Colin Kelley has extended the Nixa pitching staff’s representation on the All-COC First Team to five straight seasons.
Kelley is the seventh Eagles pitcher over the past five seasons to be named First Team. That list also includes Ethan Taylor in 2023, Keith Piepmeier and Hardy Dougan in 2022, Isaac Mitchell in 2021 and Mitchel again, along with Ace Akers, in 2019.
Kelley’s stats from his junior season this spring included a 6-1 W-L record, 64 strikeouts and 12 walks and 0.76 ERA over 55.1 innings.
Nixa has three players named First Team this year and Ozark two.
Eagles senior Rylan Michel earned a hat trick by being named First Team for a third season. He was honored as an outfielder for his senior and junior seasons and as a second baseman his sophomore season.
As a senior, Michel batted .398 with five home runs, 48 runs scored and 35 RBIs. He had 25 extra-base hits among his 51 hits on his way to a .719 slugging percentage and had 22 walks to up his on-base percentage to .487.
Nixa junior outfielder Wyatt Vincent is a First-Team selection for the first time, after being a Second Team choice as a freshman and sophomore.
Eagles junior shortstop Caeden Cloud is a repeat First-Team selection.
Ozark junior Hudson Roberts is a First Team choice on the diamond for the first time. He is the only player named First team this year in both baseball and basketball.
Tigers senior shortstop Alex Nimmo received his first All-COC recognition by being selected to the First Team.
In addition to Michel and Cloud, repeat First Team picks are catcher Wyatt Woods, of Republic, outfielder Garrett Lester, of Republic, utility man Collin Ross, of Branson, and infielder Shaun Hunt, of Webb City.
The COC Player Of the Year is Webb City senior Drew Vander Haar and the Pitcher Of the Year is Willard senior Cameron Jennings. Neither Vander Haar nor Jennings were First Team choices a year ago.
The rest of the First Team is made up of league champion Willard’s Hayden Larson and Matthew Angel, Webb City’s Luke Beverlin and Andrew Young, Republic’s Trace Harrington, Devon Hughes and Caide White, Branson’s Aaron Strohm and Carl Junction’s Brody Pant.
Nixa’s Jackson Gamble, Nate Uber and Adam McKnight, along with Ozark’s Cooper Pumphrey and Gannon Miller, are all Second Team selections.
The Class 6 District 6 First Team includes Roberts, Miller, Kelley, Michel, Vincent and Gamble.
Honorable mention recognition went to Nimmo, Ozark’s George Reynolds, McKnight and Nixa’s Jack Edwards.
