For obvious reasons, Onaga has had its May 4 doubleheader with Valley Falls circled on its schedule for quite some time.
 
As a fledgling program just three years into its existence, Onaga knew the 2023 season had a chance to be a breakthrough one. The Buffaloes returned five starters, including 2022 All-2-1A picks Zac Fisher and Colby Simkins, and held expectations of making the next step this season.
 
Onaga has accomplished that for the most part, taking a 12-2 record into play this week. Taking that next step, however, means showing it can compete against the best in 2-1A, which Valley Falls has been. The Dragons have finished top three the past two seasons at the Class 2-1A state tournament, taking second in 2021 and third in 2022.
 
“They’re a heck of a program and have been for some time,” Onaga coach Adam Kufahl said. “We knew last year when we set this schedule, that was going to be our measuring stick. They’re one of the best teams in 2-1A and have been ever since we started baseball up here at Onaga. 
 
“They’ve proven themselves time and time again over the years. It’s an opportunity to prove that we belong there, at least this season, to be talked about as one of those teams at the top because we feel we are. We were very aware of our shortcomings and have continued to work on that stuff, but we feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state and Valley Falls is as good as it gets. We have to go out and show we can compete with the best out there.”
 
Ironically, Valley Falls also has had a keen eye on the late-season twinbill as a measuring stick for this year’s team as well. Despite its recent run of success, the Dragons came into the 2023 with more unknowns than knowns after graduation claimed nine seniors off last year’s third-place state team.
 
Second-year coach Luke Burns was intent on making this season a reloading one instead of a rebuilding one and the Dragons have met that challenge, taking a 14-2 record into this week.
 
“Even from the beginning of the season, we knew they were going to be a team to contend with,” Burns said of Onaga. “They’re a solid team through and through and will be a test for us.”
 
After going 10-10 last season, Onaga has taken advantage of a revamped schedule that is now made up of largely 2-1A programs. In its first two years, the Buffaloes had the likes of Nemaha Central and Rossville on the slate and though they were competitive in those games, they never came away with wins in those doubleheaders.
 
“They were just a bit out of what our comfort zone was,” Kufahl said. “We competed with them, but that was four losses each of the last two years. This year we felt like we had a strong core coming back and that if we could fill those gaps left by our seniors that graduated, we felt like the schedule lined up to make a pretty decent run. I told the kids my goal, I felt like realistically 15 wins was a good goal. But looking at the schedule there wasn’t a team I didn’t feel like we had a good chance at competing against. That’s what we felt coming in and it’s played out that way so far.”
 
Onaga’s only two losses have come to St. Marys – a 6-5 loss that is the fourth one-run loss to the Bears in the last three years – and to Troy, a 4-0 decision.
 
Onaga has sweeps of Oskaloosa, Wabaunsee, Riverside/Doniphan West, Blue Valley-Randolph and Jackson Heights, the latter coming last Thursday when the Buffaloes pounded out eight home runs, getting two each from Fisher, Simkins, Jeramia Dorsey and Jackson Kolterman. 
 
Ten days earlier, the Buffaloes hit five home runs in the Oskaloosa sweep with Kolterman again going yard twice and Fisher, Simkins and Rayce Fisher each getting one. As a team, the Buffaloes have 16 home runs from six different players.
 
Onaga is hitting .339 as a team with Simkins leading the way with a .622 average. Zac Fisher is hitting .537 and Kolterman .432. Fisher is also 6-0 on the mound with a 1.15 ERA and 55 strikeouts while Simkins is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
 
“They’ve been amazing and great leaders too,” Kufahl said of Fisher and Simkins, each starters since day one for the program. (Fisher’s) a kid you love having on your team. A 4.0 student, works his tail off and he is a great leader. He gets the kids together without the coaches being there, taking BP in the batting cages on Sundays. It’s just something he’s led. Those guys are awesome, great leaders and All-State kids and it’s been great to have those guys not only as great foundation pieces, but also great role models as well.”
 

 
After losing nine seniors off last year’s third-place team, including All-2-1A first-team pick Avery Gatzemeyer, Valley Falls had some serious holes to fill. Burns said the Dragons began the year knowing they would be counting on six players who hadn’t played a varsity inning.
 
But he wasn’t going to let inexperience be an excuse. And neither were his players.
 
“It all starts with the senior leadership and those guys returning from last year,” Burns said. “They’ve told these guys, ‘This is how it’s going to be. Your dads can sit here and tell you it’s going to be a rebuilding year, but that’s not happening.’ The kids have really taken that to heart and it’s been a fun ride so far.”
 
Riding returning starters Dylan Cervantez, Zac Evans and Hayden Kearney, the Dragons bounced back from an early-season extra-inning loss to sweep Pleasant Ridge and in early April took down rival Maur Hill with a Northeast Kansas League sweep.
 
The only other loss came to Troy as well.
 
“Every time we play Maur Hill, they’ve always been our rival in baseball,” Burns said of his team’s key wins that served as jolts of confidence. “Another one a lot of people don’t realize, Pleasant Ridge is a heck of a team and have a pitching staff like I haven’t seen before. They’ve got some good pieces to the puzzle there and we got two really good wins over there. That was the one where our fans really were like, ‘Wow.’ It was an eye-opener for us to get that sweep.”
 
Cervantez tops the regulars with a .611 average while Evans is hitting .543 and Kearney .489. Cervantez and Evans also are both 4-0 on the mound with a combined 94 strikeouts while Kearney and senior Nick Dodd are each 2-0.
 
Burns cited senior Thayer Coleman and freshman Carter Pickerell as newcomers that have made a big difference in helping the Dragons keep the beat going.
 
“We had a lot of big shoes to fill with those kids from last year,” Burns said. “The guys have really stepped up and met the challenge they had before them.”
 
Both Onaga and Valley Falls have big tests Monday ahead of their showdown on Thursday. Onaga takes on a St. Mary’s Academy team that is 10-2. Valley Falls faces Oskaloosa with the league title on the line.
 
Thursday’s doubleheader is a bit of a previous for the postseason with Onaga and Valley Falls in the same regional.
 
“It’ll be a testing stretch for us for sure,” Burns said. “Going into regionals, I couldn’t ask for anything more for sure. It will be an ultimate test.”
 
Kufahl agreed.
 
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Valley Falls and us both have been looking at that doubleheader as games that are big and with regional implications for sure,” he said. “We’re excited to see where we’re at.”
 
 

 
OTHER BASEBALL STANDOUTS
 

• Rock Creek and Clay Center each handed the other its first loss of the season in a doubleheader split last Friday. Clay Center won the first game 2-0 while Rock Creek came back to win the second contest 7-4. Ryker Zoeller improved to 4-0 for Rock Creek (13-1), scattering four hits and a run over 5 innings in the second game. Mark Hoffman threw the shutout for Clay Center (17-1) in the opener.
• De Soto and Seaman split a big United Kansas Conference doubleheader last Friday with Seaman taking the first game 7-5 in extra innings before the Wildcats claimed an 8-5 win in the second game. Seaman rallied from three down in the seventh inning of the opener for the win, scoring twice in the eighth. Bryson Vawter struck out 10 in five innings and also drove in three runs. In the second game, Will Burger gave up just three hits for De Soto to improve to 5-0 while Austin Lindsay got the save giving up one hit and one run in three innings of relief. Jack Millman hit his third homer of the season for De Soto and Vawter blasted a three-run homer for Seaman. De Soto is now 11-2 in UKC play and Seaman is 9-2.
• Manhattan clinched the Centennial League title with a 12-3, 11-1 sweep of Emporia. The Indians are 11-0 overall and 9-0 in league play with one game left against Washburn Rural.
• Turner’s Bradley Ogden threw a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts as the Golden Bears topped Topeka West 9-0 on Friday.
• Sabetha swept Holton 15-1, 15-0 and topped Jefferson West 6-5 in 9 innings and 12-2 to go 4-0 last week. Mitchel Kramer went 9-for-15 with a home run, 4 doubles and 11 RBI. Josh Herrmann picked up two wins, allowing no earned runs in five innings. Will Ulrich had a three-inning no-hitter against Holton, striking out 5.
• Rossville’s Sean Cunningham went 7-for-9 with a home run, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored against Royal Valley.
• Jackson Heights’ Jude Williams got his second home run and the second in school history against Onaga.
• Little River had its closest call of the season in sweeping Ellsworth, winning the opener 7-6 before taking an 8-1 win in the second game to improve to 14-0 on the season.
• Osage City took a big step toward locking up the Flint Hills League title with a 4-0, 7-5 sweep of Central Heights on Thursday. The Indians improved to 13-2 overall and 10-1 in league play, two games ahead of West Franklin.
• Mission Valley’s Porter Deters tied a state record with 6 stolen bases in the Vikings’ win over St. Marys last week. Deters matched the mark set by Word of Life’s Blaine Birdwell in 2011. He now is 34 for 34 in stolen base attempts this season, hitting .568 overall.