Six La Grande players named to the 4A all-state baseball team | Sports

LA GRANDE – The Class 4A Selection Committee has selected six of La Grande’s top baseball players for their overall performance over the past season to the 4A All-State Team 2021.

La Grande 2021 nominations for all states are first-team pitcher Riley Miller, second-team pitcher Jace Schow, first-team catcher Cole Jorgensen, second-team infielder Devin Bell, first-team outfielder Payton Cooper and the utility player of the second team Nick Bornstedt.

“It’s pretty impressive to have so many kids dropping out,” said head coach Parker McKinley. “It speaks loudly of the respect these children have earned across the state for their play and behavior.”

The Tigers stayed one game behind winning the 4A State Championship in 2021 and lost in the championship game 5-2 to Hidden Valley. A walk-off grand slam at the end of the seventh inning picked up the Mustangs.

La Grande ended his season with a 14-2 record averaging just under 14 runs per game.

Miller was a consistent ace on the mound for the Tigers, going 5-1 that season with 46 strikeouts and a .48 ERA in 29 innings.

In what McKinley called one of Miller’s best achievements of his career, the elderly right-hander held Hidden Valley for a six innings run in the state championship game.

“There were a lot of people who saw this game who were really impressed,” said McKinley. “The fact that he will play at the next level and continue his career all suggests that he is a first-team player.”

Miller is required to play college baseball for Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, which participates in the Northwest Athletic Conference.

Schow joined Miller on the list of La Grande Pitcher to be included in the All-State list, forming the second team. The second starter ended the season with a 3-0 record, 2.07 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 20-1 / 3 innings.

Jorgensen, a junior, earned the first-team catcher honors after hitting .643 on the plate, counting 32 RBIs and scoring 10 runs. Jorgensen played a major role in the Tigers playoff run, going 4-for-9 on the record in the postseason.

“The first team for Cole as a catcher is perhaps one of the most impressive to me just because the catcher position is currently so full of quality talent at the 4A level,” said McKinley. “It was really cool to have him on this list.”

Cooper excelled on the outfield and earned him first-team honor. The senior hit .424, finished with 17 RBIs and scored 23 runs. McKinley described Cooper as a “special talent” on the starting line for La Grande.

“What he has consistently achieved over the season and in the playoffs has all of these things very clearly indicated a first-team selection,” he said.

Bell, a junior shortstop, was inducted into the second team’s all-state infield after a solid year offensive in the batter’s box and on the defensive. He hit .462 on the plate, knocked in 15 runs, and scored 35 runs during the 2021 season. Bell played defensively in four doubles games and recorded 26 putouts.

Bornstedt earned the utility honors of the second team as the designated hitter of La Grande. The junior hit .567, finished with 10 RBIs and made 10 runs.

Of the six Tigers that have all received state honors, only Miller and Cooper are graduates. The remaining four All-State players will be back in McKinley’s roster next season.

McKinley said closing the season in the circumstances of the pandemic was an achievement for the La Grande High School program and athletics as a whole.

“It’s really a program-wide performance,” he said. “It makes me proud to be part of it and that these children represent our school and our city.”