Star Tribune's All-Metro baseball teams: Eight first-teamers going Division I; one too young to know
Half of the D-I players are staying right in the Twin Cities, two with the Gophers and two with St. Thomas.
June 13, 2023 at 4:44AM
First team
Drew Rogers, Mounds View, junior, catcher/pitcher
The Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year is a Division I-level catcher with a laser arm who doubles as a pitcher. He is hitting .417 with three home runs and 23 RBI, and many teams pitch around him (17 walks). "His numbers speak for themselves," Mustangs coach Nik Anderson said. "They're ridiculous for a guy that is still just a junior." College: Georgia Tech
JD Dobis, St. Thomas Academy, junior, pitcher/outfielder
The ace of the Cadets pitching staff is 5-0 this season with a 0.66 ERA. He struck out 53 in 42⅔ innings while yielding only four earned runs. Dobis added two home runs and 19 RBI at the plate and scored 19 runs. College: Northwestern
Josh Och, Chanhassen, senior, pitcher/shortstop
In two section starts, Och threw two shutouts, a no-hitter and a one-hitter, with 30 strikeouts. "Josh is also a phenomenal competitor and big-game player," Storm coach Ross VanHauen said. "In big moments, under pressure, he performs the best." College: Southern Mississippi
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Adam Puder, Blaine, senior, shortstop/pitcher
He has great range and a strong arm to go with an excellent baseball mind. "He is the best defensive shortstop I have seen at the high school level," Bengals coach Ted Erickson said. Puder hit .403 with two home runs. College: St. Thomas
Andrew Rakow, Champlin Park, senior, pitcher/first baseman
"He steps up in the biggest moments and is one of the toughest competitors around," Champlin Park coach Ryan Thom said. "He's been one of the top pitchers in the state and a huge bat." College: Creighton
Luke Ryerse, East Ridge, sophomore, pitcher/third baseman/outfielder
Ryerse has been solid on the mound and at the plate. He is 5-1 with one save and has 55 strikeouts in 38 innings. He is a .377 hitter with five home runs and 30 RBI. College: uncommitted
Jack Taxdahl, Cretin-Derham Hall, senior, catcher/pitcher
"A true quarterback on the field, Jack controls the game and the pitching staff better than any high school catcher I have seen. He is an elite receiver and is a very advanced blocker and thrower," Gophers assistant coach Mike Kvasnicka said. College: Minnesota
Ben Trucke, Watertown-Mayer, senior, third baseman/pitcher
He hit .441 with 14 extra-base hits, including five home runs. A solid fielder, he's capable of playing multiple positions, and he went 3-0 on the mound. College: St. Thomas
Will Whelan, Centennial, senior, pitcher/first baseman
The Cougars were a much different team when Whelan pitched. "His competitiveness and confidence on the mound has led to great success," Centennial coach Robert Lynch said. Whelan went 6-1 with 83 strikeouts in 46⅓ innings. College: Minnesota
Second team
Jordan Dahlof, Roseville, senior, shortstop/pitcher: "Jordan has a calm, consistent, lead-by-example style that is contagious," Roseville coach Greg Setterlund said. He hit .443 with four home runs. College: St. Thomas
Will Haas, Rockford, sophomore, pitcher/outfielder: Haas has been nearly unhittable, striking out 98 and allowing only 16 hits in 48 innings. He went 6-1 with one save and an ERA of 0.88. College: uncommitted
Louis Hertling, Anoka, senior, pitcher/third baseman: Hertling closed fast in propelling his team to state, hitting .529 over his past 10 games and .359 for the season. The team leader in RBI with 22, he also went 4-2 with one save and a 0.86 ERA as a pitcher. College: uncommitted
Paul Jones II, Cretin-Derham Hall, junior, first baseman/pitcher: Packs a powerful punch. Jones batted .403 with a team-leading six home runs and 28 RBI while walking 17 times. College: Maryland
Caleb Koskie, Benilde-St. Margaret's, junior, outfielder/pitcher: Koskie consistently affects the outcome of games, whether at bat or on the mound. He is a .515 hitter and 4-1 as a pitcher. College: Indiana
Evan Kueppers, Minnetonka, junior, pitcher: A closer extraordinaire, Kueppers is 2-0 with 10 saves for the state-bound Skippers. He has allowed eight hits and two runs with 31 strikeouts in 22 innings. College: uncommitted
Riley Leatherman, Wayzata, junior, pitcher/infielder: The Trojans' ace went 5-1, limiting opposing hitters to a .164 batting average. He allowed 27 hits while fanning 61 in 46⅓ innings. College: North Carolina
Jake Lundquist, New Prague, senior, catcher: He belted five home runs and drove in 25 runs. He's an athletic catcher, showing that with 15 runs scored and six stolen bases. College: Augustana
Alex Mezzetti, East Ridge, junior, third baseman: Mezzetti enters the state tournament swinging a hot bat. He is hitting .397 with six home runs among his 20 extra-base hits, and he has 33 RBI. College: uncommitted
Mason McCurdy, Stillwater, senior, catcher: The best catcher in Stillwater history was on the receiving end of 50 victories in his career. He batted .436 in his final season. College: Creighton
Carter Theisen, Rosemount, senior, pitcher/infielder: The 6-5 Theisen is imposing on the mound and enters the state tournament with a 6-1 record and 1.11 ERA. Opponents are hitting .185 against him. College: Augustana
Jack Thompson, Rosemount, senior, pitcher/outfielder: He's the back half of coach Chris Swansson's outstanding tandem. "The bigger the game, the better for Jack," Swansson said of Thompson, we went 5-0. College: Valparaiso
How the teams were chosen
The All-Metro teams and Metro Player of the Year were chosen based on nominations from metro-area coaches, conversations with coaches and staff observations.
Past Metro Players of the Year
2022: Kris Hokenson, St. Louis Park
2021: Will Rogers, Mounds View
2020: No season
2019: Drew Gilbert, Stillwater
2018: Nick Juaire, Lakeville North
2017: Sam Carlson, Burnsville
2016: Nick Hanson, Prior Lake
2015: Eddie Estrada, Litchfield
2014: Sam Hentges, Mounds View
2013: Logan Shore, Coon Rapids; Max Knutson, Mounds View
2012: Shore
2011: Ryan Busch, Roseville
2010: Tom Windle, Osseo
2009: Ryan Abrahamson, Tartan
2008: Brad Hand, Chaska
2007: Danny Miller, Eden Prairie
2006: Jed Hanson, Forest Lake
2005: Dan Leslie, Henry Sibley
2004: Tim Radmacher, Rosemount
2003: Aaron Jenkins, Champlin Park
2002: Marcus McKenzie, Minnetonka
2001: Joe Mauer, Cretin-Derham Hall
2000: T.J. Prunty, St. Paul Academy
1999: Luke Appert, Park of Cottage Grove
1998: Ryan Klocksein, Minnetonka
1997: Mark Pedersen, Mounds View
1996: Ben Birk, Cretin-Derham Hall
1995: Justin Dudinsky, Brooklyn Center
1994: Jake Schaffer, Holy Angels
1993: Chris Schwab, Cretin-Derham Hall
1992: Dave Lance, Irondale
1991: Ryan Kjos, Hopkins
1990: Tom Nevers, Edina
1989: Nevers
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
