Mustangs rake in postseason honors

As could be expected, Iola High’s baseball team’s on-field success brought in an armload of postseason honors for its players, and a noteworthy one for its coach.
Four Mustangs were named to the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches all-state team for Class 4A, while six were named to the All-Pioneer League team.
Coach Mark Percy, meanwhile, was named KABC 4A Coach of the Year.
Leading the way for Iola was Mustang shortstop Levi Ashmore, who earned first team all-league and all-state honors.
The senior batted a lofty .386 (27 of 89), while leading Iola with 37 runs and nine doubles, and was a sterling 25 of 25 in stolen base attempts. He was one of five players with an on-base percentage of .500 or above.
“That’s just remarkable,” Percy said. “We always stressed the importance of getting on base, and they were able to do it more than half the time.”
Ashmore also served as Iola’s short reliever out of the pen. In 6 1/2 innings, he allowed only two hits — that equates to a batting average of .081 — and one earned run, for an ERA of 1.05. He struck out eight.
Ashmore has signed to play next season at Allen Community College.
Latta and Coons each earned first team all-league honors and second team all-state honors for their contributions.
Coons, a senior, led the Mustangs in RBIs with 29, scored 29 more and hit at a .387 clip. He also smacked six doubles and five sacrifice flies. He was 9 of 11 in stolen base attempts. His on-base percentage was a sterling .500.
Coons also served as one of Iola’s stalwarts on the mound. He went 8-0 with a 3.31 ERA, with three complete games. In 42 1/3 innings, he struck out 34. He limited his opponents to a .252 batting average.
Like Ashmore, Coons will take his skills across town next season to play for Val McLean’s Red Devils at Allen.

LATTA STILL has some time to decide if or when he’ll play collegiately, but with another season like this one, he’ll have plenty of recruiters looking his way.
The junior led Iola with a .467 batting average. He scored 30 runs, drove in 19, while pounding out four doubles and three triples. His on-base percentage was a mind-boggling .588, which also led the team. He was 22 of 23 in stolen base attempts.
Latta also emerged as one of the team’s aces on the mound, going 7-1 with a 3.00 ERA. In 44 1/3 innings, he struck out 52, while limiting his foes to a .249 batting average. Included in his pitching wins was a complete game shutout over Field Kindley to open the Class 4A state playoffs last week.

CATCHER DERRICK Weir earned second-team all-state and second-team all-league honors.
Weir ranked second on the team in batting (.441) and RBIs (27). His two home runs tied him for the team lead. He rapped out seven doubles and a triple.
Weir accumulated a .536 OBP.
Perhaps most remarkable is what Weir didn’t do in the cleanup position. In 84 plate appearances, he struck out once, that coming in the opening round of the state playoffs.
Like Latta, Weir is just a junior.

AARON BARCLAY and Tyler Clubine both ended their high school careers for the Mustangs by earning second-team all-league honors.
Barclay batted a lofty .397, while ranking third on the team with 24 RBIs. He and Weir tied for the team lead in home runs with two each.
Barclay reached base 48 percent of the time.
He also was a mainstay in the rotation, going 4-0 with a 3.63 ERA. In 23 innings, he struck out 19, while limiting opponents to a paltry .217 batting average.
He, too, is joining the ACC baseball squad for the next two seasons.

CLUBINE EMERGED as one of Iola’s unsung heroes, particularly in the postseason.
Clubine batted .345 with 12 RBIs and 19 hits, including four doubles and a triple. He led the Mustangs with 21 walks, and was third on the team with a .532 OBP.
Clubine played first base if either Coons or Latta pitched, then manned an outfield spot on other occasions.
He also was called on to pitch on one occasion, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Clubine, a senior, is headed to Kansas State University to study.

THE MUSTANGS won their first 20 games of the season, advancing to the state championship game, where they lost a dramatic 6-4 contest to Topeka-Hayden Friday evening.
“I told the guys after the game that while I was disappointed we lost, I felt even worse because I wasn’t going to get to coach them anymore this season,” Percy said. “They’re such a good group of kids to be around.”
Percy has coached the team since its infancy nine years ago. His career record is 101-76.