The only senior on the East Marshall baseball team led by example and the rest of the North Iowa Cedar League took notice.

Blake Neuroth closed out his prep career with his fifth all-conference honor, making the 16-player NICL first team in the first year of the 15-team round-robin format.

Neuroth was a three-time first-team all-NICL West Division selection as well as being an honorable mention in his freshman campaign before bringing in this year’s honor.

In conference play, the senior shortstop led East Marshall with a .429 batting average, four doubles, three triples, one home run and 13 RBIs. He ranked fourth in the NICL in batting average, seventh in doubles, third in triples, and seventh in RBIs. Neuroth also ranked ninth with 10 stolen bases in league play.

On the mound, Neuroth was 2-2 with a 5.34 earned run average and 25 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings as the Mustangs went 6-8 in North Iowa Cedar League play.

Neuroth was one of four East Marshall players honored on the all-NICL squads, and all four were returners to the teams.

Junior pitcher Jackson Busch was named a second-team infielder for his third all-conference accolade; junior Jaxson Boswell was a third-team outfielder, and junior Eli Burns was named honorable mention.

Busch batted .389 with three doubles and nine RBIs in NICL play, leading the Mustangs with a .542 on-base percentage. On the mound, Busch was 1-3 in conference play with a team-high 23 innings pitched. He struck out 24 batters and finished with a 3.04 ERA. He also committed just two errors defensively, ending with a .956 fielding percentage.

Busch was a second-team all-NICL West pick two seasons ago and honorable mention last summer.

Boswell, a second-team choice last year, batted .325 in league games with two doubles, a home run, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored. He led the Mustangs with 12 stolen bases in conference play and made just three errors all season while primarily roaming center field.

Burns, a second baseman, hit .295 but had a .436 on-base percentage and scored a team-leading 14 runs in league play. He hit one double, one home run and drove in six more. Burns also appeared on the mound in three conference games, earning one win.

Conference champion Grundy Center was led by two-time Most Valuable Player Judd Jirovsky, and head coach Pat Brown II, who was voted Coach of the Year for the second-straight summer.

Final Conference Standings

Grundy Center 11-3

Wapsie Valley 11-3

Dike-New Hartford 10-4

South Hardin 9-4

Columbus Catholic 8-6

Union 8-6

AGWSR 7-7

Aplington-Parkersburg 7-7

Denver 7-7

Oelwein 7-7

East Marshall 6-8

Jesup 5-8

Hudson 4-10

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 2-12

Sumner-Fredericksburg 2-12