Jack Walker, New Palestine
Year: Jr. Pos: P, 1B
Walker led the way on both the mound and at the plate for the Dragons and was the top vote-getter for All-Hoosier Heritage Conference honors this season. On the mound, the pitcher led the county in strikeouts and had the second best ERA. At the plate, Walker led the county in batting average and RBIs, had twice as many doubles as the second-place county finisher, and finished fifth in home runs and sixth in runs scored. He tied for the second most doubles in the state and was 10th in the state in RBIs.
Statistics: .443 BA, 22 runs, 40 RBI, 18 2B, 2 HR, 1.94 ERA, 6-0, 77 K, 39.2 IP
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Jacob Garrison, New Palestine
Year: Sr. Pos: P, 1B
Garrison has a strong season both hitting and pitching, earning All-HHC honors for his efforts. The senior tied for the county lead with six home runs, was second in RBIs, was top 10 in doubles and top 15 in batting average. On the mound, he was third in the county in strikeouts.
Statistics: .349 BA, 12 runs, 34 RBI, 6 2B, 6 HR, 3.29 ERA, 6-1, 67 K, 51 IP
Colby Jenkins, New Palestine
Year: Jr. Pos: C
Jenkins had a huge offensive year for the Dragons, finishing in the top three in the county in six different offensive categories. Jenkins led the county in triples and runs, tied for the lead in home runs, finished second in batting average and finished third in both RBIs and doubles. The All-HHC selection’s six triples tied him for seventh in the state.
Statistics: .417 BA, 47 runs, 30 RBI, 8 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR
Nick Rusche, New Palestine
Year: Sr. Pos: SS
Rusche earned All-HHC honors for his strong offensive season for the Dragons. The senior finished second in the county in doubles and runs scored, and finished in the top 10 in both RBIs and batting average.
Statistics: .388 BA, 40 runs, 24 RBI, 8 2B, 3 3B
Adam Hutchison, Greenfield-Central
Year: So. Pos: P
Hutchison was the star for the Cougars this season, earning All-HHC honors. The sophomore had the best ERA in the county on the mound, and at the plate he had the second most doubles, third best batting average and fourth most home runs. He also finished in the top 15 in RBIs.
Statistics: .409 BA, 13 runs, 16 RBI, 9 2B, 3 HR, 1.66 ERA, 2-3, 56 K, 38 IP
Caleb Rush, Mt. Vernon
Year: Sr. Pos: P
Rush was the Marauders ace this season, earning a spot on the All-HHC team. The senior tied for the second most wins in the county and had the third best ERA, while his 55 strikeouts ranked fifth in the county.
Statistics: 2.73 ERA, 5-2, 55 K, 48.2 IP
Jaden Cappelletti, Mt. Vernon
Year: Sr. Pos: 1B
Cappelletti swung his way to All-HHC honors this season. The senior finished with the sixth best batting average in the county, was top 10 in runs and home runs, and finished top 15 in RBIs.
Statistics: .388 BA, 19 runs, 16 RBI, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR
Dino Tharp, Mt. Vernon
Year: Sr. Pos: LF
Tharp’s bat landed him a spot on the All-HHC team this season. The senior’s .400 batting average was good for fourth in Hancock County, and he also finished top 10 in RBIs, home runs and doubles for the Marauders.
Statistics: .400 BA, 13 runs, 19 RBI, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR
Sam McCarty, Mt. Vernon
Year: Jr. Pos: C
McCarty was a big part of Mt. Vernon’s offense this year, finishing second on the team in RBIs and third in runs scored. The junior catcher’s RBI total placed him 10th in the county, and he was just outside the top 10 in runs. He earned an honorable mention nod on the All-HHC team.
Statistics: .481 BA, 32 runs, 13 RBI, 4 2B, 3 3B, 10 SB
Nick Atwood, Greenfield-Central
Year: Jr. Pos: C, IF
Atwood was one of the Cougars’ top contributors offensively this year. The junior finished second on the team in batting average and runs scored and led the way in home runs. His home run total was good enough for second in the county, and he also finished in the top 10 for doubles.
Statistics: .324 BA, 16 runs, 12 RBI, 6 2B, 4 HR
A.J. Muegge, Eastern Hancock
Year: Sr. Pos: P, 3B
Muegge contributed all over the field for the Royals this year. The senior pitched eight games on the mound and was one of the team’s top offensive contributors. He finished second in the county in triples, third in runs scored and in the top 10 in runs batted in. His batting average was 11th best in Hancock County.
Statistics: .357 BA, 31 runs, 21 RBI, 3 2B, 4 3B, 3.59 ERA, 1-6, 36 K, 37 IP
Andrew Knoblock, Eastern Hancock
Year: Sr. Pos: P, IF
Knoblock led the way for the Royals on the mound while also being a key piece of the offense. The senior finished second in the county in strikeouts and fourth in wins and ERA among regular starters. At the plate, he tied for fifth in the county in home runs and had a top 15 batting average.
Statistics: .352 BA, 13 runs, 25 RBI, 5 2B, 2 HR, 3.26 ERA, 4-3, 73 K, 49.1 IP
Cameron Pitzer, New Palestine
Year: Sr. Pos: P, IF
Pitzer was a key contributor in the field, on the mound and at the plate for the Dragons. He started three games on the mound and came on in relief over a dozen times, and had top 20 finishes in several offensive categories. The senior tied for fifth in doubles in the county, 10th in home runs, was 11th in RBIs, 16th in batting average and 17th in runs scored.
Statistics: .341 BA, 16 runs, 18 RBI, 7 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 5.25 ERA, 2-2, 3 SV, 24 K, 22.2 IP
Addison True, Eastern Hancock
Year: Sr. Pos: SS, P
True led Eastern Hancock in several offensive categories while also pitching in nine games for the Royals. His numbers were good enough to finish fourth in the county in RBIs, in the top 10 in batting average and home runs, and in the top 15 in runs scored.
Statistics: .366 BA, 17 runs, 27 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3.44 ERA, 2-2, 16 K, 18.1 IP
Honorable mention: Jacob Bain, Luke Greene, Grant Weigand (New Palestine); Cole Cain, Nolan Bowser, Jake Stank (Mt. Vernon); Braxton Turner, Seth Robertson, Carson Gibson (Greenfield-Central); Easton Fields, Jarett Lewis, Payton Wilkinson (Eastern Hancock)
Coach of the year
Shawn Lyons, New Palestine
Year: 7th Record: 22-7, 11-2 HHC
Lyons led the Dragons to the Hoosier Heritage Conference title this year, the team’s third in his coaching tenure. Despite preseason injuries — including to their projected No. 1 pitcher — Lyons led the Dragons to a 16-0 start to the season and a No. 2 ranking in the state. The Dragons eventually fell to Cathedral in the sectional final.