WELLMAN

It was another productive and exciting season on the baseball diamond for Mid-Prairie and after wrapping up their year with 19 wins and taking the conference crown for the second straight year, the postseason accolades came rolling in.

 Making a splash in his first year of Golden Hawk baseball, Tatem Telfer was named the Player of the Year in the River Valley Conference South Division and selected first-team all-conference as a pitcher.

 Telfer, a junior committed to Arkansas State, provided the Hawks with outstanding offense and dominant defense all year long. Whether it was up to bat or on the mound, Telfer finished top five in the conference in 14 different categories.

 Third in the batting order, Telfer led the conference in home runs (5), RBIs (31), and had the second-best batting average (.382). He was also top five in hits (34). 

 Appearing in seven games as the starting pitcher, Telfer tallied a conference leading 70 strikeouts. Only giving up two hits (also a conference best), he held opponents to a .024 batting average and gave up nine runs.

 The only other Golden Hawk to amass over 30 hits along with over 20 RBIs was Bowen Burmeister.

Chosen first-team all-conference as an infielder, Burmeister, a Coe College commit, was stationed at second base and accounted for 20 putouts while also leading the team in assists (41).

 Ending his senior season year with a batting average of .360, Burmeister had 31 hits and 22 RBIs. He also saw playing time as a pitcher. Pitching in six games, Burmeister had a 4-2 record, retiring 28 batters, and allowing 22 hits.

The third and final Golden Hawk to earn first-team all-conference honors was Brady Weber.

Weber, a junior, was chosen first team as a utility player and he did a little bit of everything for the Hawks this year. On offense he scored a team best 27 runs, connected on 27 hits, brought in 17 RBIs, and stole a team best 16 bases.

With a 3-2 pitching record, Weber has the second most strikeouts on the team (45) with an ERA of 1.78. Also, while on defense he has 29 putouts and eight assists.

When it came to selections outside of the first-team, Brock Harland, the ever-dependable senior, was chosen second-team all-conference as a catcher. 

Always ready for the moment, Harland caught eight baserunners who were attempting to steal with a well-timed throw, tied for the most in the conference. His 188 putouts are the second most in the conference and his .991 fielding percentage is tied for the conference best.

When he wasn’t behind home plate as a catcher, Harland was on the mound as a pitcher. Starting in seven games, Harland had a 2-3 record and recorded 35 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.67.

Harland, an Iowa Central CC commit, also provided a helping hand on offense. With a batting average of .480, he compiled 23 hits and 25 RBIs.

Another Golden Hawk who garnered all-conference praise was Luke Traetow. Traetow, who had an impressive knack for getting on base, was an honorable mention all-conference.

 In his senior year Traetow scored 16 runs, connected on 16 hits, and brought home 10 runs. His on base percentage was a stellar .519, the third best in the conference. 

It wasn’t just the players who were recognized with postseason accolades. Standing at the forefront of Mid-Prairie baseball, head coach Kyle Mullet, was named Coach of the Year in the RVC South Division.

 This is the second year in a row Mullet has earned this distinction. Taking over as head coach in 2021, this is the fourth consecutive season Mullet has led the Hawks to 19 wins or more.

 By the numbers this year, the Hawks scored 200 runs, totaled 219 hits, tallied 174 RBIs, stole 100 bases, and struck out 220 batters.

Going into the offseason, Mid-Prairie says goodbye to eight seniors: Burmeister, Traetow, Harland, Joe Hall, Carson Pence, Dylan Henry, Kurt Schneider, and Jackson Miller.