T-R FILE PHOTO - North Tama junior Ryan McLean was named the Iowa Star Conference South Division’s baseball Player of the Year after leading the league in home runs on offense and strikeouts from the pitcher’s mound.

North Tama junior Ryan McLean led the Iowa Star Conference’s South Division in home runs on offense and strikeouts from the mound, earning the league’s Player of the Year honor for his first all-conference honor of any kind.

McLean batted .357 with five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs in 14 conference games for the South Division champion Redhawks. Toeing the rubber, McLean went 4-1 in league play with a 1.89 earned run average and a whopping 60 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings. Opposing batters hit just .132 against him.

McLean was one of four first-team all-South Division selections for North Tama, while league runner-up GMG had three first-team picks.

Joining McLean for the Redhawks were repeat first-teamers — senior Hale Hulme and juniors Skyler Staker and Tate Payne. Hulme hit .465 with a double, a home run and 13 RBIs during conference play, stealing 13 bases in 13 tries. Staker batted .302 with six doubles, a home run and 15 RBIs, and Payne hit .413 with 21 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

GMG’s honorees were seniors Blaze Krull, Aaron Fleming and Kolton Gill.

Gill, the only repeat first-teamer for the Wolverines, batted .467 in league action with five doubles, one triple, 15 RBIs and 20 stolen bases while also going 4-1 on the mound with 46 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched and a 2.00 ERA.

Krull, who earned second-team selection as a freshman and honorable mention last year, hit .489 with four doubles, 14 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and 22 runs scored. Fleming, a second-team pick the previous two seasons, hit .489 as well with 16 RBIs, 21 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

Second-team awards went to North Tama senior Izach Hensen and Tyler Morrison and freshman Gabe Kopriva, and GMG senior Brock Baldazo and junior Seth Burgess. Honorable mention selections were GMG senior Logan Anderson and North Tama junior Luke Pennell.

North Tama head coach Dan Kopriva and Colo-NESCO’s Brandon Frohwein shared the South Division’s Coach of the Year award.

All-Iowa Star Conference Baseball Teams

SOUTH DIVISION

Player of the Year — Ryan McLean, jr., North Tama

Co-Coaches of the Year — Dan Kopriva, North Tama, and Brandon Frohwein, Colo-NESCO

FIRST TEAM

Ryan McLean, jr., P, North Tama

Blaze Krull, sr., C, GMG

Aaron Fleming, sr., INF, GMG

Kolton Gill, sr., INF, GMG

Carter Nelsen, jr., INF, Baxter

Skyler Staker, jr., INF, North Tama

Derrick Klemme, sr., OF, Baxter

Kelly Gray, sr., OF, Colo-NESCO

Tate Payne, jr., OF, North Tama

Hale Hulme, sr., UT, North Tama

Brighton Clatt, sr., UT, Colo-NESCO

SECOND TEAM

Izach Hensen, sr., P, North Tama

Luke Huntrods, 8th, C, Collins-Maxwell

Seth Burgess, jr., INF, GMG

Cole Damman, jr., INF, Baxter

Gabe Kopriva, fr., INF, North Tama

Spencer Hansen, 8th, INF, Colo-NESCO

Brock Baldazo, sr., OF, GMG

Tyler Morrison, sr., OF, North Tama

Rory Heer, fr., OF, Baxter

HONORABLE MENTION

Cody Dammen, 8th, Baxter; Caleb Dvorak, 8th, Collins-Maxwell; Shawn Gilbert, jr., Colo-NESCO; Logan Anderson, sr., GMG; Luke Pennell, jr., North Tama.

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NORTH DIVISION

Player of the Year — Cael Frost, so., Don Bosco

Coach of the Year — Blaine Rhoads, Don Bosco

FIRST TEAM

Dawson Charley, sr., P, Janesville

Bryce Schares, sr., C, Don Bosco

Cael Frost, so., INF, Don Bosco

Fisher Ohrt, jr., INF, Don Bosco

Spencer Hoff, sr., INF, Janesville

Ethan Schmidt, jr., INF, Clarksville

Kendall Becker, sr., OF, Don Bosco

Dillon Welter, so., OF, Don Bosco

Kaleb Asfahl, sr., OF, Riceville

Judge Losee, jr., UT, Riceville

Easton Larson, jr., UT, Don Bosco

SECOND TEAM

Mason Denton, jr., P, Don Bosco

Joey Carlson, so., C, Janesville

Dawson Holub, sr., INF, Clarksville

Dawson Bergmann, so., INF, Tripoli

Kolby Rich, jr., INF, Dunkerton

Pacen Hendricks, sr., INF, Clarksville

Lewis Havel, jr., OF, Don Bosco

Ben mcGrath, jr., OF, Janesville

Mike Davis, jr., OF, Tripoli

HONORABLE MENTION

Deric Trees, jr., Clarksville; Cedric Yoder, so., Don Bosco; Carter Michels, so., Dunkerton; Jared Hoodjer, fr., Janesville; Sully Fair, jr., Riceville; Gavin Shepard, sr., Tripoli.