts except two and showed tremendous command of his pitches and poise on the mound.
Second baseman Andrew Mitchell, shortstop Jake Miller, and outfielders Mark Benninger and Michael Reed were the other first-team district selections from Stratford. Benninger is the only one of those players who was a junior this season and he will be returning next year.
He is also projected to be the starting quarterback this fall for the Spartans.
Memorial did have the catcher of the year in MP Cokinos – who will be attending the University of Houston to play baseball – and two of the four other pitchers who were named all-district besides Hahn.
Seniors Steven Murray and Michael Bentz made up half of the all-district staff and Murray will be attending TCU to pitch for the Horned Frogs.
Daniel Neumann was named to the first-team all-district outfield. Neumann will be playing for the Texas State Bobcats in the Southland Conference.
Strake Jesuit – which made the playoffs for the first time ever as a 5A program – had only one first team nomination but it was a good one in Patrick Blizzard, who led the Crusaders in pitching wins (10) and home runs (12).
He also set a Strake Jesuit single-season home run record with that number of round-trippers. He had four of his pitching wins in district play, giving the Crusaders a chance to finish third in the league and be a part of the Region III-5A bracket for the first time in school history.
Strake Jesuit was well-represented on the second team, finishing with four players on the list.
Pitcher Ryan Price, shortstop Evan Fichter, third baseman Garrett Staudt, and designated hitter Kelein Kubiak were all voted to the second team.
For Memorial, pitcher Nick Bergmann, first baseman Will Donnan, second baseman Nelson Laswell, third baseman David Holland, and outfielders De’Mario Thibodeaux and Wayne Taylor were all vote donto the second squad.
Pitcher Matt Kitterman and outfielder Jerry Young were the Stratford players on the second team.
Memorial and Stratford each tied for team-high honors in the recent District 18-5A All-District first team baseball selections with each school having four first-teamers and each team receiving district awards.
The postseason accolades also continue to roll in for Memorial graduate Michael Ratterree, who was named the District 18-5A MVP. Ratterree is headed to Rice University on a baseball scholarship and was also recently selected in the latter rounds of the Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals, who also picked first in the draft.
In a different move, but most deserving, the entire Memorial coaching staff was named Coach of the Year.
There’s little doubt this is a move started by head coach Jeremy York, who spoke glowingly of his pitching coach Brian Jasek and assistants Jacob Rube and Bradley Small.
All season long, York talked about how his pitching coach had his guys ready to go and did as fine as job as any pitching coach he had ever had. He also credited his assistants for his guys’ constant readiness to play and their scouting charts on the opposition.
The only sophomore in the Mustangs lineup – sophomore Carter Burgess – was also honored with the 18-5A Newcomer of the Year award for his outstanding play. He was one of eight different players to hit over .300 this season and was solid in the field.
Stratford senior Kevin Hahn was named the Pitcher of the Year in 18-5A.
Hahn finished this season with seven wins and had an Earned Run Average below 3.00. Hahn also showed great endurance, pitching into the sixth inning or beyond in all of his starts except two and showed tremendous command of his pitches and poise on the mound.
Second baseman Andrew Mitchell, shortstop Jake Miller, and outfielders Mark Benninger and Michael Reed were the other first-team district selections from Stratford. Benninger is the only one of those players who was a junior this season and he will be returning next year.
He is also projected to be the starting quarterback this fall for the Spartans.
Memorial did have the catcher of the year in MP Cokinos – who will be attending the University of Houston to play baseball – and two of the four other pitchers who were named all-district besides Hahn.
Seniors Steven Murray and Michael Bentz made up half of the all-district staff and Murray will be attending TCU to pitch for the Horned Frogs.
Daniel Neumann was named to the first-team all-district outfield. Neumann will be playing for the Texas State Bobcats in the Southland Conference.
Strake Jesuit – which made the playoffs for the first time ever as a 5A program – had only one first team nomination but it was a good one in Patrick Blizzard, who led the Crusaders in pitching wins (10) and home runs (12).
He also set a Strake Jesuit single-season home run record with that number of round-trippers. He had four of his pitching wins in district play, giving the Crusaders a chance to finish third in the league and be a part of the Region III-5A bracket for the first time in school history.
Strake Jesuit was well-represented on the second team, finishing with four players on the list.
Pitcher Ryan Price, shortstop Evan Fichter, third baseman Garrett Staudt, and designated hitter Kelein Kubiak were all voted to the second team.
For Memorial, pitcher Nick Bergmann, first baseman Will Donnan, second baseman Nelson Laswell, third baseman David Holland, and outfielders De’Mario Thibodeaux and Wayne Taylor were all vote donto the second squad.
Pitcher Matt Kitterman and outfielder Jerry Young were the Stratford players on the second team.
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