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TRIO OF PANTHERS ARE ALL-WAC
Bueher, Blackwill & Leuenberger: first-team picks
spt Blackwill tags out Birdwell2
Third baseman Darien Blackwill (at left) led Great Bend in runs batted in. - photo by Mack McClure Great Bend Tribune


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