- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,169,254
- Reaction score
- 59
TOPEKA — It was another big season of baseball in Shawnee County. From state championships to runs to big individual performances, the Topeka-area was excellent this spring. Throughout the big wins, top players performed at a high level consistently.
Vote now for the 2026 Capital-Journal baseball player of the year. Voting closes at noon Friday, and here are the nominees.
If there is a player from the area who has made an impact this week, send nominees with stats to Liam Keating at [email protected] or on X at @liamkeating7.
The senior put together a strong final season for the Trojans. He was the lone Topeka High player on the Centennial League awards list. Acosta was selected to the honorable mention list. Acosta had the second-best batting average on the team with .382. He finished with a team-high in hits and doubles. Acosta also secured a team-high 23 RBIs.
The junior was the lone Topeka West player to secure a postseason conference honor. He was a United Kansas Conference honorable mention pick. Babcock ended the year with a .327 batting average, which ranked third on the team. Babcock also threw the most innings on the team ending with a 7.72 ERA. He finished the year with a team-high 23 strikeouts.
The Auburn committee was a first-team all-Class 5A selection. Brewer was also picked to the United Kansas Conference’s first-team list. Brewer was a key piece on the mound and hitting for the Vikings.
The Washburn signee put together the best season of his career. Cooper was named the United Kansas Conference pitcher of the year. He threw a team-high 70.2 innings. He finished with a 10-1 record with a 1.68 ERA. Cooper finished with 91 strikeouts out of 298 batters faced this year. Cooper’s strong play helped Shawnee Heights reach the Class 5A State Championship game.
The senior had the team’s best batting average with .481. He had a team-high 26 hits along with the most extra-base hits. Fox led the Meadowlark Conference with eight triples, too. Fox also threw 17.1 innings and he is set to play football at Kingsmen Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, next fall.
The Wildcats starting pitcher helped them reach the Class 4A State Championship. Hanika was dominant on the mound and was named a first-team all-Centennial League selection. He was also selected to the All-Class 4A second-team for his efforts. Hanika is set to play football at KU.
Mitchell ended his career leading the Bulldawgs to third place in Class 2-1A. He was a first-team all-Class 2-1A selection. Mitchell was also a first-team all-Big East League pick. He hit .469 with 45 hits and six home runs. He also added 57 RBIs as Mitchell heads to Arkansas State Mountain Home to play baseball next year.
He was the Centennial League Player of the Year and was selected to the second-team all-Class 6A team. Newbery led the team to Washburn Rural’s first state championship in over 70 years. He hit .394 and finished with 39 hits and 27 RBIs. Newbery will play at the next level at Kansas City, Kansas Community College.
The first baseman was a first-team all-Class 3A selection. Womack was also the only Silver Lake player to reach first-team all-Big East League honors. Womack started the postseason off perfectly with a walk-off homer, which led to Silver Lake reaching the Class 3A State Championship game.
March 23-28: Isaac Ansley, Washburn Rural baseball
March 30-April 4: Morgan Ray, Washburn Rural track and field
April 6-11:Justice McBurney, Washburn Rural softball
April 13-18: Cameron Miller, Rossville baseball
April 20-25: Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden soccer
April 27-May 2: Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights track and field
May 4-9: Emily Graf, Washburn Rural track
May 11-16: Henley Rapp, Washburn Rural softball
May 18-23:Brynn Spencer, Seaman track and field
May: 25-30: Landen Lewis, Rossville track and field
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Shawnee County's 2026 baseball player of the year, presented by Envista | Vote
Continue reading...
Vote now for the 2026 Capital-Journal baseball player of the year. Voting closes at noon Friday, and here are the nominees.
If there is a player from the area who has made an impact this week, send nominees with stats to Liam Keating at [email protected] or on X at @liamkeating7.
You must be registered for see images attach
Drayden Acosta, Topeka High
The senior put together a strong final season for the Trojans. He was the lone Topeka High player on the Centennial League awards list. Acosta was selected to the honorable mention list. Acosta had the second-best batting average on the team with .382. He finished with a team-high in hits and doubles. Acosta also secured a team-high 23 RBIs.
Roman Babcock, Topeka West
The junior was the lone Topeka West player to secure a postseason conference honor. He was a United Kansas Conference honorable mention pick. Babcock ended the year with a .327 batting average, which ranked third on the team. Babcock also threw the most innings on the team ending with a 7.72 ERA. He finished the year with a team-high 23 strikeouts.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
The Auburn committee was a first-team all-Class 5A selection. Brewer was also picked to the United Kansas Conference’s first-team list. Brewer was a key piece on the mound and hitting for the Vikings.
Brody Cooper, Shawnee Heights
The Washburn signee put together the best season of his career. Cooper was named the United Kansas Conference pitcher of the year. He threw a team-high 70.2 innings. He finished with a 10-1 record with a 1.68 ERA. Cooper finished with 91 strikeouts out of 298 batters faced this year. Cooper’s strong play helped Shawnee Heights reach the Class 5A State Championship game.
Dontrail Fox, Highland Park
The senior had the team’s best batting average with .481. He had a team-high 26 hits along with the most extra-base hits. Fox led the Meadowlark Conference with eight triples, too. Fox also threw 17.1 innings and he is set to play football at Kingsmen Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, next fall.
Connor Hanika, Hayden
The Wildcats starting pitcher helped them reach the Class 4A State Championship. Hanika was dominant on the mound and was named a first-team all-Centennial League selection. He was also selected to the All-Class 4A second-team for his efforts. Hanika is set to play football at KU.
Canann Mitchell, Rossville
Mitchell ended his career leading the Bulldawgs to third place in Class 2-1A. He was a first-team all-Class 2-1A selection. Mitchell was also a first-team all-Big East League pick. He hit .469 with 45 hits and six home runs. He also added 57 RBIs as Mitchell heads to Arkansas State Mountain Home to play baseball next year.
Aiden Newbery, Washburn Rural
He was the Centennial League Player of the Year and was selected to the second-team all-Class 6A team. Newbery led the team to Washburn Rural’s first state championship in over 70 years. He hit .394 and finished with 39 hits and 27 RBIs. Newbery will play at the next level at Kansas City, Kansas Community College.
Drew Womack, Silver Lake
The first baseman was a first-team all-Class 3A selection. Womack was also the only Silver Lake player to reach first-team all-Big East League honors. Womack started the postseason off perfectly with a walk-off homer, which led to Silver Lake reaching the Class 3A State Championship game.
Previous spring athlete of the week winners
March 23-28: Isaac Ansley, Washburn Rural baseball
March 30-April 4: Morgan Ray, Washburn Rural track and field
April 6-11:Justice McBurney, Washburn Rural softball
April 13-18: Cameron Miller, Rossville baseball
April 20-25: Carsyn Broxterman, Hayden soccer
April 27-May 2: Tanesia Johnson, Shawnee Heights track and field
May 4-9: Emily Graf, Washburn Rural track
May 11-16: Henley Rapp, Washburn Rural softball
May 18-23:Brynn Spencer, Seaman track and field
May: 25-30: Landen Lewis, Rossville track and field
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Shawnee County's 2026 baseball player of the year, presented by Envista | Vote
Continue reading...
