Trojans earn all-state honors
The baseball season might have ended for the Trojans three wins shy of a state title, but there is no discrediting the players Hillsboro used to make its second appearance at the Class 3A state tournament.
Despite the season ending after a crushing 7-2 loss in Friday's quarterfinal round to the Wichita-Trinity Knights, the Trojans had three players selected to the Class 3A All-State team along with six chosen as all-MCAA.
For the past two years, Hillsboro has featured the state's top backstop in the class, catcher James Bina.
Leading the Trojans with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs and batting .520, the third time was a charm as Bina again repeated.
A signee to Butler County, Bina was a unanimous easy choice for the MCAA's top catcher.
While the other Trojans played their final high school game May 30 in Manhattan, Bina plays his Saturday in Lawrence at the high school all-star game.
Second to Bina in runs batted in with 34 while hitting .400, Graham Ratzlaff was chosen as the designated hitter to Class 3A's second team as well as the MCAA.
Opting to play for Mid-America Nazarene next season and rounding out the Trojans' all-state players, third baseman Shawn Hughbanks was selected to 3A's second team.
Finishing third in RBIs behind Bina and Ratzlaff with 24, Hughbanks was named honorable mention in the MCAA behind 4A runner-up Haven's Jeremy Kocher.
For the first time in two years, the MCAA first team did not have Dustin Jost as its shortstop.
Batting .352 and second to Bina in home runs with eight, Jost was selected as honorable mention.
Jost will join Hughbanks at Mid-America next year as he will play both football and baseball.
For the second consecutive season, Trojan ace Jerod Metcalf was chosen as a first team MCAA pitcher.
Despite being heavily sought after by Tabor, Metcalf chose to play next season for the Bluejays' league-rival Friends.
With Metcalf enduring an up and down season, Steve Chisholm ingrained himself as the Trojans' ace pitcher, closing Hillsboro's games.
Chisholm earned honorable mention honors his final year before heading to play for John Sparks at Tabor.
The defending Class 4A state champion Nickerson Panthers placed a total of 11 on the MCAA-first and honorable-mention teams followed by 2003 4A runner-up Haven's nine.
Hillsboro followed with six with Collegiate and Lyons each adding five.
