They hit, pitched and played defense.
They did a little bit of everything.
The 2023 Daily Reporter All-Hancock County Baseball Team is 25 players strong with 16 on the all-county first team and nine more selected honorable mention.
New Palestine (23-10), for the second straight year, reached the Class 4A quarterfinals by winning sectional and regional titles. The regional title was the team’s first since 2014.
Mt. Vernon (22-8) won the outright Hoosier Heritage Conference title for the third consecutive season. The first team in HHC history to do so and spent much of the season ranked high in the Class 4A poll.
Greenfield-Central went 15-11-2. The Cougars were so close to having a better record, but ran into some tough luck. Along with two ties, they dropped four two-run games and three one-run games.
The future looks good for Eastern Hancock (10-18). They had just one senior on a youthful club that proved to be competitive with seven freshmen on the roster.
Even though 11 seniors graduated from the 2022 team that reached the state quarterfinals, New Palestine was back again.
It was the second straight year the Dragons played their best ball in the latter part of the season. In 2022, New Palestine won 18 of its last 20 games. This past season, the Dragons won 10 of their final 13, including three shutout victories in the sectional and a regional championship game victory over Cathedral, the team that knocked them out in 2022.
With the accomplishments of the 2023 season, New Palestine’s Shawn Lyons is the Daily Reporter Hancock County Baseball Coach of the Year.
Here’s a look at the all-county team:
P/OF: Nick Heitman, Mt. Vernon
Just a junior, Heitman, an Iowa commit, was outstanding on the mound and at the plate. In one of the most impressive outings of the year by any county pitcher, Heitman struck out 17 in 5-1 three-hitter against county rival Greenfield-Central. An All-HHC selection, Heitman went 3-3 on the season with a 3.53 ERA. He had 62 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings pitched. He drove in 27 runs and had a county-best 10 doubles with his .356 batting average.
IF: Ben Hirschy, New Palestine
Hirschy was second on the Dragons in RBIs with 22. He hit .294 in his first year as a varsity regular. He made the switch in 2023 from third base to first base. He had five doubles on the year and scored 12 runs.
IF: Gavin Johnston, Mt. Vernon
Johnston was crucial at the top of the Marauders order as well as in the middle infield. He hit .309 and was one of the county leaders with 17 stolen bases. He hit seven doubles and scored 28 runs. Johnston will play collegiately at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill.
IF: Jacob Morris, New Palestine
The lone freshman on the all-county team, Morris had big responsibilities in his rooking season, usually hitting in the No. 4 or No. 5 spot in the Dragons lineup. It didn’t phase the first-year varsity player. He hit .319 with 17 RBIs, tied for third on the team.
P/SS: Blaine Nunnally, New Palestine
Nunnally, who will play next year at Southwest Tennessee Community College, in Memphis, did a little bit of everything for the Dragons. An all-HHC choice and honorable mention all-state selection by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association, Nunnally went 7-2 on the hill with a 1.92 ERA. He fanned 89 in 62 innings pitched. He threw a one-hitter and struck out 13 in a 2-0 victory over Mt. Vernon in the sectional final. At the plate, he hit .320 with eight doubles and 17 RBIs. He scored a team-best 31 runs and had 20 stolen bases.
IF: A.J. Oden, Greenfield-Central
Oden will play baseball at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., next year. He led the Cougars in batting average (.386) and was among the team leaders in numerous categories. He hit six doubles, two home runs and drove in 21. He scored 20 runs.
1B: Konnor Scheidt, Mt. Vernon
Scheidt was another All-HHC selection for the Marauders. His seven home runs tied for the HHC lead with New Palestine’s Wes Stiller. He drove in 33, had seven doubles and scored 20 runs. In 5-3 and 5-1 victories in an HHC sweep over Greenfield-Central, Scheidt drove in six of the runs, including a 3-run home run in Heitman’s masterpiece on the mound. Scheidt will play baseball next year at IU-Southeast.
C: D.J. Scheumann, Mt. Vernon
The junior backstop was another one of the top home run hitters in the county, trailing only Scheidt and Stiller, with four dingers. He drove in 21 runs and had nine extra-base hits, including a pair of triples. He hit .291.
OF/P: Connor Sims, Greenfield-Central
Sims, who will be joining Mt. Vernon’s Scheidt at IU-Southeast next season, led the Cougars with three home runs and 27 RBIs. He was a standout on the mound, too, fanning 66 in 31 1/3 innings pitched. He had a 3.57 ERA and a .368 batting average. He was the team’s co-leader in doubles with seven and one of four G-C players named to the All-HHC team.
1B/P: Chase Stewart, Eastern Hancock
Stewart, a junior, was one of two Royals to be named to the All-Mid-Eastern Conference team. He hit. 373 with nine doubles and three triples, most of any all-county player. Stewart was also chosen to play in the IHSBCA Futures Game, as part of its North-South All-Star series. He scored 25 runs, stole 15 bases and drove in 22 during the regular season. On the mound, he was 3-4. In 43 innings pitched he fanned 44.
OF: Wes Stiller, New Palestine
Stiller, who will play collegiately at Hanover College, was selected to play in the IHSBCA North-South All-Star game and was named honorable mention all-state. Stiller hit .412 with seven home runs, 42 RBIs and 23 runs scored. He also had six doubles, including one in the bottom of the seventh inning to knock in the lone run in a 1-0 sectional semifinal win over Pendleton Heights. He ranked seventh in the state in RBIs and was No. 4 in Class 4A.
P/DH: Cam Sullivan, Mt. Vernon
Sullivan was dominant on the mound, and pretty good at the plate, too. Committed to Notre Dame, the junior fireballer went 6-0 for the Marauders with a 1.55 ERA. He fanned 78 in 40 2/3 innings pitched. Along with his strong outings on the mound, Sullivan hit .340 with five doubles and 16 RBIs.
P: Michael Thorpe, New Palestine
The junior pitcher had outstanding numbers for the Dragons and made for a great 1-2 punch on the hill with Nunnally. Thorpe went 6-2 on the year with an impressive 1.17 ERA. He had one save. He picked up the shutout victory in a semifinal win in the sectional over Pendleton Heights.
3B: Russell Weaver, Mt. Vernon
Weaver was one of the Marauder team leaders in RBIs with 23. He hit .364 on the season, second best on the squad, and added four doubles. Weaver plans to play collegiately at Anderson University.
OF/P: Joseph Wilson, Mt. Vernon
Named to the all-conference team, Wilson led Mt. Vernon in batting average at .375. He had three doubles on the year and scored 15 runs. A versatile player in the Marauders lineup, Wilson was a key contributor on the mound, too, going 3-2 with a 4.29 ERA. Wilson is also headed to Anderson University.
1B: Andrew Zellers, Greenfield-Central
Another standout Cougars All-HHC senior, Zellers led G-C with 28 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He was the team’s co-leader in doubles with seven and had two triples and two home runs along with 14 RBIs. His .375 batting average was second on the team. A standout on the gridiron, too, Zellers will play both football and baseball at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne.
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2023 Daily Reporter All-Hancock County Baseball Team
Pos.;Player, School;Class
P/SS;Blaine Nunnally, New Palestine;Sr.
P;Cam Sullivan, Mt. Vernon;Jr.
P;Michael Thorpe, New Palestine;Jr.
C;D.J. Scheumann, Mt. Vernon; Jr.
1B;Konnor Scheidt, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
2B/SS: Gavin Johnston, Mt. Vernon; Sr.
3B;Russell Weaver, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
SS;A.J. Oden, Greenfield-Central;Sr.
IF;Ben Hirschy, New Palestine;Jr.
IF;Andrew Zellers, Greenfield-Central;Sr.
OF/P;Nick Heitman, Mt. Vernon; Jr.
OF/P;Connor Sims, Greenfield-Central;Sr.
OF;Wes Stiller, New Palestine, Sr.
OF;Joseph Wilson, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
UT;Jacob Morris, New Palestine;Fr.
UT;Chase Stewart, Eastern Hancock;Jr.
Coach of the Year;Shawn Lyons, New Palestine
Honorable mention: Eastern Hancock – Colton Dishman, Caleb Retherford, Hayden Rouse. Greenfield-Central – Kirk Knecht, Grant Shepherd. Mt. Vernon – Nathan Criss, Grant Payson, Jack Peine. New Palestine – Adam Rickey.
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2023 Daily Reporter Spring Sports Honors
Sport;Athlete of the Year;Coach of the Year
Girls tennis;Kylie Brandes, Mt. Vernon;Gabe Muterspaugh, Mt. Vernon
Girls track;Savannah Lake, Greenfield-Central;Brian Williams, Mt. Vernon
Girls field;Riley Nielsen, Mt. Vernon
Boys track;George Burhenn, Mt. Vernon;Nick Clarkson, Mt. Vernon
Boys field;Elliot Ryba, Greenfield-Central
Baseball;Coming Wednesday;Shawn Lyons, New Palestine
Softball;Coming soon;Coming soon
Boys golf;Coming soon;Coming soon
Boys volleyball;Coming soon
Note: The Daily Reporter selected one overall track and field coach of the year for girls and boys, but picked separate athletes of the year, one for track and one for field events.
