COLONY — Crest High’s ascension to baseball powerhouse status has not gone unnoticed.
Seven Lancer players received postseason recognition for their diamond excellence in 2022.
Crest went undefeated into the Class 1A state playoffs before ending the year at 24-2, taking fourth place in the state tournament.
The squad had four players — Stetson Setter, Holden Barker, Trevor Church and Jack White — earn all-state recognition.
Those four, plus Rogan Weir, Avery Blaufuss and Ryan Golden, also were recognized by Three Rivers League coaches.
Speaking of coaches, Crest head coach Roland Weir earned a nifty feather in his cap as well, after being voted the KABC Class 2-1A Coach of the Year.
Setter, a junior shortstop, earned first-team all-state and all-TRL recognition as a middle infielder.
All he did was bat a jaw-dropping .527 (39 of 74) with 45 runs and 51 RBIs. He also led the Lancers with six home runs and four triples. Setter, who earned all-state recognition last year as an outfielder, also clubbed six doubles and stole 19 bases, while ranking second on the team with 45 runs scored.
Setter was equally dominant on the mound, going 5-0 with a 1.73 ERA, striking out 56 batters over 28 innings, and limiting opponents to a .111 batting average.
Barker, meanwhile, hit at a .455 clip to earn first-team all Class 2-1A honors as a designated hitter. He drove in 28, while going 30 of 66, with three home runs, five doubles and two triples. He also led Crest with 47 runs scored and 24 stolen bases.
Church’s dominance on the mound and in the outfield netted him two state honors. He was named second-team all-state for his pitching, courtesy of his 8-0 record and 0.74 ERA. He struck out 85 batters over 47 innings, and allowed five earned runs all season. Opposing batters hit a measly .156 against the lefty. When not on the mound, Church shined in center field, where he earned honorable mention all-state recognition. For the season, Church hit .395 with 30 hits in 76 at bats, while driving in 19 and scoring 37 runs. He also stole 20 bases, good for second on the team.
White garnered second-team all-state honors for his work at first base. He batted .412 (35 of 35), while scoring 33 runs and driving in 30. He also clubbed nine doubles and was a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts, and was another arm in Crest’s deep stable of pitching arms. White struck out 24 batters over 20 innings, while compiling a 1.73 ERA.
The scary part for opposing squads is all four players will be back in the fold next year as seniors.
JOINING the aforementioned fab four on the all-league team were Blaufuss, Weir and Golden.
Blaufuss earned first-team All-TRL recognition. The junior was Crest’s primary catcher, unless called upon to pitch. He hit .317 with 14 RBIs and ranked third on the squad with three home runs. On the mound, he compiled a 2.10 ERA, striking out 44 batters over 23 innings. He limited opposing batters to a .207 average.
Weir, a sophomore, all earned first-team all-league recognition. He hit .442 (34 of 77) and drove in 28 RBIs and smacked a team-leading 12 doubles, go go with a triple and home run. Weir was successful in all six of his stolen base attempts.
