They were the Big Three in area high school baseball during the 2009 season – Grain Valley’s David Richards, Truman’s Kyle Clifton and Fort Osage’s Bret Sutton.
Richards, who led the area in home runs with 11, was The Examiner’s Player of the Year, while Clifton and Sutton were the offensive catalysts for their respective teams.
They were all members of The Examiner’s All-Area team and now, they are reunited on the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association All-State Team, which was announced today.
Richards made the Class 3 first-team as an outfielder, Clifton was Class 4 first-team in the DH/utility categor while Sutton was a second-team Class 4 pick as an infielder.
Other area selections were Lee’s Summit North junior infielder Caleb Cole and senior pitcher Dylan Jensen, who made Class 4 first team, and Joey Kenney of St. Mary’s, who made the Class 2 second team as an infielder.
“David had an unbelievable year,” Grain Valley coach Mark Lyford said. “Every time he stepped to the plate, he had the chance to make a difference in the game – and he was that productive all season.”
Richards, in addition to his school single-season record 11 homers, hit .418 with 38 RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.016.
“You never think about things like that during the season,” said Richards, who was also an all-state wide receiver for the Eagles football team. “You just want to do anything you can to help the team win.
“But now that the season is over, it’s amazing. It’s an honor. I really feel humbled.”
Fort Osage coach Chris Walker was thrilled for Sutton, who was left off the Missouri State High School Baseball Coaches Association team.
“The kid really deserves it – it’s great news for Bret and the Fort Osage baseball program,” Walker said. “He had the great junior year. Now he can go out and sign with a college and come back and work on making all-state again.”
Sutton, who was a junior this spring, hit .493 with five home runs and 32 RBIs. He had an .863 slugging percentage, while stealing 11 bases.
“I’m really happy to make it,” Sutton said, “but I’m happier that Clifton made it. He’s a senior and he’s had such a great career at Truman. I’ve got another year, but it’s really special to make it as a junior.”
Sutton had to interrupt the telephone interview as he was getting a call from Kansas State baseball coach Brad Hill.
“He’s coming to our (Blue Springs Rod’s Sports Athletics) Wood Bat (Invitational) game (Wednesday) night,” Sutton said. “I’m taking a trip to K-State in a couple of weeks. It’s a pretty exciting time in my life right now.”
Clifton, who has 18 home runs this summer playing for the Independence Post 21 American Legion team, was an all-around standout for the Patriots, hitting .466 with five homers, 31 RBIs, a slugging percentage of .795 and a .619 on-base percentage.
“That is just so cool,” Clifton, who has signed with junior college baseball power Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., said when he was informed of the honor. “Now that high school is over, you begin to think about things like all-state. I’m really excited that I made it.”
Truman coach John Eglich was nearly as excited as Clifton when he heard about the honor.
“In the last 19 years at Truman as a coach or player he’s certainly one of the best I’ve seen,” Eglich said. “And I believe the best is yet to come. He can go to a junior college and get drafted or maybe go on to a Division I school. I don’t know of a kid who puts more time into his hitting than Kyle. He really deserves an honor like this.”
While he is known mainly for his hitting and ability behind the plate, Clifton was also 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA as a pitcher for the Patriots.
“He did a great job pitching,” Eglich added. “He won four games in conference and shut down a lot of good teams.”
Kenney compiled a .585 batting average with 19 RBIs and a .773 on-base percentage for St. Mary’s.
It’s pretty amazing really,” Kenney said. “I consider it a great accomplishment since I’m just a junior. It really gives me something to shoot for next year. When coach called me and told me I was all-state, I didn’t believe him at first.”
“It’s nice to see a kid rewarded who works his tail off,” Rogers said. “Nobody deserves it more than Joey.”
Jensen compiled a 9-2 record with a 1.78 earned run average and 65 strikeouts in 67 innings while leading the Broncos to a second-place finish in the Class 4 state playoffs.
Cole led the Broncos from his leadoff spot with a .441 average. He also compiled 20 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles and four home runs, and scored 43 runs. He was chosen as the Suburban Big Seven conference’s most outstanding player.
Independence, MO —
