He’s the busiest Street in Jefferson County.
Zander Street, newly graduated from St. Pius X, played in the infield for Festus Post 253 June 7 in an American Legion game. The next day he traveled to Southern Boone High in Ashland to play for the Class 3 Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star team.
The Lancer standout has earned a scholarship to play at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. So it was no surprise the coaches in the Jefferson County Activities Association small-schools division named him the conference co-player of the year, along with St. Vincent senior Christian Schaaf.
“I was honored because it was a goal I set out for,” Street said. “My main goal was to win the conference as a team, but it’s (still) an honor because of all the great kids we have in the conference.”
In its final season as a member of the JCAA, St. Pius finished 11-11 overall and 5-0 in the league, capturing the small-schools title for the third straight year. Two of their wins were by forfeit as Crystal City and Grandview canceled their meetings with the Lancers shortly after the expulsion was official.
Rain forced the cancellation of a number of small-schools contests. Herculaneum was the only team to play all five of its league games.
Street, the leader of the St. Pius pitching staff with 44 2/3 innings, 62 strikeouts, a 5-2 record and 2.19 earned run average, said the student-athletes at the private school wondered why county school district administrators would decide to oust them from the conference.
“At the end of the day we still were playing ball,” he said. “I wasn’t really fazed by (the expulsion). I just wanted to go win. Some wondered if we could still play (JCAA schools) in the postseason, but most of my teammates were even-keel about it.”
Tony McNabb, completing his first season as the Lancers’ head coach, said Street played every inning of every game this season.
“He’s a baseball guy at heart who works year-round,” McNabb said. “He plays at a high level during the summers. He has natural talent that’s been refined through experience. He gets the co-MVP because he was that for our team and put us on his back.
“His velocity is in the mid to high-80s. He executes his breaking ball and off-speed stuff. He throws strikes against good hitters who don’t get a big piece of his pitch. He played every position on the infield and batted second.”
St. Pius boasts two other first teamers in infielder Cayden Payne and outfielder Brennan Ervin. Payne, a sophomore, played third base and led the Lancers with a .429 average and 16 RBIs, and belted seven doubles.
“He’s a very patient, mature hitter,” McNabb said. “He batted cleanup and was truly our big bat. He projects to hit for more power. And he played great at third base. That (position) can sometimes be an underrated, difficult spot on the infield.”
Ervin, a junior, batted .328 with a team-high nine doubles and 12 runs batted in. Although he played shortstop, the conference coaches chose to put him on the first team as an outfielder, rather than consign him to second-team on the infield.
“Because of his offensive production, they were determined to make him a first-teamer,” said McNabb, noting coaches can’t vote for their own players.
With St. Pius playing as an independent next spring, McNabb said he’s made contacts with many teams eager to play the Lancers, who will have a new home diamond in 2025.
“We’ve been creating a list of potential opponents,” McNabb said. “We’ll travel, within reason. I’d like to have a preseason tournament on our new field.
“It’s heartbreaking to not be in the conference that’s meant a lot to the families and kids. But we’ve turned the page and want to be positive as we move forward, and that’s reflected in the schedule most of all.”
Crystal City’s string of three straight Class 2 district titles ended in a 4-2 loss to Bismarck in the Class 2 District 4 semifinals. The Hornets finished 6-11 overall and 2-1 in the league. Their top battery of pitcher Cale Schaumburg and catcher Nolan Eisenbeis earned first-team all-JCAA honors.
A tall, lithe sophomore lefthander, Schaumburg averaged two strikeouts per inning and posted a record of 2-4 with an ERA of 1.18. He has all the makings of a college prospect, said Hornet head coach Zach Weiss, who wrapped up his fourth season.
“Cale is becoming what I’d consider a prominent name, not just in the county but statewide,” Weiss said. “We’ve known about him at Crystal City for a few years and this year he seemed to build on what he did. He had video-game numbers on the mound. His talent is phenomenal, but his demeanor as a young man is what I truly admire.”
The Eisenbeis name is synonymous with Hornet athletics. Nolan Eisenbeis also excels on the football field and basketball court. He hit .250 as a junior this spring with four doubles and was a steadying influence behind the plate.
“You can put him anywhere on the field and I assure you, you’ll get his best effort and a tremendous amount of production,” Weiss said. “He’d be the first to say his offensive numbers weren’t what he’d like this year, but everyone that played us knew not to let him beat them. He saw a lot of 2-0 breaking balls. The last half of the season, he really turned it on and his line drives found holes. He’s a staple for us.”
With Eisenbeis and Schaumburg returning, the Hornets will be eager to make a deep postseason run next spring.
“That’s always the goal,” Weiss said. “You always want to take that next step. I’m proud of what we’ve done and I’ve been surrounded by phenomenal kids and families. It’s a special place.”
Robert Kuehnle was named the JCAA small-schools Coach of the Year after leading Jefferson to a record of 10-10 and 2-1. The Blue Jays finished third in the state in Class 3 in 2021 under Kuehnle. Two-thirds of the first-team outfield this year are Jefferson seniors Cole Robinson and Kole Williams.
Robinson led the Blue Jays with a .407 average and seven doubles and tied Williams with two home runs.
“(Robinson’s) bat kept him in the lineup,” Kuehnle said. “(Williams) is selfless and works hard. He does what he’s supposed to do. He has extremely good instincts out there. I’m proud of both of those guys.”
Kuehnle said being named coach of the year was a testament to his players.
“A lot of coaches could have been (coach of the year); I just got lucky with that vote,” he said. “There’s a lot of great things about (the JCAA). The games are always exciting. Conference games, you’re on the edge of your seat. The competition is a really fun part of it.”
At Herculaneum, Blane Boss is better known as the head coach of the football team but added the baseball top job to his resume this spring. He guided the Blackcats to a 6-13 overall mark, including a 3-2 league mark.
Representing Herky on the first team is sophomore shortstop Tanner Duncan, who led the team with a .389 batting average, nine doubles and four triples. He also started and relieved on the mound. His older brother, Jordan, was a Blackcat standout athlete a few years ago.
“When (Tanner) came to the plate, he had confidence and found ways to knock guys in,” Boss said. “He always seemed to make good, solid contact. He struck out less than 10 times. When he’d get two strikes, he’d battle and put the ball in play.
“He’s a great kid and teammate. I thought he did a good job of being a leader as a sophomore. At times, people want to compare him to his brothers but he’s a different person. I told him, ‘Just be you.’”
All-JCAA baseball (small-schools)
First team
Pitchers: Cale Schaumberg, Crystal City; Zander Street, St. Pius X
Infielders: Simon Barber. St. Vincent; Tanner Duncan, Herculaneum; Cayden Payne, St. Pius X; Christian Schaaf, St. Vincent
Catcher: Nolan Eisenbeis, Crystal City
Outfielders: Cole Robinson, Jefferson; Brennan Ervin. St. Pius X; Kole Williams, Jefferson
Utility: Nick Buchheit, St. Vincent
Second team
Pitchers: Jacob Seabaugh, St. Vincent; Devin Black, Herculaneum
Infielders: Kody Fox, Grandview; Evan Wolfe, Crystal City; Nick Buchheit. St. Vincent; Max Schnitzler, Jefferson
Catcher: Wyatt McDaniel, Jefferson
Outfielders: Reed Lamar-Finch, Crystal City; Karn Lebon, St. Pius X; Devin Black, Herculaneum
Utility: Mason Gorza, Herculaneum
Honorable mention
Pitchers: Ty Ortmann, St. Pius X; Evan Wolfe, Crystal City; Mason Gorza, Herculaneum; Nolan Naucke, Jefferson
Infielders: Ricardo Pastrana, Crystal City; Ty Ortmann, St. Pius X
Catcher: Gunnar Hosay, St. Pius X
Utility: Zander Street, St. Pius X
Players of the Year: Christian Schaaf, St. Vincent; Zander Street, St. Pius X
Coach of the Year: Robert Kuehnle, Jefferson