Ethan Scheibmeir commands the respect from his opponents when he is on the mound and with the season over that respect still resonates. The Mustang ace was named second-team All-State and first-team All-League this past week.
The Iola junior was dominant this past season.
In six starts, he went 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA. In his 35 1/3 innings pitched he struck out 50 batters and allowed just eight walks.
The right-hander was just as devastating on opponents when he was the one seeing the pitches. His ability to stabilize an up-and-down lineup from the three-spot in the order was a key factor in Iola being able to capture the Pioneer League Championship this season.
He was the team’s top hitter with a .345 batting average. He had five extra-base hits including one home run. His on-base-percentage of .486 also led the Mustangs.
With a young team, Scheibmeir’s leadership was also pivotal in propelling the Mustangs to their league championship.
“Just watching him, it helped me,” freshman Derek Bycroft said. “He is a really good ballplayer and he deserved everything he got.”
Scheibmeir was able to collect his postseason honors despite being shut down on the mound for the last three weeks of the season. He developed an elbow injury that limited him to just playing the field, but despite only have the six starts, he had already proven that he was deserving of those honors.
“I think just with his strikeouts and ERA, (the other coaches) could tell he was a very good pitcher,” Percy said. “He had all those strikeouts without even pitching the last few weeks, so if he could have pitched he would have had more than that.”
BYCROFT IS THE FIRST
If Scheibmeir was the Mustangs’ ‘Batman’ this season, then Bycroft was their ‘Robin.’
The freshman was named first-team All-League. He becomes the first Mustang player ever to earn that distinction as a freshman.
“That was big,” Percy said. “We’ve had a few kids like Levi Ashmore that were really good players and I felt like he could have been first-team All-League in the SEK and he didn’t get picked.”
Whether in the field, on the mound or in the batter’s box, it was clear for Iola’s opponents this season that Bycroft was exceptional.
The right-hander quickly grabbed the lead-off spot in the Iola batting order and finished as the team’s third-leading hitter with a .311 batting average.
