North’s Newmann headlines all-SWC list

Published 12:19 pm Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Trey Newmann worked as diligently as he could in the offseason leading up to his senior year at North Medford High.

His goal was not only to develop into the best pitcher in the Southwest Conference, but also lead the Black Tornado to a successful season that could go down as one of the best in recent memory.

It’s pretty safe to say now that Newmann checked off those boxes like he eliminated batters all season after the right-handed pitcher helped power a run to the Class 6A state semifinals this spring by North Medford.

For his efforts, Newmann was named SWC pitcher of the year following voting by the conference’s coaches.

Grants Pass catcher Troy Osborne was voted SWC player of the year and, after guiding the Black Tornado to the conference title and its first state semifinals berth since 2014, Kerry Curtis was named SWC coach of the year.

For the season, Newmann posted a 9-2 record with three saves. In 82 ⅓ innings on the mound, Newmann finished with 126 strikeouts against 15 walks and allowed only 11 earned runs to finish with a 0.94 ERA.

Newmann also batted .333 with 13 runs and 12 RBIs for good measure.

Joining Newmann on the all-SWC first team were teammates Dominic Daffron (pitcher), Jeremiah Robbins (catcher), Frankie Rutigliano (infielder) and Aiden Horsley (outfielder).

For South Medford, last year’s co-SWC pitcher of the year — Cameron Sewell — was a repeat first-team selection on the mound and was joined on the top squad by teammates Tristan Mallari (pitcher) and Kyle Cope (outfielder).

The sophomore Daffon provided a steady complement to Newmann for North Medford, going 8-0 with one save on the mound. In 48 innings, Daffron struck out 37 and walked eight with a 1.60 ERA.

Rutigliano, a junior shortstop, led the Black Tornado with a .400 batting average. He finished with 19 runs, 25 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Among the seniors, Robbins batted .295 with nine runs and 14 RBIs and the center fielder Horsley hit .283 with 16 runs, 17 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

South Medford finished runner-up in the SWC standings thanks to another stellar season for Sewell. The senior right-hander posted a 6-1 record with two saves and, in 69 ⅓ innings, Sewell finished with a 2.12 ERA to go with 43 strikeouts against 17 walks.

Sewell was also one of the SWC’s leading hitters after batting .402 with 30 runs and 21 RBIs with 10 stolen bases.

The left-handed Mallari enjoyed a breakthrough sophomore campaign for the Panthers, posting a 6-3 record and 1.60 ERA. Mallari struck out 62 and walked 21 in 52 ⅔ innings, and also gave the offense a boost by batting .376 with 11 runs and 19 RBIs.

Cope, a junior center fielder, finished with a .303 batting average to go with 18 runs, 18 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

Sheldon swept the top honors in the all-SWC softball voting but Medford athletes were well-represented on the first team.

North Medford’s Gabbi Urban (pitcher), Presley Lawton (catcher) and Samara Miles (outfielder) each were selected by the conference’s coaches to the first team, while South Medford’s June Woster (infielder), Sydney Boren (infielder) and Nicole Ledendecker (outfielder) also drew top recognition.

South Medford and North Medford each tied for second place in the SWC behind the Irish, who saw juniors Payton Burnham (pitcher of the year) and Kinley Pappas (player of the year) joined in top nods with Mike Faulconer (coach of the year).

For South Medford, which advanced to the state semifinals, senior second baseman Woster hit .407 during 18 league games with 16 runs and 13 RBIs, while senior third baseman Boren batted .346 and contributed 19 runs and 16 RBIs (team-highs in SWC play).

Ledendecker, a junior right fielder, led the Panthers with a .435 batting average in league to go with 11 runs and 12 RBIs.

For the Black Tornado, Miles wrapped up a strong prep career after the senior left fielder batted .561 with 28 runs and 19 RBIs to help her team reach the 6A state quarterfinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Sheldon.

Urban and Lawton played a key role as well as junior battery-mates, with Urban posting a 13-5 pitching record with a 1.60 ERA and Lawton batting .435 with 29 RBIs.

In 114 innings pitched, Urban finished with 120 strikeouts and 31 walks. She also was one of North’s leading contributors on offense, hitting .364 with 17 RBIs.

All-SWC Baseball

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Troy Osborne, Jr., Grants Pass.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Trey Newmann, Sr., North Medford.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Kerry Curtis, North Medford.

First Team

PITCHER: Trey Newmann, Sr., North Medford; Cameron Sewell, Sr., South Medford; Tristan Mallari, So., South Medford; Dominic Daffron, So., North Medford.

CATCHER: Troy Osborne, Jr., Grants Pass; Jeremiah Robbins, Jr., North Medford; Tavo Santiago, Jr., South Eugene.

FIRST BASE: Ryan Prescott, Sr., Willamette.

INFIELD: Austin Takahashi, Sr., Roseburg; Frankie Rutigliano, Jr., North Medford; Cade Welch, Sr., Sheldon; Noah Cox, Sr., Willamette.

OUTFIELD: Kyle Cope, Jr., South Medford; Tyson Rather, So., Willamette; Nolan Miller, Jr., Sheldon; Aiden Horsley, Sr., North Medford.

UTILITY: Tyler Ireland, Jr., Grants Pass.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Leo Reeves, Sr., South Eugene.

Second Team

PITCHER: Evan Corbin, Sr., Roseburg; Jake Johnson, Jr., Roseburg; Luke Morgan, Jr., Grants Pass.

CATCHER: Parker Burke, Sr., Roseburg; Elijah Havey, Sr., South Medford.

FIRST BASE: Kellen Willer, Jr., North Medford.

INFIELD: Johnny King, Sr., North Medford; Brooks Avery, Jr., Roseburg; John Mueller, Sr., Sheldon; Rylan Detzler, Sr., Sheldon.

OUTFIELD: Eli Jacobs, Sr., Roseburg; Tosh Stumpenhaus, Sr., South Medford; Easton Curtis, So., North Medford; Hunter Lansdon, Sr., Sheldon.

UTILITY: Landon Lea, Jr., South Eugene.

Honorable Mention

PITCHER: Jake Lewis, Fr., South Medford; Joey Garboden, Jr., Willamette.

CATCHER: Cade Koffler, Sr., WIllamette.

FIRST BASE: Cole Carnes, Jr., Grants Pass; Sam Thompson, Sr., South Medford.

INFIELD: Jace McGowan, So., Grants Pass; Colton Morgan, Jr., North Medford; Gavin Bush, So., South Eugene; Noah Fisk, Sr., Roseburg; Jordan White, Sr., Roseburg; Zev Moses, Jr., South Eugene.

OUTFIELD: Bruxton Leair, Jr., Grants Pass.

UTILITY: Davis Carr, Sr., North Medford; Ty Burnham, Fr., Sheldon.

All-SWC Softball

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kinley Pappas, Jr., Sheldon.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Payton Burnham, Jr., Sheldon.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Mike Faulconer, Sheldon.

First Team

PITCHER: Payton Burnham, Jr., Sheldon; Gabbi Urban, Jr., North Medford.

CATCHER: Kinley Pappas, Jr., Sheldon; Presley Lawton, Jr., North Medford.

INFIELD: Brooke Peterson, Jr., Sheldon; Alexa Medley, Sr., Grants Pass; June Woster, Sr., South Medford; Avery Coffin, Jr., Sheldon; Sydney Boren, Sr., South Medford.

OUTFIELD: Samara Miles, Sr., North Medford; Meara Sain, Sr., Sheldon; Nicole Ledendecker, Jr., South Medford; Haleigh Wambolt, Sr., Roseburg.

UTILITY: Abby Forbes, Jr., South Eugene.

Second Team

PITCHER: Kaycee Hudson, Jr., South Medford; Scarlett Gordon, Jr., Grants Pass.

CATCHER: Shelby Hillyer, So., South Medford; Nevaeh Harry, Sr., Grants Pass.

INFIELD: Kirsten Morgan, Sr., South Medford; Madison Montejano, Fr., Grants Pass; Ciera Singleton, Fr., Roseburg; Jazmin Gallegos, So., Sheldon; Bri Turrey, Jr., South Medford.

OUTFIELD: Emma Murphy, Sr., Roseburg; Jocelyn Rush, Sr., Willamette; Ashlyn Martin, Jr., Sheldon; Maleyah Thoele, So., South Medford.

UTILITY: Natalie Tlascala, Fr., North Medford.

Honorable Mention

PITCHER: Jordan Knutson, So., South Medford; Abby Forbes, Jr., South Eugene.

CATCHER: Terra Singleton, Fr., Roseburg; Catia Ransford, So., South Eugene.

INFIELD: Natalie Tlascala, Fr., North Medford; Grace Joseph, Jr., South Eugene; Caileigh Raines, So., North Medford; Araseli Guerrero, Sr., North Medford; Alexis Wadley, Sr., North Medford.

OUTFIELD: Rhyan Hamlin, Sr., North Medford; Nahlani Quigley, Jr., South Medford; Masyn Tabor, So., Roseburg; Ashley Falk, Sr., Grants Pass.

UTILITY: Raegan Bruner, Sr., Grants Pass; Avia Tuguldur, Jr., South Eugene; Kara Gebb, Jr., Sheldon.