15 CLASS 5A BASEBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2024

 

TUCKER AKINS, PITTSBURG
 
Akins earned All-State and All-SEK first team honors as a junior last season. The senior catcher sent 34 runners home thanks to his 31 hits and 13 extra-base hits on a .397 batting average. Akins and his teammates took Pittsburg to a 16-6 record, losing to Spring Hill in the regional championship game.
 

MAX BROWN, EISENHOWER

Brown, a senior, earned All-Class 5A second-team honors at third base and was one of six Eisenhower players selected to the All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first team after the Tigers posted a fourth-place finish at state. Brown entered that tournament batting .343 with 2 home runs and 21 RBI. With seven Tigers graduated off last year's 19-6 team, Brown comes in as one of the most experienced returnees. A standout linebacker for the Tigers in football, Brown will play collegiate baseball at Drury University.
 

WILL BURGER, DE SOTO

When De Soto lost returning staff ace Greyson Chappel to a season-ending injury, the Wildcats needed someone to step up and fill that void. Burger did just that, going 7-0 in 9 starts with a 1.39 ERA and 33 strikeouts, including a win over reigning Class 5A champion Blue Valley Southwest in the regional championship. Burger also started the Class 5A state tournament opener as De Soto beat Spring Hill on its way to a runner-up finish. Burger was one of three underclassmen that finished the regular season undefeated with Max Thurman going 4-0 and Jack Millman going 4-0 with a 1.81 ERA and 46 strikeouts as De Soto posted the best season in program history, going 21-4. All three return, giving the Wildcats a top-notch staff for 2024.
 

COLBY GOMEZ, NEWTON
 
Gomez, a senior, claimed an All-Class 5A first-team spot at middle infielder last season after batting .362 with 2 home runs and 22 RBIs. Ten of his 25 hits went for extra bases. The Pratt Community College signee also earned all-state first-team honors as a utility player as a sophomore, when he batted .463, and is a two-time All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team selection.
 

 
PEYTON GOSCH, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Gosch was the opening day starter for new coach Mike Pelfrey after coming off a 4-2 season with 1 save and a 2.43 ERA in 2023. The junior right-hander struck out 35 in 31.2 innings as the Crusaders earned a No. 2 seed for the West regionals and finished 17-4. Gosch also batted .372 with a .492 on-base percentage and 19 hits, driving in 13. He earned All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors as a pitcher.
 

HUNTER HIGGINS, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Higgins, a sophomore, gave Maize South a boost behind the plate and on the mound in his debut season. He earned All-Class 5A second-team and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors after batting .426 with 26 hits, 7 doubles, a home run and 18 RBIs. Higgins also posted a 3.75 ERA with 15 strikeouts and 9 walks. Higgins’ experience is valuable as the Mavericks look to improve on a 10-11 record.
 

SHANE HOLMAN, BISHOP CARROLL
 
Holman, a senior right-hander, delivered a gem in last year’s Class 5A state tournament, pitching a six-hitter in a 6-0 victory over Great Bend in the quarterfinals. The Golden Eagles went on to win their third state title with a 24-1 record. Holman, a Butler Community College signee, posted a 5-1 record with an 0.83 ERA last spring. He struck out 41 and walked just 3 in 42 innings to earn All-Class 5A second-team and All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors.
 

CRU HUENFELD, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Huenfeld earned All-State and All-EKL first team honors as a sophomore last season. The junior sent 30 runners home thanks to his .361 batting average and four home runs a season ago. Huefeld helped lead the Saints to a third-place finish at state.
 

KEATON NEAL, SPRING HILL

Neal earned All-State first team and All-Frontier second team honors as a freshman last season. The sophomore infielder kicked off his high school career last season with 23 hits, two home runs and a .556 slugging percentage. Neal is currently ranked in the top 25 for Baseball America’s 2026 Top High School Draft Prospects list.
 

BLAKE O'BRIEN, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
O’Brien earned All-State and All-EKL first team honors as a junior last season. The senior pitcher struck out 85 batters with a 1.14 ERA across 49 innings pitched a year ago. From the plate, he drove in 23 runs with his .362 and over 13 extra-base hits. O’Brien, who played safety for the Saints’ state championship football team this year, is also a University of Kansas baseball commit.
 

DEACON POMEROY, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS

Heading into his junior season, Pomeroy is one of the top juniors in the state and already had committed to Oklahoma State. He was a first-team All-United Kansas Conference selection at catcher last year after hitting .403 with 11 doubles, 2 home runs and 15 RBI. He’s a career .357 hitter through his first two seasons starting for the T-Birds with 35 RBI. Pomeroy also moves to the other side of the battery on occasion and last year was 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts and he’s 3-0 in his career with a 0.50 ERA and 21 Ks.
 

ANSON SIEBERT, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Seibert earned All-State and All-EKL second team honors as a junior last season. The senior pitcher routinely throws his fastball in the 90-mph range, with his fastest in-game throws reaching 97. He tried to use that cannon on his shoulder to deliver the Timberwolves a third straight state appearance last year after winning the 5A state titles in 2021 and 2022. While his 10 strikeouts across six innings in regionals helped get his team past Shawnee Heights, the Timberwolves ultimately lost 3-2 against De Soto in the regional final. Seibert is a University of Tennessee commit.
 

NATHAN TAJCHMAN, BISHOP CARROLL
 
Tajchman, a senior, posted the first 40-RBI season by a Carroll player in head coach Charlie Ebright’s 23-year tenure to help the Golden Eagles win their third Class 5A title. Tajchman’s milestone RBI came when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the championship against De Soto.  The All-State first-team outfielder batted .403 with 31 hits, including 2 home runs, 5 triples and 6 doubles. Tajchman also earned All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors.
 

CARSON UMPHRES, GREAT BEND

Great Bend coach Randy Beck says Umphres, a junior centerfielder and pitcher, has a good shot at setting school records in several categories  including single-season hits, doubles and triples. Umphres recorded 35 hits as a sophomore, just five shy of Great Bend’s single-season hits record. He was just one double short of the school record with nine and also finished with five triples, two away from the Panthers’ record. Umphres posted a .455 batting average and drove in 24 runs. On the mound, he posted a 2.79 ERA with a 5-4 record and one save. He was second-team All-5A and a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection last year. The Panthers reached the Class 5A state tournament before falling in the first round to Bishop Carroll.
 

COLTIN WATKINS, GODDARD
 
Watkins, a senior, put together another solid season on the mound for Goddard in 2023 and helped the Lions end a 11-year state tournament drought. The left-hander posted a 7-2 record with 1 save and a 1.99 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 55 innings, earning Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II pitcher of the year honors. He also batted .307 with 19 RBI and 12 runs scored. Watkins, a Johnson County signee, was an All-Class 5A first-team pitcher last spring after being named second team as a sophomore, when he finished 7-1 with a 1.28 ERA.