Jefferson, Crystal City pace JCAA Small-School All-Conference baseball selections

The Jefferson County Athletic Association has announced its Small-School All-Conference teams for baseball in 2021.

Leading the way was Jefferson Blue Jays senior Colby Ott.

The senior posted a .487 batting average, 3 home runs and 25 runs batted in on his way to being voted unanimous first-team and the conference’s player of the year.

Ott was joined on the first team by fellow Jefferson seniors Dylan Schnitzler and Daylen Whitener.

The Blue Jays also had Whitener, sophomore Sam Stokes and seniors Dawson Jakoubek, Will Schnitzler and Nolan Roth earn all-conference honors as part of a season where they won the league championship.

Other unanimous first-team selections included Whitener, Crystal City Hornets senior Hunter Bassin and Grandview Eagles sophomore Trenton Cookerly.

Crystal City had one other first-team selection in junior Nate Pruneau, while the St. Pius Lancers were represented on the first team by sophomore Andrew Merseal and junior Tate Ramey.

The Herculaneum Blackcats were tied with Jefferson for the most first-team players thanks to the selection of sophomore Dylan Black and seniors Cole Myers and Bryce Hall.

Making up second-team all JCAA Small-Schools was Grandview junior Eric O’Brien; Crystal City’s Bassin and sophomore Cyle Schaumburg; senior Zander Parson and junior Nathan Schwer of St. Pius; and senior John Wibbenmeyer and junior Lucas Schilling of the St. Vincent Indians.

Honorable-mention status was awarded to Crystal City’s Pruneau, Calloway Dashner, Logan Anderson, Ian Kirn and Chase Coleman; Grandview’s O’Brien, Clayton Riddle and Chase Wilson; Herculaneum’s Black and Dylan Jarvis; St. Pius’ Michael Bollinger and Austin Almany; and St. Vincent’s Wibbenmeyer.

Jefferson’s Robert Kuehnle was named the conference’s Coach of the Year after guiding his program to its first-ever district title and a third-place finish in the state in Class 3.