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Independence, MO —
Jared Ginter knew the type of season he was having, but the idea still seemed foreign to the Blue Springs South outfielder.
Ginter was at a team dinner during the season when someone casually mentioned that with his numbers, he might have a shot at making the all-state team.
“I hadn’t thought about it at all while I was playing,” Ginter said. “Someone mentioned something about it and I sounded kind of shocked. I just blew it off and kept playing – being me.”
Ginter not only kept playing, but kept producing. He finished with a .425 batting average, 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs, 28 runs and 19 stolen bases. Those numbers landed him a spot on the Missouri High School Baseball Association’s All-State first team.
Ginter was on his way back from an all-star game in St. Joseph when he took the call from Jaguars coach Ben Baier informing him he’d been named to the squad. Even then, Ginter was taken aback.
“I could just tell (Baier) was filled with joy and really happy about it,” said Ginter, who also picked up first team all-conference and all-district selections this season. I couldn’t see him, but I could just tell in his voice that he was proud of me and it put a smile on my face.”
Ginter might have been surprised by the selection, but Baier said it was something he could see coming.
“Jared had the kind of breakout year that we thought he was capable of this season,” Baier said. “He was a constant threat at the leadoff spot in our lineup for us and did a nice job of setting the table for our offense. Defensively, it would be very hard to find an outfielder who could track down more fly balls than he did. He was one of our team captains this season and really did a great job of being a leader that everyone could count on day in and day out.”
Ginter was the only area first-team Class 4 selection, but his teammate Landon Mason garnered second-team honors as an infielder after batting .419 with seven doubles, 22 runs, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases. The senior was also named the Jaguars’ team MVP – as voted on by his teammates.
“Landon really grew this season as a leader for our ballclub,” Baier said. “His stats speak for themselves, but to see the amount of progress he has made in his four years is really outstanding. He was one of the guys who came to play every single day and we will definitely miss him.”
Jared Ginter knew the type of season he was having, but the idea still seemed foreign to the Blue Springs South outfielder.
Ginter was at a team dinner during the season when someone casually mentioned that with his numbers, he might have a shot at making the all-state team.
“I hadn’t thought about it at all while I was playing,” Ginter said. “Someone mentioned something about it and I sounded kind of shocked. I just blew it off and kept playing – being me.”
Ginter not only kept playing, but kept producing. He finished with a .425 batting average, 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs, 28 runs and 19 stolen bases. Those numbers landed him a spot on the Missouri High School Baseball Association’s All-State first team.
Ginter was on his way back from an all-star game in St. Joseph when he took the call from Jaguars coach Ben Baier informing him he’d been named to the squad. Even then, Ginter was taken aback.
“I could just tell (Baier) was filled with joy and really happy about it,” said Ginter, who also picked up first team all-conference and all-district selections this season. I couldn’t see him, but I could just tell in his voice that he was proud of me and it put a smile on my face.”
Ginter might have been surprised by the selection, but Baier said it was something he could see coming.
“Jared had the kind of breakout year that we thought he was capable of this season,” Baier said. “He was a constant threat at the leadoff spot in our lineup for us and did a nice job of setting the table for our offense. Defensively, it would be very hard to find an outfielder who could track down more fly balls than he did. He was one of our team captains this season and really did a great job of being a leader that everyone could count on day in and day out.”
Ginter was the only area first-team Class 4 selection, but his teammate Landon Mason garnered second-team honors as an infielder after batting .419 with seven doubles, 22 runs, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases. The senior was also named the Jaguars’ team MVP – as voted on by his teammates.
“Landon really grew this season as a leader for our ballclub,” Baier said. “His stats speak for themselves, but to see the amount of progress he has made in his four years is really outstanding. He was one of the guys who came to play every single day and we will definitely miss him.”
A pair of Blue Springs standouts joined Mason on the second team as sophomore Kyle Reed earned a nod as an outfielder and junior Corbin Hare was selected as a designated hitter/utility player.
Reed – who hit .471 with 13 doubles, three homers and 22 RBIs – said the key to his emergence was an offseason focused on hitting first-pitch strikes. Gaining all-state status was a season-long goal of his, and he said he’s already thinking of ways to improve next year.
“Moving forward, I plan on doing the same thing the next two years,” he said. “I plan on getting first team all-state. Those are my goals.”
Hare finished with a .383 batting average, four home runs, eight doubles and 25 RBIs. He was also solid on the mound as he posted a 3-2 record with a 4.04 ERA.
“With Corbin coming back, he’s going to be a senior and we’ll look for him to be one of our team leaders,” Blue Springs coach Marc Hines said. “He did a great job on the mound for us and look for him to be one of our top starters as well.”
With two all-state standouts returning, expectations should be high for the Wildcats after finishing 16-10 and one win short of a Suburban Big Six Conference championship.
“We’ll have a lot of players back next year,” Hare said. “We’re losing a few key seniors, but we’ll be able to pick up those spots and it’s going to be fun.”
Three Oak Grove players earned all-state recognition after leading the Panthers to their deepest postseason run since 1994. Senior Zach Morgan was a first-team nominee at catcher while junior outfielder Levi Harmon also made the first team. Junior Cole Doherty (DH/utility) was an honorable mention selection as Oak Grove advanced to the Class 3 quarterfinals and finished with a 19-6 mark.
Morgan capped his career by batting .439 with 12 extra-base hits, three homers, 24 RBIs and a 1.325 OPS while Harmon registered a .453 batting average with 18 RBIs, 32 runs and 19 stolen bases. Doherty hit .397 with 24 RBIs. 28 runs and 13 stolen bases. He also finished 7-2 on the mound with a 3.48 ERA and one save.
“These three guys, along with the other 31 guys on our roster from top to bottom, helped to make Oak Grove’s baseball season one of the greatest ever,” Panthers coach Kirk Sears said.
