McAlester baseball honors players at annual banquet – Mcalester News Capital

McAlester celebrated its baseball season with the annual baseball banquet on Thursday night at Pete’s Place in Krebs.

Buffs head coach Justin Bond opened the banquet by thanking the McAlester Dugout Club — president Brad Rutledge, secretary Nicole Green and treasurer Regina Edwards — assistant coaches Trent Homer and Kevin Harmon, and his wife, Niki.

McAlester finished this past season at 13-20 overall and 5-7 for fifth in District 5A-3, but Bond told the audience at the banquet that he was proud of the team playing hard against tough competition.

“We played 13 state tournament teams, one state champion and two state runner-up teams,” bond said. “With the competition we play, I tell the boys every day, keep the fight.

“I’d like to flip it (the record) but our guys played their guts out and I’m proud of that,” Bond added. “(But) the things you’re going to remember is spending time with one another.”

Bond reflected on the fun times the team had this year — even when the players visited Beale Street in the cold during their tournament in Memphis, Tennessee.

The coach then recognized the student assistants and the players by class, before presenting each of the seniors — Mason Ross, Conner Stewart, and Dylan Stobaugh — with a banner and playing a highlight video to end the event.

Ross, Noah Cook and Cameron Green were named to the 5A-3 all-district baseball team, while Alton Jones and Jacob Thomas received honorable mention.

Cook was named the District 5A-3 all-district pitcher of the year by district coaches after finishing with a 7-2 record on the mound with a 3.44 earned run average and 39 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.

Ross was named one of the all-district third basemen after finishing the season with a .435 batting average, 36 runs batted in, 12 doubles, and five home runs to lead the Buffs in all categories.

Green was named the all-district utility player after finishing with .913 fielding percentage, a .301 average, 25 runs scored, and led the Buffs in being hit by a pitch 17 times.

Thomas led the Buffs with 27 runs scored and had .900 fielding percentage and a .324 batting average, while Jones finished with a .909 fielding percentage, a .318 batting average, 13 RBIs, and 12 runs.