That squeezed out Perryville, not surprisingly given the Pirates were 0-8 in league play.
De Soto and Windsor split two one-run games and finished as conference co-champions at 7-1. Neither the Dragons (20-7) nor the Owls (17-9) won district championships. Festus was 0-4 against the large-schools co-champs in the regular season but shut out De Soto 3-0 in the Class 5 District 1 semifinals. Festus (15-15) went on to blank Cape Girardeau Notre Dame 4-0 in the district final before falling 11-5 to Rockwood Summit in the Class 5 quarterfinals.
Fittingly, De Soto and Windsor were well represented on the all-conference first team with four and two players (at three positions) respectively. A pair of seniors, pitcher-infielder Hunter Dill of De Soto and Windsor pitcher-outfielder Derek Williams, share the player of the year honors while their respective head coaches, Matt Buechting and Randy Green, do the same for coach of the year.
It’s the first time Buechting has received the honor in his six seasons at the helm while Green got it for his first season as the Owl skipper, succeeding the veteran Jeff Young.
“It was very fitting how the voting went with us and Windsor sharing the conference title,” Buechting said. “Sharing coach of the year and Hunter sharing player of the year, it worked out pretty well. Coach Green did a good job at Windsor. We played them in two one-run ballgames and both could have gone either way.”
Green called it “an awesome honor” to be recognized by his fellow league coaches.
“Being a first-year guy, that’s fantastic,” Green said. “The kids did the work and I pulled the strings. It was a good team. (Coach Young) didn’t leave the cupboard bare. (But) the season ended with a sour note and we fell on the sword and couldn’t handle our business.”
All four of De Soto’s first-teamers are 2021 graduates: Dill, Ethan Sampson (infield), Zack Keck (catcher) and Levi Fischer (outfield). Fischer and Sampson combined to four-hit Hillsboro in a 1-0 win in district play. Dill did his part against Festus in the semifinals, pitching a complete game, but sophomore lefthander Ian Brown was masterful on the mound for the Tigers in a four-hit shutout.
Dill was the Dragons’ second baseman and Buechting labeled him as a “five-tool guy” who can do it all on the diamond. Dill led De Soto in batting average (.535), doubles (8) and stolen bases (16). He had a hitting streak of 20-plus games that was snapped against Farmington on May 12. On the mound, Dill started the year as a closer but quickly turned into the ace of the staff and led the Dragons with 44 innings pitched, a 5-2 record and an earned run average of 2.23.
“He got ahead of hitters. He was a strike-thrower,” Buechting said. “I think back about missing his junior season and how he could have been better. He did everything the right way.”
Keck batted .304 with seven doubles and 16 RBIs. His best game offensively was a 12-4 victory over St. Clair on March 30, going 4 for 5 with three RBIs. Behind the plate, he allowed only one passed ball all season, had just one error and made 159 putouts.
“Offensively, I don’t think his numbers jump off the board; he’s a first-teamer for what he does behind the plate and he shuts down the running game,” Buechting said. “We felt confident with everything he did back there. He blocked a lot of pitches in the dirt. There were some good catchers in the conference, so I’m glad to see him on the first team.”
Sampson played first base when he wasn’t pitching. Despite his pedestrian batting average (.258), his power numbers were exceptional with a team-leading seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Sampson had two-home-run games in wins over Valle Catholic and St. Vincent.
“His average wasn’t as high as it could have been, but he could do it with one swing of the bat,” Buechting said. “He’s a constant threat and other teams had to pitch around him and be careful with him. He was a plus guy at first base. He picked a lot of throws out of the dirt.”
Fischer patrolled center field and was a relief pitcher, earning Buechting’s tag as the leader of the Dragons. He had 10 multiple-hit games, batted .322 with four round-trippers and had 31 runs batted in. He also had 11 stolen bases. On the mound he was 3-0 with a 2.23 ERA.
“He was the straw that stirred the drink for us,” Buechting said. “He was our voice before practice, before and after games. He was a problem for the other team when he got on base.”
What will Windsor athletics be like next year without Williams? He was the first-team quarterback and most valuable player in the Mississippi Area Football Conference Red Division last fall. This spring he led the Owls in virtually every offensive category: batting average (.463), doubles (12), home runs (10), RBIs (42) and stolen bases (13). On the mound he had an ERA of 0.82, a record of 4-2 and struck out 47 batters in 34 1/3 innings.
“He was a monster all year for us. That was to be expected,” Green said. “He was on the first team as a sophomore and I would wager he’d have gotten it last year if we’d had a season. He’s just a good player all around. He was a captain who led by example.”
Senior Nolan Estopare played every game for Windsor at shortstop this year. He and second baseman Nathan Beerman were a solid middle infield combination for the Owls. Estopare, also a team captain, hit .329 and drove in 22 runs.
“He was smooth. Nolan had worked on getting to this spot as long as I’ve known him,” Green said. “He just outworked everybody and was the backbone of the team. He batted cleanup even though he’s not your typical four-hole hitter. He was consistent and that’s what we wanted.”
Two seniors who have been the backbone of Festus baseball in the spring and summer were named to the first team.
Shortstop Collin Reando and center fielder Cole Wagner were recognized for their outstanding defense and solid contributions on offense. Both are also teammates for the Festus American Legion club in the summer.
Reando led the Tigers in batting average (.424) and RBIs (25), while Wagner (.271, 11 extra base hits) was tops on the team with 12 stolen bases. Reando’s most productive game was a 10-4 win over Fox on March 24, when he had four hits and scored three runs. Wagner had consecutive three-hit games against Seckman and Hillsboro in April.
“Collin was very consistent offensively and he took on shortstop this year, which is where we needed him to play. He’s a leader of the team,” Festus head coach Jeff Montgomery said. “He grinded it out this year. He got stronger in the weight room and it helped a ton. It was his best season offensively.”
Montgomery said Wagner was the best offensive player for Festus in 2019 as a sophomore. Wagner will attend Rockhurst University in Kansas City on scholarship this fall.
“He’s everything you want as a ballplayer,” Montgomery said. “He’ll be hard to replace out there. We had a young team and won a district title with six sophomores and a freshman and those two guys set the tone on how things need to be done.”
After having both the league’s player of the year (Michael Brewer) and coach of the year (Kevin Lucas) in 2019, this spring was a comedown for Hillsboro (8-17). But ironically, before losing to De Soto in the first round of district play, the Hawks finished the regular season knocking off Jefferson 5-2. The Blue Jays went on to take third in the state in Class 3.
Senior Noah Shuman (infield) and sophomore Austin Romaine (outfield) are Hillsboro’s two picks for the all-conference first team. Shuman played nearly every game at shortstop, hit .313 and led the Hawks with five home runs and 27 RBIs. Romaine, known more for his exploits on the gridiron at Hillsboro, is rapidly turning heads on the diamond. The outfielder hit .400 with 10 extra base hits.
“Noah is someone we expected to be a key contributor for us this year,” Lucas said. “He had a great year.
“Austin we knew had great potential, but (we) didn’t know where we would use him as the season started. He’s very athletic and can do so much that helped us be able to play him at first base and all of the outfield positions.”