11 Mid-Columbia players named to all-state baseball teams

The accolades keeping rolling in for Mid-Columbia baseball players.

Eleven players were chosen to their respective all-state teams by the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association.

Leading the way was Southridge with four players on the 3A team — catcher Lane Hailey, shortstop Jake Harvey, pitcher Wyatt Hull and outfielder Mason Martin.

The Suns finished second in the 3A state tournament, and Hull was named the Mid-Columbia Conference Pitcher of the Year.

“Baseball has been good here for a lot of years,” Southridge coach Tim Sanders said. “Tri-Cities Prep and Walla Walla did what they did, and Chiawana was right there. I think year in and year out, it is the best baseball in the state of Washington, for sure.”

The Suns lose just Martin out of their quartet of all-state players. Hailey, Harvey and Hull will be seniors this fall. Martin, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, is playing for the Gulf Coast League Pirates in Bradenton, Fla.

“Those were the guys who were the engine that made us go,” Sanders said. “It’s good to see their names with that talent across the state.”

On the 4A team, Walla Walla shortstop Mitch Lesmeister, who was the MCC Player of the Year and the Herald’s All-Area Athlete of the Year, was honored.

Lesmeister, who has signed to play baseball at Central Washington University, hit .466 with 34 hits, one home run, nine doubles, three triples and 25 RBIs. He also had 16 stolen bases, and struck out just twice in 73 at-bats.

On the 1A team, pitcher/shortstop Tristen Garland and pitcher/shortstop Brian Hawkins of Connell were selected, as was Kiona-Benton pitcher/shortstop Lino Rivera.

Rivera, the SCAC East Player of the year, is headed to Grays Harbor to play.

Tri-Cities Prep, which finished second at state, had three players selected to the 1B/2B team — outfielder/first baseman Jacob Amato, shortstop/pitcher Logan Mercado and pitcher/first baseman Carter Ritala.

Ritala will play at Shasta Community College in Redding, Calif., while Mercado was one of two freshmen from 1B/2B to 4A to be named to an all-state team.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "11 Mid-Columbia players named to all-state baseball teams."