Super 11: Baseball players from Martinsville, Mooresville, DC land All Mid-State honors
It was an electric year of baseball within the Mid-State Conference in 2022.
Despite the commanding lead Mooresville had up top, finishing with a 13-1 conference record, the single loss coming to Greenwood, it was a spring filled with close-knit competition.
The four teams below the Pioneers (27-4) were consistently fighting for position, with Franklin (16-10) finishing second at 10-4, Martinsville (15-14) and Perry Meridian (14-16) tying at 8-6 and Decatur Central (11-11) registering at 7-7. Whiteland (11-16, 5-9) showed a lot of fight as well.
With the season concluded, the Mid-State released its all-conference selections. Mooresville, having the dominant season they had, led the way with five selections. Martinsville, Franklin and Perry Meridian landed four apiece while Decatur Central had two.
Mooresville
The Pioneers were a team with a good mix of veteran leadership and a great young core. It's what made them so effective. So, it's not surprising four of the five Mooresville players selected all-conference were seniors.
Serving as one of the team's primary leaders, Nick Wiley wreaked havoc on offense and defense all season. Wiley finished the year batting .469 with a conference leading 13 home runs. He added an impressive 51 RBIs and 36 runs.
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On the flip end, Wiley pitched with a 1.74 ERA, striking out 58 and allowing 20 runs. He also had 143 put outs and only one error playing first base.
Jack Robinson was the Pioneers' No. 3 on the offensive end, batting .364 for 33 RBIs, 21 runs and six home runs. On the mound he pitched 1.85 with 33 strikeouts and 12 runs allowed. Additionally, he had 32 put outs and only one error while fielding.
Brody Bond proved to be one of the most reliable catchers in the conference, producing 209 put outs on 231 total chances, committing only two errors. Bond also had 26 hits, 18 RBIs seven runs and two home runs on the offensive end.
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Senior Logan Jackson was also productive on both ends, batting .278 for 20 runs and seven RBIs. Fielding, Jackson had a third team-best 43 put outs. In one game pitched, Jackson struck out eight and allowed three runs.
Hogan Denny, Mooresville's sophomore star, put his talent on full display in 2022, ranking first on the team in pitching, second in batting and third in fielding.
From the plate, Denny connected on .412 of pitches for 46 runs, 29 RBIs and 10 home runs. Fielding, Denny had 63 put outs and pitching he accumulated 56 strikeouts, allowing only 21 hits and five runs in 41 innings played.
Martinsville
Two seniors and two juniors headline the Artesians' selections.
Junior Kevin Reed was the most productive player on both ends this season, batting .312 with 27 runs, 18 RBIs and seven home runs at the plate while also pitching 94 strikeouts, allowing only 20 runs in 52 innings. Reed contributed 49 put outs.
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Riddick Bolton led the Artesians in batting percentage (.358) and hits (34), adding 24 runs and nine RBIs. The senior also totaled a fielding percentage of .973, notching 100 put outs on 11 total chances with only three errors.
Serving as the team's leader, Andrew Payton was incredibly reliable from the catcher's spot, producing 120 put outs with four errors and 26 assists. Payton scored 19 runs and batted 18 in on offense and pitched 40 strikeouts from the mound.
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Ian Nuckles made big strides in his junior campaign, converting 22 hits into 17 runs and 17 RBIs, adding three runs. Nuckles pitched 24 strikeouts and had 19 put outs and 22 assists.
Decatur Central
Rolling with a younger lineup in 2022, the Hawks had two juniors land on the all-conference squad.
Kaden Barr was the most dangerous at the plate for Decatur Central, generating 11 RBIs and 11 runs on 22 hits (.407) and a home run. He also pitched second most on the team, putting together an ERA of 1.22 with 27 strikeouts and 17 runs allowed.
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Right behind him was Brayden Coffey. Coffey was a regular on the mound, pitching 33.2 innings. In those, he struck 35 batters out and allowed 29 runs. Coffey produced 30 put outs and a team-leading 49 assists. Batting, he scored a team-high 22 runs, adding 12 RBIs and a home run on 19 hits (.279).
2022 All Mid-State Conference Team
Coach of the year:
Jake Phillips, Perry Meridian
Ian Nuckles, Martinsville
Jack Robinson, Mooresville
Michael Carter, Perry Meridian
Nick Wiley, Mooresville
Gavin McBeath, Perry Meridian
Max Clark, Franklin
Mason Rohlman, Perry Meridian
Jackson Henry, Franklin
Brayden Coffey, Decatur Central
Drew Doty, Franklin
Kaden Barr, Decatur Central
Nolan Netter, Franklin
Drew Helton, Whiteland
Kevin Reed, Martinsville
Landen Smith, Greenwood
Riddick Bolton, Martinsville
Noah Hessong, Plainfield
Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: 11 area baseball players land All Mid-State Conference honors
