Baseball: The 2024 Northwest Herald All-Area team

FIRST TEAM

P–Ethan Dorchies, Cary-Grove, sr.

Dorchies is an All-Area first-team repeat selection after going 5-4 for the Trojans. He threw 63 innings, striking out 94 and walking 31 batters. He finished with a 1.67 ERA, a WHIP of 1.111 and opposing hitters batted .170 off of him. Dorchies will pitch at NCAA Division I Illinois-Chicago.

P–Mark Pachla, Crystal Lake South, jr.

Pachla became the Gators’ ace as he beat some of the FVC’s top teams – Huntley, McHenry, Cary-Grove, Jacobs and Dundee-Crown. He threw a two-hitter in the Gators’ 4-1 Class 3A Crystal Lake South Regional victory over Lake Forest. Pachla went 8-1 over 58 1/3 innings, with 26 strikeouts, 21 walks, a 1.44 ERA and 1.251 WHIP. While he was not a big strikeout pitcher, teams had trouble hitting him hard.

P–Michael Person, Burlington Central, sr.

Person is a three-time All-Area first-team selection and was also a standout for the Rockets as a shortstop and leadoff hitter. He finished 6-1 with 72 innings, 95 strikeouts, 29 walks and a 1.49 ERA. His 7 2/3 shutout innings against Sycamore in the Class 3A Sycamore Sectional championship was an epic performance. Person hit .352 with 10 doubles, two triples, three homers and 21 RBIs. Person is not planning on playing college baseball.

P–Brandon Shannon, McHenry, jr.

Shannon went 10-0 for the Warriors and pitched in their 5-4 win over Hampshire in the Class 4A Hampshire Sectional semifinal. The righthander threw 60 1/3 innings, with 82 strikeouts, 27 walks, a 1.86 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Opposing hitters batted .188 against Shannon. He drew interest from multiple NCAA Division I schools this season. Shannon was an All-Area honorable mention last season.

P–Calen Scheider, Hampshire, jr.

Scheider did a little bit of everything for the Whip-Purs, on the mound, hitting leadoff and playing second base or catching. He was 8-1 as a pitcher with 66 strikeouts and 21 walks in 49 2/3 innings. He had a 1.27 ERA and a 1.007 WHIP. Scheider hit .339 and scored 47 runs from the leadoff spot.

C–Sean Kempf, Crystal Lake Central, sr.

Kempf hit .333 and led the state-champion Tigers with 30 RBIs for the season, while adeptly handling a pitching staff that just kept getting better down the stretch. In the Tigers’ last 13 games, all wins, they allowed more than two runs only twice. He had two crucial RBIs to start the offense in the 5-2 Class 3A State Tournament semifinal win over Morris. Kempf will play at McHenry County College next season and was an All-Area honorable mention last year.

Corner IF–AJ Putty, Huntley, jr.

The Illinois commit hit .419, with a 1.316 OPS, 13 doubles and an area-best 11 homers. He drove in 29 runs and scored 35 as the Red Raiders won their sixth consecutive Fox Valley Conference title. Putty was a force, whether he hit leadoff, as he did the first half of the season, or third. As a pitcher, he was 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA over 21 2/3 innings. He was 4-0, with two saves, 29 strikeouts, five walks and a WHIP of 0.923. He was an All-Area honorable mention last year.

Corner IF–Karson Stiefer, Prairie Ridge, jr.

Stiefer was the Wolves’ top offensive player and excelled on the mound as well. He hit .472 with 21 extra-base hits, three homers and 36 RBIs. He logged a lofty 1.588 OPS and scored 30 runs and stole 21 bases. On the mound, the lefthander was 5-2 over 33 1/3 innings and a 4.62 ERA with 30 strikeouts. He was an All-Area second-team pick last season.

Middle IF–Dayton Murphy, Crystal Lake South, sr.

The Gators’ shortstop was limited in the field by shoulder soreness, which forced him to be used as DH for more than half of the season. He still made an impact with his bat and speed, stealing 40 of 45 bases and scoring 46 runs. He hit .440 with a .572 OBP and an OPS of 1.292. He had two homers and 22 RBIs. Murphy is a repeat All-Area first-team pick and made the second team as a sophomore. He will play at Michigan State next season.

Middle IF–Jaden Obaldo, Crystal Lake Central, sr.

Obaldo is another All-Area first-team repeat selection after hitting leadoff and playing shortstop for the Class 3A state champion. He hit .373 and had 17 doubles and 22 RBIs for the Tigers, who won their final 13 games of the season. He will play at McHenry County College next year.

OF–Brady Gilroy, Burlington Central, sr.

The 2024 Northwest Herald Player of the Year is a repeat first-team pick. He hit No. 2 for the Rockets, who were 25-10 and 13-5 to finish second in the FVC. He hit .450 with a .567 OBP and 21 RBIs. Gilroy, who played shortstop, center field and pitcher, was perfect on 17 stolen-base attempts and scored 40 runs. He was 5-2, 3 of 3 in save opportunities, throwing 39 innings with 47 strikeouts and a 1.63 ERA. Gilroy was voted the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year for the FVC and will play at D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater.

OF–Owen Micklinghoff, McHenry, sr.

Micklinghoff led the area with 53 RBIs, while hitting .359. He had 42 hits, 32 of which were singles, but he always came through with men on base. Micklinghoff was one of the Warriors who was on the bench during their Class 4A Sectional championship run in 2022 and won another on this season. He will play at McHenry County College next year.

OF–Paulie Rudolph, Jacobs, sr.

Rudolph was a four-year varsity athlete in football and baseball and was an All-Area first-team selection for both this year. He was an All-Area second-team pick in baseball last season. He hit .354 with a .490 OBP and a 1.039 OPS. Rudolph hit five homers and 28 RBIs for the Golden Eagles, who were a formidable offensive force. He will play football at NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Platteville.

Util.–Gage Martin, Jacobs, sr.

Martin hit .413 with a team-high 43 RBIs for the Golden Eagles, who were 22-13 and tied for fifth in the FVC at 9-9. Martin played second base and hit third for the Golden Eagles, who averaged 7.1 runs per game. He had a .476 OBP and a 1.031 OPS with 11 doubles. He will play baseball at NCAA Division III Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

SECOND TEAM

P–Kaden Wasniewski, McHenry, fr.

P–Charlie Taczy, Cary-Grove, jr.

P–Drew Borkowski, Huntley, so.

P–Malachi Paplanus, Huntley, sr.

P–Jack Schane, Hampshire, sr.

C–Jake Johnson, Burlington Central, jr.

Corner IF–AJ Payton, Burlington Central, sr.

Corner IF–Anthony Karbowski, Hampshire, jr.

Middle IF–Andrew Deegan, Jacobs, so.

MIddle IF–Quinn Lechner, Marengo, jr.

OF–Ari Fivelson, Hampshire, jr.

OF–Wilson Wemhoff, Hampshire, jr.

OF–Kyle Larson, Huntley, jr.

Util.–Brennan Coyle, Prairie Ridge, jr.

HONORABLE MENTION

Elliot Alicea, Burlington Central, jr., OF-P

Christian Alther, Crystal Lake South, jr., 2B

Sam Chapman, Woodstock, sr., OF-P

Ryan Dabe, Huntley, jr., OF

Hayden Dieschbourg, Cary-Grove, jr., OF

James Dreher, Crystal Lake Central, jr., 2B

Quinn Drews, Huntley, sr., C

John Gariepy, Crystal Lake Central, jr., P

Nathan Gerritsen, Jacobs, sr., OF

Connor Gibour, Crystal Lake Central, jr., OF-P

Riley Golden, Prairie Ridge, jr., OF-P

T.J. Jakubowski, Huntley, jr., 2B

Ryan Junge, Richmond-Burton, sr., P

Michael Kirchhoff, Marengo, jr., IF-P

Keenan Krysh, Cary-Grove, jr., C

David Lopez, Marengo, jr., OF

Ryan Nagel, McHenry, sr., 3B-P

Rhett Ozment, Crystal Lake Central, jr., 3B-P

Jared Russell, Dundee-Crown, jr., IF-P

Owen Satterlee, Prairie Ridge, fr., P

Payton Sensabaugh, McHenry, sr., OF

Liam Sullivan, Crystal Lake South, jr., OF

Jack Stecker, McHenry, sr., OF

Carson Trivellini, Crystal Lake South, fr., SS-P

Luca Vivaldelli, Cary-Grove, jr., P

Drew Welder, Crystal Lake Central, sr., OF

Aiden Wicinski, Richmond-Burton, sr., IF-P

Gabe Winkelman, Prairie Ridge, so., SS