EC's Bond Named EIAC MVP, 20 More Named to All-Conference Team

Conference champion East Central led the way with five all-conference selections.

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(St. Leon, Ind.) – Twenty-one Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference baseball stars have been named to the All-Conference Team.

The All-Conference Team is highlighted by five East Central Trojans that helped their team capture the 2023 EIAC Championship with a 12-2 record. They are Eli Aston, Brayden Rouse, Max Hotze, AJ Reynolds, and EIAC MVP Sam Bond.

Bond, a Thomas More University commit, led the EIAC in home runs (13), runs batted in (39), and slugging percentage (1.013). He also ranked third in on-base percentage (.571) and second in batting average (.487) to Chance Bentley, who hit .488 for Connersville.

The home run ball is a big part of Bond’s game. He homered in seven of the last 11 games of his senior season. On five occasions, Bond home at least two times in one game. He ended his high school career with 23 home runs.

Junior Brayden Rouse provided another big bat for the Trojans. He hit .472 with seven home runs and 31 RBI. He also scored a team-high 36 runs. Eli Aston hit .435 with five home runs and 21 RBI. He scored 35 times and stole a team-high 20 bases.

On the mound, juniors Max Hotze and AJ Reynolds were one of the strongest duos in the state. Hotze finished the season with a 7-0 record, 0.99 ERA. Reynolds was equally impressive, going 6-1 with a 1.14 ERA.

Second-place Batesville placed four on the All-Conference Team. Max Baumer, Jack Grunkemeyer, Will Jaisle, and Charlie Schebler led the Bulldogs to an 11-3 record in conference play.

• Max Baumer - .338 AVG, 3 HR, 19 RBI; 0-2, 1.50 ERA
• Jack Grunkemeyer - .342 AVG, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 19 runs; 4-2, 2.03 ERA
• Will Jaisle – 3-2, 2.77 ERA
• Charlie Schebler - .448 AVG, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 24 runs; 5-1, 2.43 ERA

Xander Rodriguez, Chase Burton and Garrett Kuntz represented Franklin County on the all-conference team.

• Xander Rodriguez - .479 AVG, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 19 Runs
• Chase Burton - .366 AVG, HR, 17 RBI, 24 Runs; 3-1, 1.04 ERA
• Garrett Kuntz - .284 AVG, 13 RBI

South Dearborn had two all-conference selections in Ryan Willoughby and Adam Kunkel. Both performed well at the plate and on the mound.

• Ryan Willoughby - .400 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 18 runs; 4-5, 2.78 ERA
• Adam Kunkel - .366 AVG, 9 RBI, 21 runs, 15 stolen bases; 0-1, 0.70 ERA in relief

Lawrenceburg’s lone all-conference selection is Nolan McLane. He was the Tigers’ leading hitter with a .360 average and 15 runs batted in.

The EIAC Coach of the Year is East Central’s Bob Reynolds.

2023 EIAC Baseball All-Conference Team

East Central (12-2) – Sam Bond (MVP), Brayden Rouse, Eli Aston, AJ Reynolds, Max Hotze

Batesville (11-3) – Max Baumer, Jack Grunkemeyer, Will Jaisle, Charlie Schebler

Connersville (9-5) – Chance Bentley, Braxton Myers, Gavin Pearson

Franklin County (8-6) – Xander Rodriguez, Chase Burton, Garrett Kuntz

South Dearborn (7-7) – Ryan Willoughby, Adam Kunkel

Greensburg (5-9) – Austin Adams, Matthew Everroad

Lawrenceburg (2-12) – Nolan McLane

Rushville (2-12) – Keegan Bowles