Red Oak Express All-Area baseball

The baseball season wrapped up for me last week, and the committee met for our annual Red Oak Express All-Area baseball team discussion. The players considered are from the six schools we cover: East Mills, Essex, Griswold, Red Oak, Southwest Valley, and Stanton. Once the teams have been chosen, we see if we can agree on a captain to lead the squads. This year, the decision was unanimous in choosing the captain of the Red Oak All-Area baseball team as Derek Mueller, a Griswold senior.
Mueller was chosen as first team designated hitter with a batting line of .556/.636/.944 in eight games that Griswold played this season. He led the state in batting average through the first two weeks of the season and finished at the top in the Corner Conference. Mueller was an infielder for the Tigers and had some great stops throughout the season. The humble athlete works hard in practice and carries himself with quiet confidence and determined ambition. Mueller has signed his letter of intent to play football at Central College in the fall.

First team
Pitcher: Michael Schafer, East Mills senior.
Schafer finished the season 4-1 of the eight games he pitched. He faced 93 opponents in his 22 innings pitched, surrendering six earned runs on 19 hits and 11 walks against 28 strike outs. He led the Corner Conference with a 1.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). Schafer led the Corner Conference in hits, getting 22 in his 47 times at the plate, and scored 19 times, proving to be a needed player on both sides of the ball.
Catcher: Wyatt Sederburg, Red Oak senior.
Sederburg began catching for the Tigers as a sophomore and has grown into the role. He finished the season with just three errors as he worked to keep the ball in front of him. Even with the catching equipment on, Sederburg can bounce up and catch a pop-up foul and make it look easy. On the offensive side, he earned five RBI in his 31 plate appearances.
Infield: Blake Thomas, SWV sophomore; Brendan Knapp, SWV sophomore; Nic Duysen, East Mills senior; and Keygan Day, Stanton senior.
Thomas played 15 games and ended with a .390/.457/.457 batting line, second on his team. He had 16 hits, including three doubles in his 41 times at bat, and scored seven times. Thomas never ended a game with a clean uniform as his diving, jumping, and sliding skills were put to use at his position at shortstop as well as base running.
Knapp finished right behind teammate Thomas with a batting line of .324/.540/.382. He tied for third in the Pride of Iowa Conference with 12 hit by pitches; not a fun category. He had nine singles and two doubles in his 34 plate appearances and controlled second base for the Timberwolves.
Duysen finished with 22 hits, tying with teammate Schafer, to lead the Corner. His nearly two dozen hits included one home run, three triples, and eight doubles, and kicked in 26 RBI in 45 at bats. He led the Conference in doubles and RBI, and finished third wit a batting average of .489.
Day plated 17 runs on 19 hits, including three doubles and two triples, ending with a .432 batting average. He stole 13 bases and led the Corner with four sacrifice bunts
Outfield: Garrett Couse, Red Oak junior; Landon Couse, Red Oak freshman; Colton Thornburg, Stanton senior.
The Couse brothers held the top two spots for the Tigers in hitting. Garrett went 11 of 29, including six singles, three doubles, one triple, and one home run for a batting average of .379.
Younger brother Landon went 15 of 36, all singles, and finished with a .417 batting average.
Garrett stole 4 bases, Landon three.
Thornburg made some magnificent catches, and threw the ball with ease from centerfield to the catcher, making an out on more than one occasion.  He ended the shortened season with 14 hits, including seven singles, four doubles, two triples, and one home run, earning nine RBI, and a .341 batting average. He tied with Day to lead the Corner with four sacrifice bunts and finished tied for third in the state with 29 stolen bases.
Utility: Jack Anderson, East Mills junior.
Anderson earned 21 RBI in his 35 plate appearances, and had 15 runs on 18 hits, including four doubles. He was hit by a pitch on eight different occasions to lead the team, and finished second in the Corner with a batting line of .514/.707/.629.

Second Team
Pitcher: Colby Royal, Stanton junior.
Catcher: Mathew Johnston, SWV senior.
Infield: Dawson Bond, Red Oak freshman; Chase Roeder, Red Oak freshman; Jackson Wray, East Mills junior; Tucker Hadden, Essex junior.
Outfield: Levi Martin, Stanton sophomore; Brendan Pearson, SWV senior; Caden Henderson, Essex senior.
Designated hitter: Tyler Pearson, SWV senior.
Utility: Cale Swain, Griswold freshman.
Honorable Mention
Wesley Johnson, Essex senior; Zach Thornburg, East Mills eighth grader; Colton Turner, Griswold junior; AJ Schmid, Red Oak freshman; Owen Wilkinson, SWV sophomore; Carter Johnson, Stanton sophomore.