HANCOCK COUNTY — Strong pitching and strong teams, the two went together well for Hancock County’s high school baseball teams this past spring.
The 18-member all-county team has five pitchers selected, but a number of other position players were two-way players.
Hancock County Player of the Year, Mt. Vernon’s Cam Sullivan led the Hoosier Heritage Conference in earned run average at 0.75. The next three spots were all taken by county hurlers. New Pal junior lefty Rigg Mahurin was second at 0.98. His sophomore teammate Jacob Morris was third at 1.04 and Greenfield-Central’s Landon Brooks was fourth at 1.08.
New Pal senior Michael Thorpe tied with Brooks for the county lead in wins with six.
Leading his club to back-to-back regional titles, Shawn Lyons of New Palestine is the Hancock County Coach of the Year.
The Dragons went 25-6.
Mt. Vernon was 18-8 and 12-2 in the HHC, winning its fourth straight outright conference crown.
Greenfield-Central’s youthful Cougars were one game under .500, 13-14, but reached the sectional title game before being eliminated by the Dragons.
Eastern Hancock, another young club, had 12 wins on the year, two more that they accumulated in 2023.
Here’s a look at the 2024 All-Hancock County Baseball Team:
P: Landon Brooks, Greenfield-Central
Brooks had a strong senior campaign. The Cougar right-hander went 6-2 with a 1.08 earned run average. He also had one save. In 51.2 innings, he struck out 67 and gave up 40 hits. He was one of three Cougars named to the All-HHC team.
P: Jack Peine, Mt. Vernon
It was a different role, but the same results for the Marauder senior. Peine moved from his closer role as a junior to one of Mt. Vernon’s spots in the starting rotation. Peine went 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA. He fanned 48 in 32 innings and opponents hit just .174 against his assortment of pitches.
P: Tristan Sitton, Mt. Vernon
With a win over New Palestine in his first career HHC start, Sitton, a junior, became a solid No. 2 starting pitcher behind Sullivan for the team’s HHC games. With three complete game league wins, Sitton finished 5-1 with a 1.73 ERA. He fanned 38 in 36.1 innings and teams hit just .173 against him.
P: Cam Sullivan, Mt. Vernon
What more can be said about Sullivan, the seventh-round draft choice of the Cleveland Guardians.
With a fastball getting up to 96-97 mph, the hard-throwing righty had a strong year, even though rain cost him a few more innings on the mound. He went 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA and struck out 65 in just 37.1 innings of work. Teams hit just .169 against his pitching.
Committed to the University of Notre Dame, Sullivan has elected to sign and begin his pro career with the Guardians.
All three Marauder all-county pitchers were also named to the All-HHC team.
P: Michael Thorpe, New Palestine
The veteran of the Dragons pitching staff, Thorpe went 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA in his final high school season. He had 76 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. He was one of four New Palestine players to be selected to the All-HHC team.
In back-to-back conference wins over Mt. Vernon and Greenfield-Central, Thorpe had 10 and 11 strikeouts, respectively. He threw eight innings and did not get the decision in the semi-state loss to eventual state runner-up Mooresville. He finished that game with a season-high 12 strikeouts.
C: Jackson Kamp, New Palestine
Kamp hit .383, second best for the Dragons. An All-HHC choice, he had a team-high 12 doubles and was second on the squad with 30 RBI.
1B: Gavin Jenkins, Eastern Hancock
Only a freshman, Jenkins had the best batting average among Hancock County regulars at .424. He had 10 doubles, three home runs and 28 RBI in his rookie season. He was named to the All-Mid-Eastern Conference team.
2B/P: Jacob Morris, New Palestine
There weren’t many two-way players in the state better than New Pal’s Morris, and he’s only a sophomore.
Morris was just .001 behind Jenkins from having the county’s top batting average. Morris hit .423 with seven doubles, two triples and was his team leader in RBI with 34. He was just as dominant on the mound, picking up victories in both the sectional and regional championship games. Morris went 5-3 with a 1.04 ERA. Teams hit just .118 against the righty and he struck out 49 in 47.1 innings.
Morris was All-HHC and the lone county player to make the Class 4A Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team.
3B: Gavin Neal, New Palestine
Another good, young talented player on the Dragons roster, Neal is another sophomore.
One of the team’s hottest hitters during the postseason, Neal finished the year hitting .348 with two doubles and 17 RBI.
SS: Brady Johnson, Greenfield-Central
Johnson, a junior, was the team leader in batting average at .346. He had 14 RBI and scored 17 runs.
IF/C: Zander Cobb, Greenfield-Central
One of three Cougars to be selected all-conference, Cobb was one of the more versatile players on his team. Along with catching, the junior played some in the infield. He hit .329 with a team-best six doubles.
IF: Will Jacobs, Mt. Vernon
The senior first baseman hit .358 with five doubles, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. He also had a home run and two triples.
OF: Nathan Criss, Mt. Vernon
Criss was Mt. Vernon’s lone position player on the All-HHC team. He certainly had the numbers for it. After getting a late start due to injury, the senior hit a team-high .392 with six doubles.
OF: Josh James, Mt. Vernon
One of the county’s most dangerous runners on the bases, James hit .289 with 23 stolen bases. He scored 29 runs and had three triples.
OF: Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central
The multi-sport standout doubled as a state-qualifier in track and field and as an all-county/all-conference center fielder. Knecht hit .328 with 11 stolen bases, five doubles and two triples.
OF/P: Rigg Mahurin, New Palestine
Mahurin, a junior lefty pitcher/center fielder, who hits right-handed, was another one of New Pal’s two-way stars. At the plate, he hit .309 with four doubles, a triple and 18 RBI. He scored 19 runs. On the mound, he was 5-1 with a 0.98 ERA. He fanned 50 in 35.2 innings and batters hit just .122 against the southpaw.
OF: Wyatt Matheis, New Palestine
Another veteran and strong bat in the Dragons lineup, Matheis, after catching much of his junior season, moved to left field. The move didn’t hurt him at the plate. He hit .328 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 27 runs scored.
UT: Chase Stewart, Eastern Hancock
A repeat member of both the all-county and All-MEC teams, Stewart, a senior, hit .386 with five doubles, a triple, and 15 RBI. He stole 19 bases and scored 32 runs.
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2024 Daily Reporter All-Hancock County Baseball Team
Pos.;Player, School;Class
P;Landon Brooks, Greenfield-Central;Sr.
P;Jack Peine, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
P;Tristan Sitton, Mt. Vernon;Jr.
P;Cam Sullivan, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
P;Michael Thorpe, New Palestine;Sr.
C;Jackson Kamp, New Palestine;Jr.
1B;Gavin Jenkins, Eastern Hancock;Fr.
2B/P;Jacob Morris, New Palestine;So.
3B;Gavin Neal, New Palestine;So.
SS;Brady Johnson, Greenfield-Central;Jr.
IF/C;Zander Cobb, Greenfield-Central;Jr.
IF;Will Jacobs, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
OF;Nathan Criss, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
OF;Josh James, Mt. Vernon;Sr.
OF;Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central;Sr.
OF/P;Rigg Mahurin, New Palestine;Jr.
OF;Wyatt Matheis, New Palestine;Sr.
UT;Chase Stewart, Eastern Hancock;Sr.
Player of the Year;Cam Sullivan, Mt. Vernon
Coach of the Year;Shawn Lyons, New Palestine
Honorable mention: Eastern Hancock – Carson Borden, Aidan Morris. Greenfield-Central – Kyle Oden, Parker Rhodes. Mt. Vernon – Andrew Boldt, Mason Meyer, Grant Payson, Griffin Raquet, DJ Scheumann. New Palestine – Nic Deering, Ben Hirschy, Adam Rickey.
