North Platte senior Wesley Meadows was a Class 2 District 15 Honorable Mention.
In the competitive KCI Conference and Class 2 District 15 Tournament, the North Platte and West Platte baseball teams had some individuals shine and claim some postseason awards.
North Platte (16-7) just wrapped up one of its best seasons in recent memory, making it to the district championship and going 5-2 in KCI Conference play after losing the opening two games. West Platte (9-12) reached the district semifinals and beat three KCI teams on the year.
North Platte junior Colton Kirkham was the regular catcher but pitched on multiple occasions – being the Panthers’ most used pitcher – and was a first-team all-district and all-conference player. In 31 innings on the mound in eight games, he struck out 49 of 143 batters that he faced to have a 2.71 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP, while gunning down 13 of the 34 stolen bases attempted in the 82 innings that he was the catcher.
Kirkham was electric on offense as well, having a batting average of .344 and on base percentage (OBS) of .488. He had 22 hits – including six doubles – 20 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
Chance Garber joined Kirkham on both first teams as the first baseman led the North Platte offense in numerous categories. He had a .403 batting average, 27 hits – with 11 doubles and three triples – 31 RBIs, 50 quality-at-bats (QABs), 41 total bases and a .444 batting average with runners in scoring position (BA/RISP).
Jaxson Carpenter was on the Class 2 District 15 First Team with an impressive offensive season stat line of 16 hits, 10 RBIs and 14 runs scored with a .314 batting average, .429 OBP and .840 OPS. He pitched 38.2 innings over a course of 10 games, striking out 51 batters with a team-best .913 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
North Platte senior Kaden Mullendore was a Class 2 District 15 Honorable Mention, striking out 29 of 89 batters faced in 18.1 innings over seven games. He had three doubles and two home runs with 18 total hits, 19 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 42 QABs and a .250 batting average.
Creek Johnson was another solid pitcher for the Panthers as he was an all-district honorable mention after striking out 31 batters in 24 innings on the mound over 10 games. He ended his junior campaign with 19 hits and 15 RBIs with a .333 batting average and .465 OBP.
Wesley Meadows ended his North Platte career on a high note, collecting all-district honorable mention. The senior was the leadoff batter with 91 plate appearances as he had a team-high 18 stolen bases, along with 21 hits, nine RBIs, 42 QABs and a .344 batting average.
West Platte had four players who earned postseason awards, led by Cohen Kite and Xavier Reynolds. That Blue Jay duo was on the Class 2 District 15 First Team and KCI Conference Honorable Mentions.
Ezra Stigman and Gunner Smith were second-team all-district players. West Platte and North Platte both fell short to Plattsburg in the postseason but will look to regroup and reload next spring.