Sullivan Baseball Crowned District Champions Again

The Eagles baseball team had another season for the books in 2024. They clinched state again as back-to-back district champions, finishing with their best record in a decade at 18-10.

Sullivan defended their number-one seed in Class 4 District 4, beating St. Clair 5-2 in the semifinals and Owensville 3-2 in a nail-biting championship. The Eagles were on the ropes against the Dutchmen and trailed by a score to start the bottom of the 7th. Cambrian Koch slid home to tie it, and Drake Gawer drove Seth Valley in for the game-winning RBI.

The Eagles also had the opportunity of a lifetime to run on the same bases as the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 5.

Another highlight of the season came when Sullivan snapped a fifteen-year losing skid to St. Francis Borgia on Apr. 11. The 10-4 victory was monumental in that Chase Blue was the first Eagle in seven seasons to record a home run at Sullivan Bank Ballpark.

The Eagles finished third in the Four Rivers standings, behind Union at second and the conference champion Pacific. They participated in three regular-season tournaments: Four Rivers, Farmington and Salem. 

The Eagles ended their historic season in the Class 4 Sectionals with a 4-1 loss to MICDS.

Sullivan said goodbye to three seniors in 2024: Koch, Dayton Skaggs and Gavin Schmidt. They left it all on the baseball field for four years, leading the Eagles to two back-to-back district titles.

Koch closed out his baseball career with all-district and second-team all-conference honors. He kept his team’s morale high in the trenches, rallying the Eagles during close battles. At the plate, Koch cooked up 13 runs, 11 hits, eight walks and 4 RBIs. He struck out 26 batters on the mound.

D. Skaggs was selected for the all-district team, dominating in the catcher’s box and at-bat. He ended his senior year with 23 hits, 13 runs, 13 RBIs and six walks.

Schmidt was unanimously named first-team all-conference in his final season. He secured 27 hits, 15 RBIs, 14 runs and five walks.

Gawer stacked up first-team all-state, all-district and all-conference honors last spring. The junior rocked the mound with a 2.279 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 67 strikeouts. Gawer powered a .417 batting average and led the Eagles with 30 hits. He also recorded 13 RBIs, five runs and four walks.

Valley made it onto the all-district team in 2024. The junior tallied ten hits, nine runs, nine walks and four RBIs.

Nate McReynolds was named second-team all-conference and threw 28 strikeouts on the hill. When batting, the junior logged three walks, two RBIs, two hits and a run.

Landen Doza fired on all cylinders during his freshman year, leading the Eagles with 26 runs. He also landed 21 hits, 11 RBIs and six walks.

Lucas Parsons pounded 21 strikeouts when pitching. At the plate, he picked up eight hits, 6 RBIs, six walks and three runs.

Blue broke off to success in his sophomore year with 20 runs, 19 hits, 15 RBIs, and eight walks.

Mitchell Garner had a team-high 19 RBIs. He also brought in 18 hits, 11 runs and eight walks.

Nolan Ulrich pulled off 11 walks, ten hits, six runs and 3 RBIs.

Alex Toews made 11 runs, seven hits, seven RBIs and two walks.

Grant Halmick hurled 12 strikeouts on the mound. The junior hauled in a run and a walk at bat.

Raiden Redd racked up four runs, three RBIs, two walks and a hit.

Dylan Parker packed up four hits, two runs and an RBI.

Kaden Smith notched five runs, a hit and a walk.

Isaiah Skaggs fired off three runs and a hit.

Anden Carey chalked up two walks and a run.