Fonda-Fultonville's Josh Nethaway and Canajoharie's Dane O'Neil are the most valuable players of their respective divisions in the Western Athletic Conference.
Fonda coach Rick Palumbo said he was not at all surprised by Nethaway being named the MVP of the North Division.
"A couple of kids from other teams were close to him, but if you go by the numbers and what he means to our team, there was no question," Palumbo said. "It was pretty much unanimous. The nice thing is that the other coaches realize how important he was to our success."
Nethaway hit .581 on the season with a slugging percentage of 1.027. He hit four home runs, four triples and 13 doubles, drew 19 walks, stole 19 bases in 19 attempts, scored 35 runs and drove in 41. On the mound, he was 8-1 in 50 1/3 innings, striking out 72 batters while walking 11. He threw three complete games and finished with an ERA of 1.95. In the field, he made just three errors in 103 total chances for a .972 fielding average.
Palumbo called Nethaway a true leader, with his three years as team captain, and said he was impossible to replace.
Canajoharie coach Brent Watterson said O'Neil was the right choice in the South and was glad the other coaches recognized him as MVP. Coaches can't vote for their own players.
"We didn't win the league, but he was probably the most dominant pitcher in the South and he hit well," Watterson said. "It's voted on by all the coaches, so I wasn't the only one who thought that."
O'Neil was 4-2 on the mound with three saves and one complete game in 44 1/3 innings. He struck out 72 batters and walked 18, finishing with an ERA of 2.05. He improved in most categories from the 2008 season, when he was 3-3 in 35 innings with 53 strikeouts and 15 walks with an ERA of 1.00.
At the plate, O'Neil hit .378 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. His average was slightly down from last season, when he hit .390, but his slugging percentage went up from .519 to .595. He had more runs (28), doubles (3), triples (2), home runs and RBIs.
Fonda placed six players on the all-star team in the North, as did Fort Plain. Canajoharie had three players named to the South all-star team.
Mayfield senior Dale Schoolcraft was named to the North team as an infielder and junior D.J. Hoagboon made the team as a pitcher. Schoolcraft hit .306 on the year with 29 runs and drew 17 walks. He stole 28 bases in 29 tries. Hoagboon hit .467 with 13 doubles, four triples and five home runs, driving in 29 runs and scoring 18. He drew 14 walks and stole 11 bases. On the mound, Hoagboon was 6-3 with six complete games, striking out 103 batters and walking 35 in 71 1/3 innings. He finished with an ERA of 3.24.
Northville senior Matt Blowers was named to the team as an infielder and St. Johnsville senior Bernie Bennett was named to the team as a designated hitter.
In addition to Nethaway, Fonda was represented by seniors Kevin Hanson and Pat Sperow in the outfield, juniors Tyler Hall and Kyle Hanson in the infield and sophomore Luke Nethaway behind the plate.
Sperow will be missed, Palumbo said, as a versatile player who he could plug into any position. He hit .342, stole eight bases, scored 24 runs and drove in 19. On the mound, Sperow was 4-2 with three saves in 40 2/3 innings. He struck out 39 and walked 18, finishing with an ERA of 3.27. He finished with a fielding percentage of .968, making three errors in 92 chances.
Kevin Hanson had the third-highest batting average on the team, was 5-0 on the mound and reliable in center field, Palumbo said. He hit .346, stole eight bases, scoring 20 runs and driving in 19. On the mound he was 5-0 with a save and an ERA of 0.26. In 26 innings, he struck out 18 and walked eight.
The Braves will return their middle infield with Hall at shortstop and Kyle Hanson at second base. Hall hit .405, scored 34 runs and drove in 19, doubled six times and stole seven bases. Kyle Hanson hit .319, scored 28 runs and drew 21 walks. On the mound, he was 3-0 with a save. In the field, he made three errors in 79 chances for a fielding percentage of .963.
Add to the mix catcher Luke Nethaway, who can play several other positions as well, and Palumbo said he has reason to anticipate the first practices of the next spring season. Luke Nethaway hit .293, scored 17 runs, drove in 33, doubled seven times and went 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts.
"I think we have a good nucleus returning," Palumbo said. "We won't be as much of a power hitting team, but we'll be a good hitting team - a different type of hitting team. Our defense will be good and our pitching could be even better if people gel the way I think they will."
Fort Plain was represented by junior Mark Hanifin and senior Ryan Kane in the outfield; juniors Tyler Barhydt, junior Evan Yacowenia and sophomore Brent Baker in the infield; and senior Dan Wiecek on the mound.
Hanifin's 2009 stats showed just how much he has grown since his sophomore season. He improved his batting average from .375 to .527, his slugging from .487 to .846, his hits from 30 in 80 at-bats to 48 in 91 at-bats, his doubles from three to nine, his triples from three to four, his home runs from none to four, his stolen bases from 8-for-9 to 13-for-13, his RBIs from 14 to 39 and his runs from 22 to 39.
On the mound, he was 7-0 with a save in 46 innings of work, striking out 59 and walking 16 while compiling a 0.61 ERA. He threw two complete-game shutouts.
Hanifin made three errors in the field, all during his two games at third base. He was perfect in his 12 games in left field, seven in center, three at first base and his 11 games on the mound. Baker had a fielding percentage of .987, making just one error in 77 total chances. Kane made two in 18 chances for a .938 fielding percentage.
Barhydt finished with a .473 batting average and a .753 slugging percentage. He was 12-for-12 on steal attempts, knocked out 44 hits, seven doubles, five triples and three home runs. He scored 34 times and drove in 35 runs.
Baker finished with a .447 batting average and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. He also drew 18 walks. Yacowenia finished with a .364 average, scored 35 runs and drove in 22. He hit two homers.
The Hilltoppers lose Kane and Wiecek to graduation. Kane hit .376, playing in every game for the first time. He scored 25 times and drove in 25 runs while recording 32 hits, eight of them doubles. On the mound, he was 6-0 in 35 innings with one complete game. He struck out 35 while walking eight en route to a 1.20 ERA.
Wiecek was the team's ace on the mound. He and Hanifin were billed as twin aces by coach Craig Phillips - Ace 1 and Ace 1A - but it was Wiecek who started against the Hilltoppers' top opponents. As such, he took all four of the team's losses, but the first three were each one-run losses to two of the top Class B teams in Section II.
Wiecek was 7-4 in 75 innings of work, throwing six complete games. He struck out 93 batters and walked 41, earning an ERA of 1.12.
Canajoharie junior Payton Stahler was named to the South team as an infielder and senior Zach Weaver earned a spot as a pitcher.
Stahler's numbers were down, but still good. He hit .405 with a .671 slugging percentage after finishing last year with a .525 average and .812 slugging percentage. He had more doubles (8) and triples (2) this year, finishing with three homers and 22 RBIs, scoring 24 times.
"Payton's just an all-around baseball player," Watterson said. "He's solid in the field. I think he had four errors on the year at second base. He's a solid hitter and he grew into himself by the end of the season. He's baseball smart, too. That's the nice thing about Payton."
He said Stahler's growth spurt between the 2008 and 2009 season took some time to adjust to at the plate. Once his swing caught up to his height, he hit better.
Weaver hit .493 this season with an .849 slugging percentage. He hit nine doubles, four triples and three home runs, driving in 32 and scoring 21. On the mound, he was 5-2 with a complete game in 45 2/3 innings. He struck out 59 and walked 16, finishing with an ERA of 1.23. That was an improvement from his 3.41 ERA in the 12 1/3 innings he pitched in 2008, walking 13 and striking out 20.
Watterson said Weaver leaves big shoes to fill, but he hopes freshman Lucas McLaughlin can develop over the summer into one of the team's top pitchers next season to compliment O'Neil.
With the other returners for Canajoharie's 2010 season, Watterson said he's already looking forward to next spring.
"I've got the best infielder and the best pitcher coming back," he said. "I know Duanesburg has two young pitchers coming up, too. But I'll have a pitcher with a lot of experience coming back. He's playing summer ball, too, [American Legion, Morris J. Edwards Post] with Roger Weaver."
2009 Western Athletic Conference baseball all-stars
North Division
Most Valuable Player: Josh Nethaway (Sr., Fonda-Fultonville)
Outfield: Mark Hanifin (Jr., Fort Plain), Ryan Kane (Sr., Fort Plain), Shane Matthews (Sr., Saratoga Catholic), Kevin Hanson (Sr., Fonda-Fultonville), Pat Sperow (Sr., Fonda-Fultonville)
Infield: Tyler Barhydt (Jr., Fort Plain), Brent Baker (Soph., Fort Plain), Evan Yacowenia (Jr., Fort Plain), Tyler Hall (Jr., Fonda-Fultonville), Kyle Hanson (Jr., Fonda-Fultonville), Matt Blowers (Sr., Northville), Dale Schoolcraft (Sr., Mayfield)
Catcher: Josh Keller (Soph., Saratoga Catholic), Luke Nethaway (Soph., Fonda-Fultonville)
Pitcher: Dan Wiecek (Sr., Fort Plain), D.J. Hoagboon (Jr., Mayfield), Dylan Anderson (Soph., Saratoga Catholic), Billy McDonough (Soph., Saratoga Catholic)
Utility: Dale Long (Soph., Saratoga Catholic)
Designated hitter: Bernie Bennett (Sr., St. Johnsville)
South Division
Most Valuable Player: Dane O'Neil (Jr., Canajoharie)
Outfield: Ian Compton (Sr., Schenectady Christian), Matt Larkin (Jr., Sharon Springs), Cody Conely (Sr., Sharon Springs), Andy Liddane (Sr., Berne-Knox-Westerlo), Ben Lynch (Sr., Duanesburg)
Infield: R.J. Gallup (Sr., Schenectady Christian), Payton Stahler (Jr., Canajoharie), Brandon Galgay (Soph., Berne-Knox-Westerlo), Cody LaBadia (Soph., Schoharie), Nick Ferri (Sr., Duanesburg), Chris Hyrny (Sr., Duanesburg)
Catcher: George Amedore (Sr., Schenectady Christian), Richie Kennedy (Sr., Duanesburg)
Pitcher: Zach Weaver (Sr., Canajoharie), Peter Quandt (Soph., Schoharie), Aaron Casper (Soph., Duanesburg), Ben Brand (Soph., Duanesburg)
Utility: Zach Bartlett (Jr., Sharon Springs), Tim Beninati (Soph., Schoharie)
Designated hitter: Adam Hoerz (Sr., Middleburgh)
