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Great Bend Panthers earn all-state honors
Chayse Gruber
Great Bend Panther all-stater Chayse Gruber delivers a pitch.

Western Athletic co-champion Great Bend (15-7, 6-2) features a trio of 5A all-state baseball players from the KABC — pitcher-3B Chayse Gruber, OF Paco Hernandez and SS Sage Koelsch.

Gruber (6-2, .092 ERA) yielded seven earned runs in 53 innings with 60 strikeouts and 12 walks. Gruber batted .472 with 15 runs, 10 RBIs and five doubles. Gruber locked down the WAC title against Dodge City and won his regional game 3-2 against Kapaun-Mt. Carmel. Gruber will play baseball at Neosho County Community College.

Hernandez batted .492 with 24 runs, 16 RBIs, three doubles, three triples and a home run. Hernandez will play baseball at Barton Community College.

Koelsch batted .482 with 21 runs, 11 RBIs and seven doubles. Point guard Koelsch will play basketball at Pratt Community College.

Great Bend coach Randy Beck earned Western Athletic Coach of the Year honors.

KABC 5A ALL-STATE

5A FIRST TEAM — P Ben Bybee, P Charlie Christensen, OF Bo Shinkle, Blue Valley SW; P-DH Bryson Vawter, C Dagan Brewer, Topeka Seaman; P Tyner Horn, Eisenhower; P Payton Graham, Valley Center; 1B Cooper Schwindt, DeSoto; 3B Brandon Klusener, Andover; SS Tate Vlasi, Wichita Carroll; 2B Cooper Tabor, Andover Central; OF Dylan Dreiling, Hays; OF Jeremy Corner, St. James; OF Jadon Gustafson, Maize; utility Colby Gomez, Newton  

5A SECOND TEAM — P-3B Chayse Gruber, SS Sage Kolesch, OF Paco Hernandez, Great Bend; P-OF Isaac Epp, SS Owen Clyne, Maize South; P Collin Watkins, Goddard; P James Brennan, Wichita Carroll; P Michael Finley, Topeka Seaman; C Brooks Richardson, Salina Central; 1B Cru Huenfield, OF Ashton Larson, St. Thomas Aquinas;  SS Kuyper Kendall, Blue Valley SW; OF Carson Roy, Eisenhower; OF Lucas Barnes, Arkansas City; utility Bryce Turner, Lansing; DH Gunnar Gross, Salina Central  

5A HONORABLE MENTION — P-SS Garrett Wellbrock, P Dylan Dreiling, 2B Noah Weimer, Hays; P Cooper Burke, OF Avery Johnson, DH Sam Schmidt, Maize; P Mason McConnaughey, Topeka Seaman; C Owen Bailey, Maize South; 1B Henry Barney, St. James; 3B Tyler Sutton, Pittsburg; OF Blake O’Brien, St. Thomas Aquinas; OF Zach Knowlton, Spring Hill; utility Van Haneberg, Wichita Carroll