Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Senior Connor Allison of St. Edmond was one of three Gaels to land on the all-NCC team, the league announced recently.

Max Hackbarth dominated the North Central Conference every night he stepped on the mound.

And for his efforts, the Webster City junior pitcher was one of three players named to the all-NCC first team unanimously.

Hackbarth was joined by teammate Riley Mishler and Clear Lake’s Zach Lester as picks on all the ballots.

Jordan Tanner joined his Lynx teammates on the first team, which also included St. Edmond’s Connor Allison and Jake Szalat.

Nick O’Brien was the third Gael honored, as he made the second team.

Hackbarth went 7-0 on the year, striking out 103 batters in just 54 innings. He posted an earned run average of 0.54 and walked only 24, as opponents batted .126 off him.

Mishler, a senior, hit .406 with four home runs, 23 RBI, seven doubles and seven steals. The Lynx claimed the NCC title and advanced to a district final this summer.

Tanner was named as a catcher, while also driving in 12 runs and stealing seven bases. He also made just seven errors in over 200 chances.

Allison was third in the conference with 15 steals while also batting .389 with 14 RBI and 28 hits. The senior drew nine walks and struck out only 10 times in 72 plate appearances.

“Connor is just a natural athlete who competed at a high-level throughout his varsity career,” SEHS head coach Joe Shanks said. “He was really focused and played hard all year, leading us in almost every offensive category despite not playing his junior season.

“He had a great approach, was always aggressive and had the will to win.”

Szalat, a junior, was 4-3 on the mound with 49 strikeouts in just over 48 innings of work. He carried a 1.74 earned run average and opponents batted just .205 against him, while also driving in 10 runs at the plate.

“The one thing Jake did really well was hit the ball in the conference,” Shanks said. “And that was because he probably took more batting practice than any kid on our team.

“He also went up against all the big boys in our league on the mound.”

O’Brien finished his senior season third in the NCC in strikeouts with 59, while also going 5-2 on the mound. He added six RBI and 17 hits on his year.

“Nick is blessed with a nice arm and had one of the better ones in our league from both the outfield and on the mound,” Shanks said. “His strikeout ratio per innings pitch really stood out.”

Humboldt placed a pair on the first team in junior Reese DeWinter and senior Devon Clark. DeWinter hit .366 and drove in a team-high 27, while Clark batted .436, had 23 RBI and stole nine bases.

Dawson Hauptmann and Grant Goche scored spots on the first team for Algona. Hauptmann went 7-1 on the mound with 50 strikeouts, while Goche hit .393 with 21 RBI and five steals. He also drew 21 walks.

ALL-NORTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE BASEBALL

First Team

*Max Hackbarth, Webster City, jr., P; Dawson Hauptmann, Algona, sr., P; Kolton Peterson, Iowa Falls-Alden, sr., P; Jordan Tanner, Webster City, jr., C; *Zach Lester, Clear Lake, jr., IF; Jacob Peterson, Clear Lake, sr., IF; Reese DeWinter, Humboldt, jr., IF; Grant Goche, Algona, jr., IF; *Riley Mishler, Webster City, sr., OF; Connor Allison, St. Edmond, sr., OF; Nathan Tofte, Clear Lake, jr., OF; Devon Clark, Humboldt, sr., U; Jake Szalat, St. Edmond, jr., U.

*Denotes unanimous selection

Second Team

Nick O’Brien, St. Edmond, sr., P; Jacob O’Connor, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, sr., P; Nick Stein, Algona, sr., P; Jackson Hamlin, Clear Lake, jr., P; Isaac Thurm, Humboldt, jr., C; Luke Norem, Iowa Falls-Alden, sr., IF; Romel Martinez, Webster City, jr., IF; Collin Sexton, Algona, jr., IF; Owen Newton, Humboldt, soph., IF; Erik McHenry, Clear Lake, fr., IF; Ty Schnathorst, Webster City, sr., OF; Hudson Gargano, Humboldt, soph., OF; Dustin Miller, Hampton-Dumont, soph., OF; Bryce Bradley, Algona, sr., U; Dylan Steen, Webster City, soph., U.

Third Team

Bryan Ferrell, Webster City, sr.; Johnny Guerrero, Hampton-Dumont, sr.; Tanner Huey, Clear Lake, sr.; Ben Scadden, Iowa Falls-Alden, sr.; Corey Wagner, Webster City, sr.; Ben Finn, Clear Lake, jr.; Will Weidemann, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, jr.; Joey Busse, Humboldt, soph.