Three Powell Pioneers earned All-State honors for their efforts this past season, as one earned First Team honors for a second straight year and two earned Second Team honors.

That first team selection went to Jordan Loera, who returned to the Pioneers as a super senior from Miles Community College, appearing in 44 games this season.

“He was a huge benefit for the team. For years we didn’t have super seniors because they didn’t think it was the cool thing to do,” manager Jason Borders said. “Jordan didn’t hesitate. He was all for coming back and playing.”

He had the second highest batting average on the team with a .362, recording 47 hits and leading the team in runs scored with 55. He added 26 RBIs while hitting in the second position for the Pioneers.

Loera also served as a closer for the Pioneers on the mound while primarily playing in left field.

He pitched 14 innings, recording one save, giving up seven earned runs for a 3.5 ERA and striking out 17 while walking only eight.

“Jordan is the silent leader on our team. He’s not very vocal,” Borders said. “Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just not his style. He solidified our lineup. He can get the big hit for you, his speed in the outfield is great. He made us that much tougher … Not just a good kid and teammate, he’s a great baseball player.”

Fellow super senior Caden Diaz also earned All-State honors after leading the Pioneers in innings pitched this season.

He pitched 68 innings and started in 16 games, going 7-5 for the season.

He gave up 22 earned runs for a 2.265 ERA, striking out 87 batters and walking 53. He ended his career as a Pioneer at the state tournament with an 11 strikeout performance to eliminate Laramie 7-1 on the third day of the tournament.

“He matured a lot over the course of the year … I’m not saying he didn’t have a lot of confidence last year, but you could see it more this year,” Borders said. “When he was feeling good and dialed in he was … One of the better pitchers in the state I feel like. Always had a chance to win when he was on the mound, it didn’t matter who we played.”

While Diaz was the leading pitcher on the mound, he added a .287 average at the plate, recording 35 hits, scoring 33 runs and adding 24 RBIs. He was by far the most hit batter on the team, being hit 17 times at the plate.

“He’s not afraid to wear one … He’s pretty tough,” Borders said.

The final Pioneer earning All-State honors for a second consecutive year was junior Ben Ostermiller, who was the second leading pitcher.

He pitched 65 innings, going 6-7 in 14 starts this season.

Ostermiller gave up 33 earned runs for a 3.554 ERA, striking out 82 batters and walking 49.

“He’s another kid that I had no problem throwing in big games. He’s such a competitor. He loves pitching and he likes big games. That’s hard to get,” Borders said. “I felt like I had two number ones. Him or Caden were gonna go out and dominate when they were on the mound.”

Ostermiller also played the third most innings for the team behind the plate, catching seven runners stealing while only 19 attempted against him. He only gave up five passed balls while at catcher.

“We didn’t catch him as much as I’d like to because he pitched so much. When it came down to it and we needed him [to catch] he shut the running game down,” Borders said. “It stinks because we needed him on the mound and to throw for us so much. He could go to college just as easily as a catcher as a pitcher … It made us better whenever he caught. Not taking anything away from our other catchers, when you can shut down the other team’s running game that’s big.”

At the plate Ostermiller held a .311 batting average, recording 47 hits, leading the team in triples with eight and home runs with three.

He had 40 RBIs and scored 36 runs while tying for the team lead in walks with 34.

With another strong year following his junior season, Borders sees more growth for Ostermiller and believes he will get there with more offseason work.

“The future is bright for him next year. I think he can go a long way, and he wants to go a long way,” Borders said. “He’s one of those kids that wants to put the work in to get where he wants to get. If we have somebody that could be that guy it’s him … I think he’ll improve a lot next year as a hitter (too).”