The Powell Pioneers’ successful season was rewarded with postseason honors, as the Pioneers had the Pitcher of the Year in Brock Johnson, Player of the Year in Cade Queen, two additional All-State selections and seven total All-Conference honors.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

For the fourth year in a row Johnson was named to an All-State team, and for the third year in a row he was named first team All-State.

In addition to All-State honors, Johnson was recognized as the ‘A’ West Pitcher of the Year for the third year in a row. Last year he just missed out on being named the state Pitcher of the Year.

“I knew that the work I put in would hopefully get me there,” Johnson said. “With the defense we have it’s pretty easy.”

Johnson came out on a mission this season, dominating opponents on the mound and finishing with a 14-1 record in 15 starts.

He pitched 80.1 innings this season, giving up 16 earned runs en route to a 1.394 ERA.

He finished with a .946 WHIP, giving up 39 hits while finishing with 152 strikeouts.

He capped off the season by earning a victory at the Northwest Class A Regional Tournament in Havre, Montana, and he also pitched a no-hitter against Cody to finish the regular season.

“I know I’ve got to keep getting better to play past high school,” Johnson said.

Johnson was no slouch at the plate, finishing with the highest batting average on the team (.426) and highest on base percentage (.525).

He finished with 92 hits, four home runs, 56 RBIs and 51 stolen bases to lead the team.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

For the second consecutive year the Pioneers had the ‘A’ West Player of the Year, although this time it was a different slugger making his name known.

Queen made a step up from a year ago when he was second team All-State, being named Player of the Year for the west, but he was also named the ‘A’ State Player of the Year.

At the plate he had a .393 batting average, 86 hits, and increased his home runs from one a year ago to 10 this season.

“It took a lot of practice and a lot of belief,” Queen said. “Staying in the gym consistently, practicing consistently. I would hit off a tee every day. Things like that help you feel comfortable up there.”

That led to 75 RBIs for Queen this season.

On the mound he also served primarily in the role of closer, but had a 6-6 record for the season while also having six saves in 23 appearances on the mound.

He finished with a 2.838 ERA while adding 103 strikeouts of his own.

ALL-STATE RETURNERS

Two more Pioneers earned All-State honors this season, with Trey Stenerson earning a first team nod for the second year in a row and Jhett Schwahn moving up from his second team honors a year ago.

Stenerson was effective once again at the plate this season, finishing with a .394 batting average, a .736 slugging percentage and 82 hits — leading to 15 home runs and 76 RBIs on the season.

Stenerson also played in 13 games on the mound and held a 4-1 record, giving up only 12 earned runs to earn a 2.016 ERA.

Behind the plate all season was Schwahn, who caught 19 baserunners stealing — leading to a 27.94 caught stealing percentage, an increase by 12% over last year.

At the plate Schwahn held a .360 batting average, had the second highest on base percentage on the team (.491), was hit by 24 pitches, which was the most on the team, and only struck out 13 times, which was the lowest on the team.

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE HONOREES

In addition to the All-State and Player of the Year honors, the Pioneers had three additional players earn second team All-Conference honors in the ‘A’ West.

The only player earning these honors for the second year in a row was Aidan Wantulok, who finished with a .325 batting average, .464 on base percentage with 49 hits. He struck out only 15 times this season, which was the second lowest on the team.

A new honoree this season for the first time was Ryan Cordes, who finished with a .325 average at the plate, a .465 on base percentage, 52 hits and 36 RBIs. Cordes finished with 42 runs, which was tied for the fifth highest on the team in a year in which the Pioneers scored 488 runs.

The final player earning All-Conference honors was Jacob Gibson, who used a strong season on the mound to earn his spot.

He pitched in 17 games and finished with an 8-2 record for the season, giving up 24 earned runs to finish with a 2.182 ERA.

Gibson left 71 runners stranded on base, while having the fewest stolen bases allowed percentage on the team while he was pitching with 61.11% and only 11 runners stealing bases.

He finished the season walking just 24 batters in 77 innings pitched.