Edwardsville’s Hunter Baugh follows through on a base hit against Collinsville May 14 at Tom Pile Field in Edwardsville.
Matt Kamp/Hearst IllinoisEdwardsville and Father McGivney each placed two players on the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State teams.
Edwardsville’s Hunter Baugh and Tony Eberlin were named Class 4A All-State selections, while Father McGivney’s Omar Avalos and Isaac Wendler earned Class 2A honors.
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Since 2013, EHS has had 16 all-state selections.
It was the second consecutive All-State selection for Baugh, who will continue his baseball career at Lindenwood University. He is the first Tiger to earn the honor in successive seasons since Drake Westcott in 2018 and 2019.
Baugh hit a team-high .429 as a senior with two home runs and 30 RBI. He also led the Tigers with 35 runs scored and 40 hits.
On the mound, Baugh went 3-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 20.2 innings despite missing time because of injury. Last season, he finished 7-0 with a 0.15 ERA.
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Eberlin was dominant for Edwardsville, posting a 9-0 record with a 1.72 ERA and a team-best 62 strikeouts in 61 innings. He concluded his career with 17 victories.
Other area Class 4A honorees included Belleville West’s Braden Fournie and O’Fallon’s Carson Bauer, who were named honorable mentions.
Father McGivney’s Avalos and Wendler represented the Griffins on the Class 2A team.
Avalos batted .505 with a home run and 35 RBI during his junior season. He scored a team-high 59 runs and tied for the team lead with 35 stolen bases.
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Wendler, an Illinois-Springfield recruit, hit .444 and led the Griffins with eight home runs and 48 RBI. His eight homers tied Gabe Smith, Jackson Rodgers and Avalos for the program’s single-season record.
The senior first baseman finished his career as Father McGivney’s all-time leader in hits (165) and home runs (17).
Freeburg’s Cohen Merrill and Cole Miller also earned Class 2A All-State honors. Honorable mentions included Breese Central’s Mile Browne, Litchfield’s Matthew Bywater and Freeburg’s Ryan Garland.
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Triad’s Keegan Seipp and Nolan Keller were named Class 3A All-State selections, while Mascoutah’s Darren Klein received honorable mention recognition.
There were no area Class 1A All-State selections or honorable mentions.
Matt Kamp is the sports editor of the Edwardsville Intelligencer. He has been with the newspaper since 2010, serving in multiple roles, including as sports editor since 2013. Kamp has won multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association, is a member of the IBCA Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of a Special Recognition Award from the Edwardsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
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