Ban Johnson Baseball League honors players, coaches

The Ban Johnson Baseball League celebrated its 89th season with an awards banquet on Sunday night honoring players, coaches and officials at Deer Creek Golf Club in Overland Park.

Natural Baseball Academy won its first team title on July 31.

Seth Ell, an outfielder for UMB, was honored as the Lester Milgram Most Valuable Player. He ranked second in the league with a .453 batting average, first with a .506 on-base percentage and fourth in slugging at .604. A Park Hill graduate, Ell attends Southwest Baptist University.

Natural Baseball Academy outfielder Christian Patterson received the Bruce Rice Hustle Award. He is a Blue Valley graduate attending Benedictine College.

Dalton Moats of UMB was named the Rick Sutcliffe Pitcher of the Year. He had a 4-0 record and a 0.78 ERA, which ranked second. The Park Hill graduate also posted a league-best 0.89 WHIP and a 7.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Daniel Reilly, the Kansas City Sports Club Blaze first baseman, received the Alex George Batting Champion award for his league-leading .472 average. He is a Blue Valley West graduate attending Washburn University.

UMB shortstop Curtis “Shane” Boyer received the Frank White Award for Fielding Excellence with just three errors in 69 chances. He graduated from Olathe Northwest and attends Independence Community College.

Gary Burns, the Rockhurst University director of athletics and baseball coach, was inducted into the Ban Johnson Hall of Fame. He was hired as baseball coach in 1994 and since then, his teams have a 661-449 record with 14 postseason berths. Burns pitched for the Milgram team in the Ban Johnson League from 1977-80.

John Hager, the president of Kansas City 3&2 received the first Crosby Kemper Award for Leadership in KC Amateur Baseball. He has served the program for 50 years.