ALL-AREA BASEBALL CAPTAIN — Blue Earth Area senior slugger Anders Fering (far right) receives congratulations from Kean Hicks (second from right) and Keegan O’Brien (raised hand) after hammering a home run during regular-season baseball action against St. James Area. Fering and Buc teammate Logan O'Hara were selected as the 2021 Fairmont Sentinel All-Area co-baseball players of the year. (Photo by Greg Abel)

BLUE EARTH — At the plate, in the field or on the mound, Blue Earth Area’s Logan O’Hara and Anders Fering stood above.

Fering produced a team-high .439 batting average, while collecting a team-high 29 RBIs in 23 games.

O’Hara was close behind on the run production with 28 RBIs, while he crushed a team-high three home runs, one ahead of Fering’s two.

Fering added six doubles to his 29 total hits, while he also walked 19 times to improve his on-base percentage to an incredible .565.

O’Hara added 16 walks to his 21 hits to create a .540 on-base percentage in his 87 at-bats.

The pair anchored the corners of BEA’s defense, with Fering often playing first, while O’Hara manned the hot corner at third, but O’Hara also played a pivotal role for BEA on the mound.

Through a majority of the season, he was the Bucs’ late-inning reliever, collecting six saves to complement his 3-1 record in 41 innings pitched.

The junior right-hander worked his way to a 2.05 ERA, allowing only 12 earned runs on 30 hits, while striking out 33 batters.

Both players earned spots on the all-Big South Conference team along with three other members of the 15-8 Bucs, who won two games during the Section 2AA baseball tournament.

For their success on the diamond, O’Hara and Fering have been named this year’s Sentinel All-Area co-players of the year.

Here’s an inside look at the rest of this year’s team.

Keegan O’Brien (Blue Earth Area) — BEA’s fast centerfielder anchored the middle of the lineup with a .414 batting average.

The senior added on 29 hits, including nine doubles, two triples and two HRs, while scoring 29 runs and knocking in 28 RBIs for a tie for second with O’Hara behind only Fering, while garnering an honorable mention on the all-Big South Conference team.

Anthony Carr (Blue Earth Area) — One of Blue Earth Area’s key starters and a sure-handed defender when he’s not on the mound, Carr led the Bucs with 53 1/3 innings pitched, while striking out 56 batters to garner a spot on the all-Big South Conference team in the small-school division.

The junior right-hander allowed 26 earned runs to lead to his 3.41 ERA, while compiling an 8-2 record to help lead BEA to a 15-8 record.

Zach Jorgensen (Fairmont) — Fairmont’s sure-handed shortstop anchored the Cardinal defense and powered the team’s offense.

The junior produced a .406 batting average with 26 hits in 64 at-bats, while adding three walks to raise his on-base percentage to .465.

Jorgensen connected for four doubles and three triples — both tied for second on the Cardinals, while he added 27 RBIs for the team lead and 16 runs scored.

Jorgensen added 17 1/3 innings for a 2-2 record, while allowing 18 hits and 14 earned runs. He struck out 18 batters to help lead Fairmont to a 14-10 record on the season.

Eli Anderson (Fairmont) — The Cardinals’ speedy third baseman led the team with 22 stolen bases, while adding a team-high five triples to his resume.

The left-handed hitting junior recorded a .291 batting average and a .398 on-base percentage, while bringing in 18 RBIs and scoring a team-high 27 runs.

Jacob Crissinger (Fairmont) — Fairmont’s hard-throwing right-hander led the team with 52 innings pitched, more than double of any other Cardinal pitcher. He recorded a 4-3 record and allowed 54 hits and 25 earned runs for a 3.30 ERA.

The junior more than doubled any teammate with 44 strikeouts.

Carter Morphew (North Union) — North Union’s sophomore catcher led the team with a .286 batting average, while walking 11 times to raise his on-base percentage to .416.

Morphew also led the team with six doubles and a triple, while bringing in 11 RBIs for second on the team.

Morphew played in all 21 of the team’s games, including pitching 32 innings, second on the team, for a 1-2 record. He allowed 33 earned runs and struck out 22 batters in seven starts and one relief appearance, helping lead the Warriors to a 3-18 record.

Blake Jagodzinske (Martin County West) — The Mavericks’ ace right-hander led the team with 40 innings pitched and worked his way to a perfect 6-0 record, while allowing 11 earned runs for a 1.92 ERA.

Jagodzinske helped pitch the Mavericks to a 9-13 record on the season.

The senior struck out 46 batters, while walking only 18. His success was not only on the mound, he hit for a .333 batting average, scored 11 runs and brought in 15 RBIs, while stealing nine bases to garner a spot on the all-Valley Conference first team.

Zach Anderson (Martin County West) — Martin County West’s standout sophomore anchored the middle of the defense from shortstop when he wasn’t pitching.

Anderson recorded a .275 batting average, but added 20 walks for an astounding .500 on-base percentage, while scoring 20 runs.

He added 15 stolen bases to his offensive production, while pitching 20 2/3 innings and allowing only eight earned runs for a 2.71 ERA.

Anderson struck out 14 batters, while walking 12 to help him earn a selection on the all-Section 2A team.

Jaxson Rohman (Martin County West) — The Mavericks’ compact-swinging right-hander was consistent game-to-game, collecting 24 hits through the season for a .393 batting average.

The senior added a .472 on-base percentage to his resume, while scoring 19 runs and knocking in 18 RBIs.

The speedy third baseman added 22 stolen bases to help build to his spot on the all-Valley Conference second team.

Owen Wolter (Truman/Martin Luther/ Granada-Huntley-East Chain) — The Jaguars’ dependable shortstop produced an astounding .500 batting average with 33 hits, including five doubles and a triple.

The senior scored 23 runs and brought in 15 RBIs.

Wolter earned an all-Valley Conference selection with his work on the mound as well, pitching 34 1/3 innings and striking out 37, while allowing 24 earned runs.

Wolter helped lead the Jaguars to a 6-13 record. Wolter ended second in the conference with a .531 batting average against Valley teams.

Kaiden Musser (Truman/Martin Luther/ Granada-Huntley-East Chain) — The Jaguars’ sure-handed third baseman produced a .386 batting average to complement a team-high 17 RBIs, while scoring 17 runs as well.

Musser scorched four doubles and two triples to highlight his production at the plate.

He pitched 38 2/3 innings with 46 strikouts and 26 earned runs allowed to help him garner honorable mention all-Valley Conference status.