2024 SDS All-College Team

By JOE McFARLAND

What a year it was for Saskatchewan baseball products who took their talents south of the border for their collegiate endeavours.

Several took home big awards from their schools and regions, while others captured major conference awards.

With the launch of Saskatchewan Dugout Stories earlier this year, we wanted to take an opportunity to highlight some of their accomplishments with our own year-end SDS All-College Team.

We scoured hundreds of box scores and statistical sites to break down some of the best performances of the 2024 UScollege season, and here are our picks.

Catcher – Casey Prychak – Saskatoon

A steady presence in the Otero College Rattlers lineup, Casey Prychak had a solid sophomore season in every facet. At the plate, he hit .277 with a homer, 14 RBI and 15 runs scored. Behind it, he committed just two errors and allowed two passed balls in 32 games. The product of Holy Cross High School and a Baseball Sask team member, Prychak earned himself a spot at Wayne State College to continue his collegiate career.

First Base – Cory Wouters – Saskatoon

A Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian Second Team member, Cory Wouters was outstanding in a dual-role for McCook Community College in his freshman season. He hit .416 with nine home runs and 44 RBI in 52 games, while also making 11 appearances on the mound, going 3-7 with an 8.71 ERA, striking out 69 in just 41.1 innings. Wouters was named the Region IX Freshman of the Year and Region IX Second Team, as well as the Omaha World Herald’s junior college all-Midlands Team.

Second Base – Tyler Vanneste – Warman

It was a year of transition for infielder Tyler Vanneste, as he was coming off two solid seasons at Taft College to join California State University, San Bernardino. He hit .245 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 34 games, with the highlight being a walk-off home run in the final game of the regular season against Cal Poly Ponoma. Vanneste also committed just three errors all year and performed well in the classroom as he was named a CCAA Annual All-Academic Honor.

Third Base – Nathan Houston – Melville

Nathan Houston made quite the first impression in his first season with the Arizona Western College Matadors. He sported a .391 batting average, which was the fifth-highest in the entire ACCAC, while notching 12 doubles, a triple and 46 RBI in 51 games. The Martin Academy alum was named Second Team All-Region and Second Team All-ACCAC for his performance.

Shortstop – Kleysen Gabruck – Martensville

After starting the season in right field for the Williston State College Tetons, Kleysen Gabruck made the move to shortstop on March 15 and went on a six-game hitting streak. He ended up back in the outfield, proving to be valuable defensively as well as offensively, where he finished the season with a .364 batting average to go along with 12 doubles, two triples and nine stolen bases while driving in 27 runs in 41 games.

Outfield – Payton McHarg – Saskatoon

A Canadian Baseball Network All-Canadian First Team member, Payton McHarg was on another level with Washburn University in 2024. He hit .354 while rewriting the school’s record books in a pair of categories. His 21 home runs places him third on the Ichabods’ single-season list while his 67 runs batted in place him in fourth. McHarg picked up a handful of post-season awards including NCBWA First Team All-Central Region, ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Central Region and All-MIAA First Team.

Outfield – Carter Beck – Carnduff

When Carter Beck first joined the University of Mary, he wanted to be named NSIC Freshman of the Year. That’s exactly what he accomplished with an outstanding 2024 season where he hit .349 with 12 home runs, 53 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 49 games. He was among the division leaders in many categories, becoming just the second Marauder to capture the freshman award. After an award-winning season with the Saskatoon Berries, Beck transferred to Indiana State University.

Outfield – Jackson Martin – Grand Coulee

A freshman at College of the Desert, Jackson Martin made an immediate impact with a two-homer day against Imperial Valley in just his fifth game with the Roadrunners. While he wasn’t able to replicate that performance, he still finished the season hitting .322 with four homers, 21 RBI, 29 runs scored and five stolen bases in 40 games. He also committed just one error in centre field.

Designated Hitter/Utility – Dylan Edmands – Regina

Another University of Mary product, Dylan Edmonds also made an impact in his first season with the Marauders. After spending time at Arizona Western and Liberty University, Edmands collected a .279 batting average in 2024 to go along with nine doubles, eight roundtrippers, 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 48 games. He spent most of the season at third base although can play anywhere around the field.

Pitcher – Takao Cookson – Regina

Takao Cookson might need to build himself a bigger trophy case if he continues racking up the accolades in his sophomore season at Valley City State University. His debut campaign saw the right-hander pick up NSAA Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Conference, as well as the VCSU Newcomer of the Year. It was all thanks to a season where he went 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 17 appearances, including seven starts. Cookson struck out 73 batters in 67 innings, including an incredible outing against Dakota State where he went 9+ innings.

Pitcher – Kyle Froehlich – Nipawin

If you want a steady arm in the bullpen, you call Kyle Froehlich. The Nebraska Huskers reliever was once again a dependable arm in 2024, going 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in 20 appearances, allowing just 24 hits while striking out 23 in 23 innings of work. He’s also a workhorse for the WCBL’s Sylvan Lake Gulls, where he went 4-2 with a  1.91 ERA in eight appearances this past summer.

Pitcher – Ethan Merk – Regina

Another dependable arm out of the bullpen, Ethan Merk made his mark in his debut season with Doane University. The right-hander, who transferred from the University of Victoria, went 4-3 with four saves and a 4.06 ERA in 19 relief appearances for the Tigers, picking up 40 punchouts in 44.1 innings of work. He’s also been a long-time member of the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

TAXI SQUAD

This is a feature we added to the ADS All-College Team in 2023 after realizing how many solid performances were being left off the list despite just missing. You can call these “honorable mentions” if you would like, but they are certainly worth mentioning.

Swift Current’s Brody Alexandre was a solid presence at the dish for the Trinidad State Trojans in 2024. He hit .268 with three home runs and 23 RBI in 36 games, after a 2023 campaign where he posted a .396 average with six dingers and 22 RBI in 30 games.

Had it not been for the award-winning calibre of outfielders on this year’s list, Nolan Sparks might have been able to get himself on the roster. The Saskatoon product hit .379 with 24 runs scored, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases in 26 games for the Yavapai College Roughriders.

And finally, Moose Jaw’s Reece Helland has been the closer at MidAmerica Nazarene University for the last two seasons and was a workhorse out of the bullpen in 2024. He went 3-5 with five saves and a 4.65 ERA in 26 appearances, striking out 35 in 31 innings.

As mentioned, a couple of these athletes were singled out by the Canadian Baseball Network in their annual All-Canadian Teams. If you haven’t already, check out their yearly recognitions here:

READ MORE: CBN All-Canadian First Team
READ MORE: CBN All-Canadian Second Team
READ MORE: CBN All-Canadian Third Team

As always, we love hearing from you. Any of these performances stand out as the best to you? Any that we might have missed? Let us know in the comments below or on our social media channels.