Algona’s Tate Slagle led five Messenger-area players selected all-state by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Slagle was tabbed the captain of the Class 3A team and one of 16 players named to the “Super Team,” earning one of the three pitcher slots.

Joining Slagle was Algona teammate Aiden Ulrich, who made the 3A second-team, along with Emmetsburg’s Bronson Dietrich in 2A and Bishop Garrigan’s Tate Foertsch and Dan Meis in 1A.

Slagle, who is headed to Iowa City to play baseball for Rick Heller and the University of Iowa, ranked in the Top-5 in the state in a number of categories. He was fourth with 10 home runs, fourth with 115 strikeouts on the mound and fifth in slugging percentage (.980).

In all, Slagle hit .505 with 46 RBI, 15 doubles and 47 runs scored this past year for the Bulldogs, who won the North Central Conference regular season title. He also stole 15 bases, had a .943 fielding percentage and was 6-2 with a save on the mound, sporting a 1.03 earned run average.

Ulrich, named as a catcher, hit .337 with 17 extra-base hits, 30 RBI and 31 runs scored, going 8-for-8 on steals with a .973 fielding percentage. He also formed a 1-2 punch with Slagle on the mound, going 5-2 with 73 strikeouts and a 2.37 earned run average.

Dietrich, a senior, was selected to the second team as an outfielder. He hit .500 with eight doubles, 24 RBI and 19 runs in 19 games, stealing 13 bases without committing an error in the field.

Foertsch, a junior named to the third-team, was tabbed as a catcher after hitting .317 with 22 runs scored and 26 hits. He stole 22 bases, committed just two errors for a .987 fielding percentage and was 4-1 on the mound with 59 strikeouts and a 1.19 earned run average.

Meis, a third team selection as a senior, went 3-3 with 77 strikeouts in 45 innings, recording a 2.18 earned run average. He drove in 16 runs, had 19 hits and stole nine bases at the plate.