The 2023 baseball season was as exciting as any in recent memory, with outstanding postseason performances, including a run to the semi-state for the Heritage Patriots, and great individual games, like Eli Laurent’s no-hitter in the sectional.
Some of the top players this season were exceptional whether they were on the mound or out in the field of play.
For this year’s Z TEAM, we tried to put together the best roster we could from the four teams in our primary broadcast area (Heritage, Bellmont, Adams Central and South Adams).
2023 Z TEAM
Pitcher/Outfielder-Eli Laurent-Bellmont
Laurent was phenomenal all year long, culminating in his no-hitter against Maconaquah in the opening sectional game, striking out ten. He led all area pitchers in WHIP and was third in strikeouts despite throwing just 46 innings. The Olivet-bound senior won each of his final four starts and allowed just four earned runs in 24 innings in those outings, striking out 38 batters. At the plate, Laurent was just as good, hitting .397. His home run against Leo was key in beating the Lions that night.
The Z Team would not be complete in 2023 without Owen Wanner or Noah Redmon, but both of them were so good at shortstop this year that we decided to name them both as combo players, because there’s no doubt that when one would be pitching, the other would be gobbling up ground balls behind whomever would be on the mound.
Pitcher/Shortstop-Owen Wanner-South Adams
Wanner kicked off our spring schedule on 92.7 FM by throwing a no-hitter live on the radio, striking out 13 against Union City. He pitched nearly every day he could all season long and ended with a staggering 124 strikeouts, falling just a few Ks short of two per inning. When he wasn’t on the mound, he was an excellent shortstop and he was one of the best hitters in the area, knocking in 28 runs.
Pitcher/Shortstop-Noah Redmon-Heritage
Redmon was electric all season on the mound, threatening to throw a shutout any game he started. He made ten starts for the Patriots, going 8-1 in those games. The only team to beat him was Luers, and he allowed just one run in two innings of work in that game. His best stretch of games was a string of three straight complete game starts on regular rest against Adams Central, Bluffton and Eastside. He allowed just eight hits in those 21 innings and struck out 31. At the plate, Redmon had a stretch of 13 games where he picked up at least one RBI in 12 of those games, hitting .404.
Catcher-Keegan Bluhm-Adams Central
Bluhm was a rock behind the plate for the Jets in 2023, helping them to an 18-9 season and a spot in the sectional championship game. His best game of the season came against Blackhawk, when he drove in five runs on a 3 for 3 night. He finished the season with a .378 average and 28 hits. More importantly, he was responsible for a pitching staff that ended the year with a collective ERA of 2.30.
First Base-Trevor Currie-Adams Central
Currie led all hitters with a remarkable .526 batting average in Z-Land. A great singles hitter, Currie was extremely difficult to strike out this year, always making contact and putting the ball in play. There was a stretch of games in May where it seemed every time Currie got on base, he was driven in a few pitches later by Ryan Black or Ryan Tester. He finished in the top five in runs scored, despite hitting third in the lineup. Currie was also the best defensive first baseman this year, handling bunting situations well and making some spectacular stretches and scoops at first.
Second Base-Ryan Tester-Adams Central
The aforementioned Tester was a slugger in a lineup with some great hitters in front of him. Seemingly coming to bat with runners in scoring position every time, Tester was second to Currie on the batting average leaderboard, but it was his slugging percentage that was most impressive. At more than 80 points ahead of second-place Eli Laurent, Tester had 18 extra-base hits in 2023, including six in that stretch of five games in five days where the Jets went 4-1 in late May.
Third Base-Andrew Mirelez-Heritage
A classic leadoff hitter, Mirelez relished the chance to get on base ahead of the likes of Noah Redmon and Caleb Abbott. The speedy 3B hit .311 and scored 24 times, doing everything coach Lehrman asked him to do at the plate. More importantly for Heritage, Mirelez was great at the hot corner defensively, cutting down the bunting game of opposing teams. Mirelez was great in the postseason, as well, going 6 for 15 (.400) and scoring seven runs in his four tournament appearances.
Shortstop-See Note on Owen Wanner and Noah Redmon
Left Field-Logan Uhlman-Adams Central
Uhlman won four games as a pitcher, allowing just eight earned runs in over 30 innings of work for Adams Central. As an outfielder, the athletic Uhlman was just as good. At the plate, Logan hit .347 and had three homers and two triples. He struck out just 13 times in 107 plate appearances.
Center Field-Caleb Abbott-Heritage
Easily the toughest decision on this list, Abbott beats out fellow center fielders Jack Hamilton and Kyle Minger (and Eli Laurent) because of his pure hitting ability and his exceptional arm. Abbott made some memorable plays in center in 2023, recording four outfield assists, including two run-saving throws in the tournament. Abbott led all Heritage hitters with 39 base hits and he was a speedster on the bases as well, swiping 13 bags. He hit .419 and had a three-hit day to beat East Noble in the regional.
Right Field-Dalton White-Heritage
White was an outstanding defensive outfielder, making just one error all season in the outfield. He ended the season with a five-game hitting streak, the only player on the team to collect a hit in each of the team’s final five postseason games. His home runs against Jay County and Southern Wells were key to helping the Patriots to a perfect 6-0 record in the ACAC in 2023.
Designated Hitter-Kyle Minger-South Adams
Also a candidate for the CF spot on our team, we could not leave out Minger on our 2023 selection. Minger scored 12 more runs than anyone else in Z Land and picked up 47 hits in just 30 contests, hitting .448. Minger also stole eight bases and had nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (19).
Utility-Jack Hamilton-Adams Central
Hamilton hit .412 this season and turned out to be a pretty good power hitter, banging out 12 extra-base hits. Perhaps more impressive than anything for Hamilton was the fact that he spent most of the year batting at the very bottom of the AC lineup, acting as a table setter for the killer top of the lineup for the Jets in 2023. He had 14 multi-hit games in 27 games played this year for his team.
2023 Z-Land Baseball Leaderboards
Batting
Batting Average
.526-Trevor Currie-AC
.484-Ryan Tester-AC
.448-Kyle Minger-SA
.419-Caleb Abbott-H
.412-Jack Hamilton-AC
On-Base Percentage
.586-Trevor Currie-AC
.545-Ryan Tester-AC
.521-Kyle Minger-SA
.500-Eli Laurent-B
.472-Jack Hamilton-AC
.472-Keegan Bluhm-AC
Slugging Percentage
.731-Ryan Tester-AC
.651-Eli Laurent-B
.649-Jack Hamilton-AC
.621-Trevor Currie-AC
.571-Kyle Minger-SA
Hits
50-Trevor Currie-AC
47-Kyle Minger-SA
45-Ryan Tester-AC
40-Jack Hamilton-AC
39-Caleb Abbott-H
Doubles
15-Ryan Tester-AC
13-Ryan Black-AC
9-Logan Bauman-SA
9-Eli Laurent-B
8-Kyle Minger-SA
8-Dakota Perry-AC
8-Keegan Bluhm-AC
Triples
3-Jack Hamilton-AC
2-Logan Uhlman-AC
2-Eli Laurent-B
Home Runs
4-Jack Hamilton-AC
3-Logan Uhlman-AC
3-Owen Wanner-SA
3-Noah Redmon-H
2-Dalton White-H
2-Ryan Tester-AC
Runs Batted In
34-Logan Bauman-SA
31-Noah Redmon-H
28-Jack Hamilton-AC
28-Owen Wanner-SA
26-Ryan Tester-AC
Runs
40-Kyle Minger-SA
28-Ryan Tester-AC
27-Jack Hamilton-AC
27-Caleb Abbott-H
26-Trevor Currie-AC
26-Owen Wanner-SA
Bases on Balls
17-Ryan Black-AC
15-Kyle Minger-SA
15-Brady Beall-SA
15-Owen Wanner-SA
14-Cade Van De Weg-AC
14-Jackson Bearman-H
Stolen Bases
15-Logan Uhlman-AC
13-Caleb Abbott-H
13-Hunter Kongar-SA
10-Matt Steiner-SA
10-Trevor Currie-AC
Pitching
Innings Pitched
62.2-Noah Redmon-H
65.2-Owen Wanner-SA
55.2-Morgan Andrews-H
46.2-Matt Steiner-SA
46.1-Eli Laurent-B
Wins
8-Noah Redmon-H
8-Owen Wanner-SA
7-Morgan Andrews-H
5-Eli Laurent-B
4-Logan Uhlman-AC
4-Dakota Perry-AC
Strikeouts
124-Owen Wanner-SA
90-Noah Redmon-H
67-Eli Laurent-B
66-Morgan Andrews-H
61-Cade Van De Weg-AC
Earned Run Average
0.55-Noah Redmon-H
1.49-Owen Wanner-SA
1.77-Cade Van De Weg-AC
1.84-Logan Uhlman-AC
2.26-Eli Laurent-B
WHIP
.971-Eli Laurent-B
.973-Noah Redmon-H
1.09-Owen Wanner-SA
1.25-Logan Uhlman-AC
1.29-Morgan Andrews-H