Indians Receive Postseason Laurels
by Wade Steinlage
A solid 2018 season that finished one win shy of another state tournament berth netted quite a few postseason awards for the Oskaloosa Indian baseball team.
OHS, which was 23-13 overall and 12-6 in the Little Hawkeye Conference, concluded the year with a 5-0 loss to Bondurant Farrar in the Class 3A Substate 6 matchup.
Tyler Miller guided his squad by being named second-team all-Central District by the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Miller was also a second-team all-LHC pick, joining Tucker Nunnikhoven and Wyatt Krier on that squad. Nick Harrington and Rian Yates picked up first-team all-league recognition, while honorable mentions were awarded to Alex Dejong and Keaton DeKock.
Miller topped the Indians with a .350 batting average (35-for-100), connecting on three doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He finished with eight RBIs and a team-best 36 runs scored. The sophomore was also best in walks (24) and stolen bases (20), in addition to owning a .484 on-base percentage and a .480 slugging clip–also both team highs.
Miller toed the pitching rubber for seven starts as well. He was 3-3 with a save and had a 2.60 Earned Run Average in 29 2/3 innings of work. The sophomore posted 32 strikeouts against 20 walks and opponents hit .265 against him.
All but one of Oskaloosa’s seven all-conference honorees (Keaton DeKock) did double duty as both a position player and a pitcher.
Harrington recorded a .320 hitting clip (31-for-97) with eight doubles, two home runs, 22 RBIs, and 16 runs scored. His on-base percentage was .385, while his slugging mark was .464. On the mound, the senior posted a 5-3 record (one save) with a 3.68 ERA in 40 innings. He tallied 31 strikeouts and 23 walks and opponents were limited to a .234 average.
Yates served as the ace of the pitching staff, producing a 9-3 record with a 2.57 ERA in 49 innings of work. The junior struck out 48 batters, walked just 14, and gave up a .262 hitting clip. Not a stranger to the dish either, he hit .125 (5-for-40) with one double, eight RBIs, and three runs scored.
Nunnikhoven closed out his prep career with a .306 hitting mark (33-for-108), including 11 doubles (team high), two home runs, a team-best 32 RBIs, and 17 runs scored. He tied DeKock and Noah Van Veldhuizen with five sacrifice hits, while also managing a .364 on-base clip and a .463 slugging mark. Nunnikhoven appeared in one game as a pitcher and tossed 2/3 of an inning (two strikeouts).
Krier’s sophomore season saw him hit .300 (24-for-80) with six doubles, seven RBIs, and 17 runs scored. He pitching in 18 1/3 innings, mostly out of the bullpen (two saves), and had 18 strikeouts against 20 walks with a 1.91 ERA; the opposition hit .191 versus Krier.
Dejong hit .311 (32-for-103) in his senior campaign, recording nine doubles, one home run, 19 RBIs, and 33 runs scored. He was perfect on the basepaths (17 steals in 17 attempts) and had a .385 on-base percentage and a .427 slugging mark. Dejong also worked 9 2/3 innings on the bump, going 0-2 (3.62 ERA) with 14 strikeouts against three walks. Opponents hit .275 against him.
DeKock hit .291 (30-for-103) with five doubles, 16 RBIs, and one run scored (almost always received a courtesy runner). The senior’s on-base percentage was .395, while his slugging clip was .340. DeKock also steadied the defense from behind the plate, throwing out 10 potential base-stealers in 2018.
The district champion Indians hit .290 as a team, had a 2.77 collective team ERA, and fielded at a .956 clip (just 42 errors in 946 chances).