All-RTC4 baseball: Clutch at plate, on mound, Rochester’s Reinartz is Player of Year

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year Tanner Reinartz

Never fear. Tanner Reinartz was here.

There were times when it seemed like the Rochester baseball team might not live up to its promise, but Reinartz is where fears of underachieving go to get obliterated.

Reinartz had the biggest hit of the season and the biggest home run in Rochester baseball history with his walk-off shot against Westview in the semistate semifinals. He had arguably the second biggest hit of the season with his two-run double in the eighth inning against Manchester in the sectional quarterfinals.

He also had the biggest save of the season when he entered in the seventh inning and relieved Carson Paulik and shut down Benton Central in the regional.

He simply was the most clutch player we have seen in decades, and he is our RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year.

Rochester’s success defined our area. Frankly, we thought the 2023 version of the Zebras had more top-to-bottom talent, but it was this team that achieved what that team and what many other good Zebra teams could not and advanced beyond the regional.

Reinartz tops our All-RTC4 baseball team. We thank area coaches for sending us stats and sharing their thoughts with us throughout the season.

Having said that, this list is our own, and we take full responsibility. In some instances, we moved players around to a position that might be their primary position in order to get them more recognition.

Pitchers

Brayden Erickson (Pioneer) – Erickson put it all together this year, hitting .437 with five homers and 24 RBIs, and he went 4-2 with a 1.24 ERA with 89 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 50 ⅓ innings on the mound. The word unhittable might be thrown around too often, but when Erickson was on, the word applied.
Carson Paulik (Rochester) – Paulik always seemed to be able to reach back for a little extra when he needed it in the biggest games. He went 7-4 with a 3.28 ERA, and he had 81 strikeouts in 68 ⅓ innings, but it was his postseason run that will be remembered most. He also hit .301 with 24 RBIs.
Brody Wenzler (Winamac) – Wenzler is an outstanding sophomore southpaw, posting a 1.01 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 41 ⅔ innings. Because his team did not give him much run support, he often excelled when he had limited room for error.

Catchers

Gavin Mollenkopf (Caston) – We saw him get stronger as a sophomore, and he was such a line-drive machine at the plate that many teams began to pitch around him as his 23 walks seem to indicate. He hit .367 with a team-high 18 RBIs for the Hoosier North champion Comets.
Jake Seuferer (Rochester) – He worked through an April slump and had a great May and finished with 28 RBIs. An IU Kokomo recruit, he was also an expert game caller who improved his throwing arm.
Eli Guffey (Pioneer) – Guffey hit .400 and led Pioneer with 32 hits. He exemplified toughness and competitiveness behind the plate.

Infielders

Tanner Reinartz (Rochester) (Player of the Year) – Six home runs might not sound like a lot if you watch Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani every day, but six home runs and a .674 slugging percentage with dead balls and dead bats is a ton of production, and he went 5-1 with a 3.70 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 47 ⅓ innings on the mound. And in addition, he is Rochester’s best defensive third baseman and first baseman.
Pete DuVall (Caston) – DuVall seemingly always made one play for the highlight film every time we saw him at third base, and he went 6-3 with a 1.64 ERA on the mound. He walked only 20 in 59 innings, an excellent ratio.
Talon Zeider (Caston) – Zeider drew 26 walks. Tack on a .306 batting average, and that gets you to a .490 on-base average which is ideal for a leadoff hitter. He was also a solid defensive shortstop, and he went 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA on the mound.
Lance Hanna (Caston) – Hanna, who moved in from Rossville for his senior season, hit second in the Caston order, which was ideal: He hit behind Zeider, who was always on base, and ahead of Mollenkopf, who was always giving him protection. Hannah hit .383 with 13 RBIs, and his defensive versatility was also huge.
Wyatt Wheeler (Winamac) – On an offensively challenged team, Wheeler stood out with his leadership and by hitting .362 and carrying the offense at times.
Cameron Manuel (Tippecanoe Valley) – We saw Manuel pitch a no-hitter against Caston, and his left-handed offerings frequently puzzled batters. We have him on our team as an infielder based on his work at first base, his .375 average and his team-best 12 RBIs.
Jonas McCuen (Culver) – McCuen hit .268 and had a team-best five extra-base hits and was a solid shortstop on days he did not pitch. He also had a 2.98 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 47 innings as a pitcher, showing off electric stuff.

Outfielders

Addison Allen (Winamac) – Allen hit .263 and had a two-homer game against Pioneer. He also was a top defensive center fielder when he was not going 4-2 with a 1.19 ERA on the mound.
Caleb Stinson (Caston) – Stinson hit .290 with a .390 on-base percentage. He had great speed that he used to get good jumps on fly balls to center field.
Colton Ferverda (Rochester) – Mostly a JV player through his junior year, Ferverda had a big senior season on the varsity, driving in 24 runs and showing he could pull opposing pitchers with velocity.
Brant Beck (Rochester) – Brant Beck split time in the infield and the outfield, and by the time semistate rolled around, he was at shortstop. He spent a little more time in right field though, and tools and versatility made him an increasingly important player as Rochester’s postseason run progressed.
Jackson Kindig (Argos) – Kindig was Argos’ best player, and while we acknowledge that he spent a lot of time at pitcher and catcher, he also saw a good deal of time in center field. As a team, Argos had trouble catching up to opposing pitchers with velocity, but Kindig was most well equipped to handle it.
Edison Byrum (Caston) – When Caston got hot in May, it was because they started getting production throughout the lineup. A lot of that came from Byrum, who hit .297 from the bottom of the batting order and had 15 RBIs.
Gavin Young (Rochester) – Young spent more time at third base and pitcher than in the outfield, but he has played some corner outfield, and we wanted him on the first team for his bat. He hit .277, walked a ton and had 23 RBIs. His job was to get on base ahead of Reinartz and Seuferer, and he did his job well.