CLASS 3A BASEBALL CAPSULES
 

 
BURLINGTON
 
Coach: Jonathan Mariani
 
Record: 23-2 (No. 3 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Fredonia, 14-0; beat Haven, 6-3; beat Southeast of Saline, 5-1.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Frontenac (6: 17-4), 5:45 p.m. Monday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Mason Collins, jr., SS/P; Brody Garland, sr., 1B/P; Hunter Cole, sr., C; Kolten Robinson, sr., P/2B; Maddux Cheever, sr., U/P; Alex Mautz, sr., OF/P.
 
Worth noting: Wildcats return to state for the second time in three years with last trip in 2024 ending with 6-5 loss to Frontenac in the quarterfinals. … Trip to state is seventh overall for the program, which is still seeking its first state tournament victory. … Mariani is in first year as head coach, taking over for longtime coach Charlie Whitworth this season. … Wildcats were undefeated Pioneer League champions. … Only losses this season came to Class 4A Tonganoxie at the Sabetha Early Bird Tournament and to Mission Valley in a rain-shortened contest. … Robinson threw a 5-inning perfect game in the regional quarterfinals. … Garland struck out 17 in the regional championship, working 6.2 innings. … Robinson is 5-1 overall with 77 strikeouts while Garland has struck out 33 in just 14.2 innings pitched. … Cheever is 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA and Mautz is 4-1 with a 1.43 ERA. … Garland is hitting .475 with 23 RBI. … Cole has 34 RBI and is hitting .426. … Mautz has 25 RBI and is hitting .394 while Collins is hitting .410 with 7 triples and has a 0.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts.
 

 
COLBY
 
Coach: Todd Kane
 
Record: 22-5 (No. 5 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Goodland, 12-2; beat Smoky Valley, 2-1; beat Beloit, 8-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Russell/Victoria (4: 22-5), 1:15 p.m. Monday at Dean Evans Stadium, Salina
 
Key Players: Braxton Withington, sr.; Keegan Glassman, sr.; Cobin Curry, sr.; Conner Surmeier, so.
 
Worth noting: Colby making first trip to state since qualifying in 2015 when Eagles reached the Class 4A Division II state tournament and lost in the quarterfinals 3-2 to eventual state champion Rock Creek. … Top finish at state for the program was a runner-up finish in 2009 in Class 4A with the Eagles going 24-2. … Eagles were Great West Activities Conference champions this year, suffering only one loss in league play to Holcomb. … Eagles lost twice to fellow 3A qualifier and quarterfinal foe Russell/Victoria (3-1, 10-6) and twice to 2-1A qualifier and No. 1 seed TMP-Marian, two of those losses in extra innings and on back-to-back outings. … Eagles have won 18 of last 19. … Eagles have set school record for wins in a season and have advanced one step further in the postseason in each of Kane’s three years as head coach. … Withington has come back from a spontaneous lung collapse in December, rehabilitating to get back for the baseball season and this year set the school record for strikeouts in a season with 107, breaking the old mark of 72. … He’s only walked 19 batters and has a 1.02 ERA over 54.2 innings pitched. … Glassman is hitting .412 with 2 home runs and 8 doubles. … Curry is hitting .397 and has a 1.90 ERA. … Surmeier is hitting .382 and has struck out 65 batters.
 

 
COUNCIL GROVE
 
Coach: Matt Wilkens
 
Record: 26-1 (No. 1 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Herington, 15-0; beat Cheney, 6-4; beat Wichita Collegiate, 10-4.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Silver Lake (8: 16-11), 11 a.m. Monday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: Reid Buttrey, jr., P; Maxton Villalobos, sr., P/3B; Joshua Senne, so., C; Luke Stewart, jr., P/SS; Bradley Doornbos, jr., OF; Grady Kepley, jr., 1B; Colson Hartman, fr., P.
 
Worth noting: Braves ended decade-long drought with first state berth since 2016. … State appearance is just fourth for the program with the best finish a fourth-place showing in 2014. … Braves were undefeated Flint Hills League champions this year. … Only loss came to Cheney in a split during the regular season and Braves avenged it with regional semifinal win. … Braves knocked off Class 3A No. 1 Wichita Collegiate in regional finals after Spartans beat defending 3A champion Trinity Academy in regional semifinals. … Buttrey is 10-0 with a 2.90 ERA and has 61 strikeouts. … He’s also hitting .603 with 3 home runs and has struck out just four times. … Senne is hitting .507 and has 29 stolen bases. … Villalobos is 9-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 39 strikeouts while Hartman has a 2.96 ERA with 38 strikeouts with a school-record 4 saves and Stewart has a 3.85 ERA with 25 strikeouts. … Stewart is also hitting .453 and has 27 stolen bases. … Doornbos leads team with school-record 34 stolen bases and is hitting .414. … Kepley has been hit by a pitch a school-record 20 times and Braves have been hit a record 78 times this season, including 8 times in one game. … Senne set school record with 45 runs scored. … Braves have also set team records for runs scored in a season (330) and game (28), triples (10) and stolen bases (209). … Buttrey set record for walks in a season with 26 and Villalobos set record for singles with 38.
 

 
FRONTENAC
 
Coach: Kaleb Terlip
 
Record: 17-4 (No. 6 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Prairie View, 11-0; beat Baxter Springs, 12-2; beat Anderson County, 10-1.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Burlington (3: 23-2), 5:45 p.m. Monday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Brock Wiemers, jr., SS; Jake Murphy, jr., 3B; Kane Mjelde, so., C; Gage James, sr., DH; Kale Coomes, so., P; Grant Nickle, sr., P.
 
Worth noting: Raiders return to state tournament after one-year absence. … Raiders took third in 2024, their third third-place state finish. … Program’s lone state championship came in 2012 and Raiders also took second in 1996. … Trip to state is seventh overall. … Raiders won the CNC title for the third straight season, going 11-1 in league play including a sweep of fellow 3A qualifier Girard (3-2, 9-3). … Only league loss came to 2-1A qualifier St. Mary’s Colgan in a season-opening split. … Raiders haven’t lost to a 3A program this year and other losses came to 4A qualifier Paola, 5A Blue Valley Southwest and 4A Chanute. … Raiders have won 16 of last 18 games after a 1-2 start. … Wiemers is hitting .403 with 3 home runs, 20 RBI and 23 runs scored. … Murphy is hitting .430 with 14 extra-base hits and 19 RBI. … Coomes is 6-0 while Nickle is 5-0 with 3 saves. … Mjelde is hitting .423 with 18 RBI and James is hitting .351 with 16 RBI.
 

 
GIRARD
 
Coach: Bob Fornelli
 
Record: 21-5 (No. 7 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Galena, 10-0; beat Cherryvale, 7-0; beat Heritage Christian, 7-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Jefferson West (2: 24-2), 11 a.m. Monday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Kam Smith, jr., P; Bryor Schultz, so., P/OF; Aiden Ashbacher, sr., P/OF; Briggs Buckingham, fr., P/OF; Robbie Bruning, jr., SS/P.
 
Worth noting: Trojans return to state for the first time since they finished fourth in Class 3A in 2022. … Trojans lost to eventual state champion Wichita Collegiate in semifinals that season and finished the season 21-5. … Trip to state is just fifth overall for the program, but all have come since 2002. … Two of this year’s losses came to fellow 3A qualifier and CNC champion Frontenac and two more came to CNC rival Baxter Springs. … Other loss came to Iola. … Trojans swept 2-1A qualifier St. Mary’s Colgan as well as beating Pittsburg and Fort Scott. … Fornelli is in first year as head coach of program after a Hall of Fame college coaching career in the MIAA at Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State. … Roster has just one senior this year, Ashbacher, who is 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA and is hitting .382 with 21 RBI, 30 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. … Smith is 7-1 with 93 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched and an ERA of 0.27. … Schultz is 6-2 with 2.08 ERA and is hitting .489 with 29 RBI, 37 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. … Buckingham is hitting .400 with 15 RBI and 19 stolen bases. … Bruning is hitting .378 with 25 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
 

 
JEFFERSON WEST
 
Coach: Terry Stueve
 
Record: 24-2 (No. 2 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Riley County, 16-1; beat Hiawatha, 7-1; beat Maur Hill, 18-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Girard (7: 21-5), 11 a.m. Monday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Cooper Watkins, sr., P/1B; Ryan Pressler, sr., C; Brody Thelen, sr., 3B/P; Brady Skahan, jr., OF/P; Max Tuck, jr., OF/P; Cooper Knox, so., IF/P; Jaxon Pollard, jr., C/U.
 
Worth noting: After ending 13-year state tournament drought last year, Tigers return to state for the second straight year. … Tigers fell 2-0 in quarterfinals last year to Big East League rival Sabetha. … Trip is seventh since 1991 with Tigers finishing as state runners-up in 1991 and third in 1994. … Stueve took over as head coach this year for Dan Hypse, who had been only other head coach for the program. … Stueve led Nemaha Central to Class 3A state championship in 2016. … Tigers won the Silver Lake Tournament, beating league foe and fellow 3A qualifier Silver Lake in the title game. … Tigers have three wins over Silver Lake and only losses this season came to Sabetha, each by two runs. … West also swept 2-1A qualifier Rossville 10-2, 10-1 to start the season. … Watkins was the Class 3A pitcher of the year last year by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches and this year is 9-1 with a 2.49 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 45 innings. … Knox is 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 33 strikeouts and Thelen is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 40 strikeouts. … Skahan leads team with .470 average, 35 RBI and 44 runs scored. … Tuck is hitting .460 with 24 runs scored. … Watkins is hitting .429 with 32 RBI and Thelen is hitting .412 with 31 RBI and 36 runs scored. … Pressler has 16 stolen bases and a .370 average. … Pollard has been solid addition from Lansing and is hitting .343 with 28 RBI. … Tigers have set team records for runs scored (271), doubles (57), walks (174) and RBI (214).
 

 
RUSSELL/VICTORIA
 
Coach: Brandon Ridgley
 
Record: 22-5 (No. 4 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Minneapolis, 12-0; beat Ellinwood, 3-0; beat Holcomb, 10-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Colby (5: 22-5), 1:15 p.m. Monday at Dean Evans Stadium, Salina
 
Key Players: Max Evans, sr., SS/P/C; Sam Thielen, sr., CF/P/3B/C; Jarod Ford, sr., 2B/C; Trey Zorn, sr., OF/P.
 
Worth noting: Broncos back at state after ending nine-year state drought last year. … Russell finished third in both 2014 and 2016, both of those in Class 4A Division II. … Trip to state is sixth overall with first coming in 2007. … Broncos out-hit three regional opponents 28-3. … Broncos swept quarterfinal foe Colby on April 2, winning 3-1 in extra innings and 10-6. … Broncos started season 14-0 before suffering first loss to Ellis/Quinter. … Two losses came to Class 2-1A qualifier and No. 1 seed TMP-Marian. … Team has 10 seniors on roster with 9 having started at least 16 games this season. … Broncos are hitting .328 as a team with 250 runs scored and 161 stolen bases. … Pitching staff has an ERA of 3.25 with 220 strikeouts. … Evans is hitting .612 with 21 doubles, 2 home runs, 44 RBI and 33 stolen bases. … He also has a 1.54 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 12 walks, holding opponents to a .167 batting average. … Thielen is hitting .556 with 17 doubles, 3 home runs, 43 RBI, 48 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. … He’s struck out 60 and has a 2.60 ERA. … Ford is hitting .403 and has 15 stolen bases. … Zorn has a 2.16 ERA and is 5-1.
 

 
SILVER LAKE
 
Coach: Tyler Seele
 
Record: 16-11 (No. 8 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Perry-Lecompton, 5-4; beat Sabetha, 7-1; beat Riverside, 7-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Council Grove (1: 26-1), 11 a.m. Monday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: Drew Womack, sr., 1B; Kipton Kruger, fr., SS/P; Dayne Johnson, sr., 2B/P; Brady Hogle, CF/P.
 
Worth noting: After going six years without a state appearance, Silver Lake has now qualified each of the past two seasons, the first such occurrence since 2013-14. … Eagles have one of most historic programs in state history with 41 overall state appearances that includes 15 state titles. … Last state title came in 2011, the third in a four-year span. … Silver Lake has also finished second at state four times and third four times. … Eagles trailed Perry 4-1 in bottom of seventh inning of regional quarterfinal before rallying for 5-4 win on Womack’s walk-off two-run home run. … Kruger hit a two-run double to start the rally against Perry. … Eagles scored 5 runs in top of the eighth of regional title game with Riverside after game went to extra innings tied 2-2. … Eagles have played in 10 one-run games this season, going 4-6 in those contests. … Womack leads team in nearly every offensive category, hitting .416 with 40 RBI, 22 extra-base hits and 9 home runs. … Kruger is hitting .400 with 19 RBI and 30 runs scored and also is 3-2 with a 3.10 ERA. … Johnson is 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA and is hitting .311. … Hogle is hitting .311 with 18 RBI and 32 runs scored.