Shortstop Logan Buehler, third baseman Darien Blackwill and catcher Landon Leuenberger — three vital cogs on the Great Bend High School baseball team — have been named as All-Western Athletic Conference first-team picks.
Selections were made in a vote by the league’s coaches.
Hays landed a conference-best four players on the All-WAC team, along with the player of the year in pitcher Austin Unrein and coach of the year in head coach Frank Leo. Hays lost in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament to Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege 4-3.
Great Bend (17-5) advanced to a 5A regional championship game, falling to Salina Central 9-0 at Al Burns Memorial Field in Great Bend.
The Panthers finished with a 6-2 WAC record, tying defending champion Dodge City for second place. Hays was undefeated in eight games in clinching the conference crown.
Great Bend, which picked up steam late in the season, had a team batting average of .443, including .517 by Blackwill — second on the team — entering regional play.
Buehler and Leuenberger were both batting .492 entering the final two regional games.
ALL-CONFERENCE BASEBALL - 2011
WAC TEAM CHAMPIONS: Hays (8-0)
All-League Selections
First Team
NAME Year High School
1 Frederic Gomez 12 Liberal
2 Tyson Deaton 12 Liberal
3 Logan Buehler 12 Great Bend
4 Darien Blackwill 12 Great Bend
5 Landon Leuenberger 12 Great Bend
6 Josh Ginther 12 Dodge City
7 Jared Helfrich 12 Dodge City
8 Nick Brady 12 Dodge City
9 Jarrett Sanders 12 Hays
10 Casey Sedbrook 12 Hays
11 Daniel Braun 12 Hays
12 Riley Kaus 11 Hays
Player of the Year
Austin Unrein Hays
Coach of the Year
Frank Leo Hays
Honorable Mention
NAME Year High School
1 Jesus Sumaya 12 Dodge City
2 Jordan Doan 10 Dodge City
