The Star’s All-Metro baseball team: SM East’s Joey Wentz is player of the year
For the first 26 innings of Shawnee Mission East High School’s baseball season, no batter got a hit off Lancers senior pitcher Joey Wentz. For the entire 68-day season, Wentz didn’t allow a single run — not even an unearned run.
Wentz’s dominance on the mound, his impressive hitting numbers and a memorable conclusion to his season (being drafted No. 40 overall in the Major League Baseball amateur draft to the Atlanta Braves) make him The Star’s All-Metro baseball player of the year.
Before his draft night dreams came true, Wentz also led his Lancer teammates to the Kansas Class 6A state championship.
“I just try to get lost in the team aspect of baseball,” Wentz said earlier this season. “I know that I have my personal goals, but when you focus on the people you care about, it makes your personal goals a lot easier to achieve because you’re not thinking about how hard you threw or how many strikes you had.”
One hundred four — that’s how many strikeouts Wentz accumulated during the season. A lefty, Wentz regularly threw in the 90-mph range and allowed only seven hits this year, in 51.1 innings. His ERA was just a line of zeroes and his final record was 9-0.
Although Wentz was drafted as a pitcher, his presence at the plate was imposing, too. He finished the season with a .392 batting average, eight doubles, two triples and eight home runs, including one in the state semifinal game. In that same game, Wentz threw a two-hitter and struck out nine on the mound.
“People always say the best players in the world fail in baseball more than they succeed, which is true,” Wentz said. “Really I think it shows a lot about your character and how you can bounce back from a rough situation, and that’s why I love baseball.”
He just didn’t have too many of those rough situations this season. Wentz, the two-time Kansas Class 6A Player of the Year, dominated Sunflower League competition.
This month, he’s carrying his senior year momentum into Atlanta Braves rookie ball. In the first nine innings of his Gulf Coast League career, Wentz, with 12 strikeouts, still hasn’t allowed a run.
The Star’s All-Metro baseball team
PITCHERS
Riley Pint, St. Thomas Aquinas, senior. In 49 innings pitched, Pint allowed 21 hits and struck out 87 on his way to a 7-1 record and 0.43 ERA. With a 100-plus mph fastball in his arsenal — as well as a .579 batting average for the Kansas Class 5A state champions — Pint was drafted fourth overall in June’s Major League Baseball amateur draft.
Hunter Gudde, Lawrence Free State, senior. Gudde maintained a 0.38 ERA in 55.2 innings pitched for Free State, the Kansas Class 6A runners-up. He struck out 53, walked only four and notched five saves on the season.
CATCHER
Justin Mitchell, Platte County, junior. The Oklahoma commit batted .420 with nine doubles, three triples and five home runs. In 97 plate appearances, he struck out only six times.
SHORTSTOP
Nonie Williams, Turner, senior. Williams, with his .533 batting average and 26 stolen bases, was drafted No. 96 overall to the Los Angles Angels of Anaheim in June’s Major League Baseball amateur draft. He also had nine doubles, four triples, five homers and a .613 on-base percentage for Turner, where the homeschooler played his baseball.
FIRST BASE
Jacob Thigpen, Park Hill South, senior. The Suburban Red Conference player of the year batted .400 with 13 extra-base hits and 25 RBI. He was also 6-1 on the mound with an 0.83 earned run average.
SECOND BASE
Dalton Lanpher, Rockhurst, senior. He batted .417 with 14 doubles, three triples and three home runs, and he drove in 31 runs. He also won four games on the mound.
THIRD BASE
Harrison Schnurbusch, Lee’s Summit West, senior. The versatile infielder batted .305 with seven doubles and two home runs, helping the Titans placed third in the Missouri Class 5 state tournament.
OUTFIELD
Jack Duffy, Staley, senior. A Missouri State signee, Duffy batted .528 with 17 doubles, three triples and six home runs. He scored 59 runs and stole 31 bases for the Falcons, who won 31 games.
James Perry, Liberty North, sophomore. He batted .360 and hit for consistent power, with 17 doubles, one triple and four home runs. He drove in 35 runs and stole 10 bases.
Will Brennan, Blue Valley, senior. Brennan batted .506 with eight doubles, five triples and 16 RBI. He struck out only once this season and was first-team All-Eastern Kansas League for Blue Valley, which finished 21-3.
UTILITY
Joey Wentz, Shawnee Mission East, senior. After starting the season with 26 hitless innings, Wentz finished out the season without allowing a single run. His 9-0 record, 104 strikeouts and .392 batting average helped lead the Lancers to a Kansas Class 6A state championship. He was drafted No. 40 overall in the Major League Baseball amateur draft to the Atlanta Braves.
This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "The Star’s All-Metro baseball team: SM East’s Joey Wentz is player of the year."