Harrer named Sky-Em's Most Valuable Player

The Outlaws baseball team had all nine of their starters receive all-league recognition, with senior Justin Harrer leading the pack as a first-team all-leaguer (infield) and the Sky-Em's MVP.

Harrer batted .519 for the Outlaws during league play and recorded 37 RBI. Justin also recorded seven home runs and had 12 stolen bases.

"Justin has the combination of both speed and power," said Coach Steve Hodges. "He's the complete package for a baseball player. He's got all the tools to play at the next level."

Senior Jonathan Luz, junior Alex Olivier, sophomore Ryan Funk, and freshman Zach Morgan also earned first-team all-league recognition.

Luz (infielder) batted .304 and had six stolen bases. Hodges told The Nugget that Jonathan has good speed and is a great fielder. Jonathan played at second, third, and at shortstop and was very good in all three positions. Luz saved a couple of games for the Outlaws with his glove.

Olivier earned first-team all-league outfield, and batted .459 for Sisters. Alex batted in 17 runs and had 13 stolen bases.

"Alex has great speed, good range in the outfield, and provided a lot of offensive pop at the plate for us, and had a high on-base percent of .522," said Hodges.

Funk (catcher) batted .356 and had 18 RBI in league. Ryan missed several games due to injury and sickness and was still a first-team pick.

"Ryan is such a hard-working kid," said Hodges. "He does a great job behind the plate blocking pitches. He's a total team guy. He can hit the ball to both fields, does a great job hitting behind Justin (Harrer), and puts the ball in play. He only had four strikeouts during league."

Zach Morgan rounded out the first-team selections. Zach was 7-0 on the mound for the Outlaws, and had a 1.1 ERA. Morgan batted .298 and had 13 RBI.

"Without Zach on the mound we wouldn't have repeated as league champions," commented Hodges. "He's improved over the last six months and has been absolutely amazing. He's such a competitor for such a young man, and his team-mates really admire him for that."

Second-team all-league picks were seniors Ben Larson and Cody Kreminski, and freshman Odin Thorson.

Larson (outfield) is affectionately called Mr. Steady by Coach Hodges. Ben batted .326 during league play and brought in 11 runs.

"Ben is so reliable and steady, and as an upper-classman in the outfield, he plays in the most difficult position, which is right field because of the wind," said Hodges. "He's a good team guy and I'm going to miss him."

Kreminski (first base) had a solid year at the plate with a batting average of .422, and also recorded 11 RBI.

"When Cody hits it, he hits it hard," said Hodges. "When he gets in a groove his hits come in bunches. He's going to be a good component for us in the playoffs."

Thorson rounded out the second-team picks. Odin batted .326 and had nine RBI.

"Odin has good speed and bunts well," said Hodges. "He's an excellent outfielder and has a strong arm for his age. He's very much a team guy and will do anything for the team's success. He's been a great addition to the program."

Sophomore Alec Gannon was honorable mention infield. Gannon batted .333 and had nine RBI.

"Alec got better at second base as the season progressed," said Hodges. "He's really starting to come into his own as a varsity player."

Hodges was also selected as Coach of the Year, an honor he has received four out of the last five years.

"It's nice that you're recognized for all the time you put into the program, but without your players' performance, you wouldn't get that recognition," said Hodges. "It's really a credit to the players and the program."