RIVERSIDE

It was a new beginning for Highland baseball this season as they were led by first year head coach Allen Rath (a Highland HS grad and former University of Iowa pitcher) and this young team showed to play their best within the conference. 

The 2023-24 Huskies finished at 11-14, bowing out in the first round of the playoffs. They went 6-6 at home, 5-7 on the road, and 8-3 in conference play. 

Despite being a team only featuring one senior, the fight in these Huskies were on display in every game and their hard-working play on the diamond was not overlooked as a total of eight different Huskies were chosen for all-conference teams in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North. 

Highlighting the all-conference selections for Highland is the outstanding junior duo of William Dunbar and Logan McFarland. 

Not only was Dunbar chosen first-team all-conference as an infielder, but he earned 1A Southeast second-team all-district honors. 

It was a tremendous year on the diamond for Dunbar as he finished top five in the conference in nine different categories. In the SEISC North, he tied for first in hits (28), stole the second most bases (24), tied for second most assists (44), and had the fifth most RBIs (17). 

With a team best batting average of .373 and an on base percentage of .472, Highland could consistently rely on Dunbar (who was second in the batting order) to deliver a big hit when needed. 

Another star on Highland’s roster was McFarland and his impressive season earned him first-team all-conference honors as an outfielder.

Keeping up with his teammate, McFarland also tied for the conference lead in hits (28), scored the third most runs (20), produced the third most RBIs (18), and stole the third most bases (18). 

When on offense, McFarland was the tone setter for the Huskies as he was first up to bat and with a batting average of .333 and an on base percentage of .411, he could be relied on to provide a spark when Highland needed it the most. His 23 singles are the most in the conference. 

Starting the most games on the mound for Highland this season was Colten Sypherd and his talents earned him second-team all-conference honors as a pitcher. 

In the SEISC North the dynamic lefty pitched in the second most innings (40.2), started the third most most games (7), and delivered the third most strikeouts (51). Sypherd also had an ERA of 2.07 and ended his season with a 3-4 pitching record. 

When up to bat the junior finished in the double digits in hits (10) and RBIs (11). He scored 10 runs and went nine for 10 on stolen base attempts. 

On the opposite side of the pitcher, Highland had the freshman Garrett Beeson behind home plate and his efforts earned him second-team all-conference honors as a catcher. 

Beeson was a solid and reliable presence as catcher for the Huskies as his 155 putouts are the best in the conference and the seven times, he threw out a baserunner attempting to steal are tied for the most in the conference.

Another key component to Highland’s infield defensive efforts was Landon Roling, who was chosen second-team all-conference as an infielder. 

The first baseman for the Huskies, Roling had a fielding percentage of .970 and the third most putouts (124) in the conference. Third up in the batting order, Roling was one of three Huskies who had 20 or more hits and his 13 RBIs are the third most on the team. 

Stationed in the left field, Ryker Miller also earned second-team all-conference honors as an outfielder. 

Miller was an impactful player on the offensive side for Highland. The junior led the team in homeruns (2) and his on base percentage of .518 was a team best. He was hit by a pitch a conference high 13 times and was walked 13 times. With 10 hits and 11 RBIs, he had a batting average of .169. He also went 14 for 14 on stolen base attempts. 

Coming in with the last two all-conference selections for Highland are Caleb Wheeler and Bryce Hazelett who both were honorable mention all-conference.  

In his first year of Highland baseball, Wheeler was the second baseman and saw playing time as a pitcher. With a batting average of .200, the eighth grader had seven hits and two RBIs. He scored 12 runs and went 10 for 11 on stolen base attempts. 

Hazelett had the second most strikeouts (31) on the team and a pitching record of 3-1. He has 17 assists and 20 putouts to go along with a fielding percentage of .949. When up to bat he produced eight hits and four RBIs with a batting average of .186.