MCC Baseball lands eight on All-Region teams

Eight McCook Community College baseball players have been recognized for Region IX post-season honors. Three players received first-team honors, two received second team honors and three more received honorable mention.  

Sophomore Tait Anderson was named the Region IX Pitcher of The Year and tabbed for first-team honors along with freshman shortstop Kon Yoshimura and sophomore outfielder Dalton Berg. Freshman outfielder Owen Weales and freshman pitcher Nolan Jackson were selected to the all-region second team and sophomore catcher Tyler Reyburn, sophomore infielder Hunter Southey and freshman first baseman Jakoby Hamer all received honorable mention.

Anderson, the 6-4 left-hander from Auckland, New Zealand, appeared in 13 games, started 11 and went 10-1 with a 3.61 ERA. He struck out 84 hitters in 67 innings and walked just 16. He won the Region IX’s “pitching triple crown” topping the league in pitching wins, ERA and strikeouts. He ranked eighth in the nation with 10 wins, ranked second with six complete games and his two shutouts was tied for fifth place. For his career, Anderson went 11-3 with two saves and seven complete games and 118 strikeouts in 107 innings and a combined ERA of 3.45.

In addition to being selected first-team shortstop, Yoshimura (Nagasaki, Japan), was named to the Region IX All-Defensive team and was the Region IX Golf Glove Winner. He had a .973 fielding percentage in 56 games with 224 total chances, 69 putouts, 149 assists, 29 doubleplays and just six errors. Offensively he hit .376 with a league-best 43 walks and a .524 on-base average which was third in the league. He had 14 doubles, led the league with five triples, hit six home runs and drove in 52. He stole 18 bases, fifth most in Region IX.

Berg, (Frederick, Colo.) hit .351 with a team-leading 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, 13 doubles, 144 total bases, 41 walks, (second in the league) a .469 on-base average and he slugged .754. He was third in Region IX in homers and fifth in RBIs and slugging with a .754 mark. He played in 111 career games at MCC and batted .329 with 28 doubles, three triples, 29 home runs and 115 RBIs in 368 at bats. He reached base 46.3 percent of his plate appearances and had a .658 career slugging average for the Indians.

Freshman Owen Weales (Bowmanville, Ontario) set single-season MCC records for doubles (26) and times hit by a pitch (27). He led the league in both those categories. The outfielder hit .350 with 13 home runs, 72 runs scored and 62 RBIs. He had a .465 on-base average and slugged .646. He was third in the league with 146 total bases and led the league with 286 plate appearances.

Nolan Jackson, a right-handed relief pitcher, appeared in 17 games, 16 in relief, and went 7-2 with two saves and a 3.68 ERA. He struck out 42 hitters in 42 innings, allowing 35 hits and 23 walks. He was tied for fourth place with seven pitching wins.

Reyburn (Frederick, Colo.), received honorable mention at the catching position. He hit .360 in 139 at bats, with four homers and 39 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He had a .480 on-base average and slugged .540. Defensively, he was third in the league in total chances with 353, recording 323 putouts, 23 assists with seven errors and a .980 fielding average. He had just one passed ball and threw out 11 of 34 base stealers (24.4 percent). For his career Reyburn appeared in 96 games and batted .327 with a .413 OBP with 24 doubles, three triples, seven homers, 69 RBIs.

Southey (Auckland, New Zealand) who played mostly third base, spent just one season at MCC after transferring from Eastern Arizona. He hit .318 with 11 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 66 RBIs in 192 at bats. He was fourth in Region IX in RBIs and had a .442 on-base average and slugged .620 with nine stolen bases.

Hamer, (Edmonton, Alberta), the 6-8 first baseman led MCC and was third in the region with 74 RBIs and fourth in the region with 17 home runs. He batted .332 with 16 doubles and 11 stolen bases, posting a .427 on-base mark and slugging .654 with 140 total bases, (fifth most in the region). The 6-8 first baseman was second in the region with 362 defensive chances and 342 putouts. He had a fielding ranking of .980.  

2026 FIRST-TEAM ALL-REGION IX

Starting Pitcher - Tait Anderson, McCook 

Starting Pitcher - Ondrej Vank, Northeastern JC

Starting Pitcher - Van Haneberg, Southeast CC 

Relief Pitcher - Will Flege, Southeast CC

Relief Pitcher - Logan Steckel, Northeastern JC 

Catcher - Brayden Stuft, Northeastern JC

First Base - Jack Hogan, Southeast CC

Second Base - Gabe Dalton, Southeast CC 

Shortstop - Kon Yoshimura - McCook 

Third Base - George Greene, Northeastern JC

Outfield - Dalton Berg, McCook 

Outfield - Riley Suarez, Northeastern JC

Outfield - Keenan Oxford, Lamar 

Designated Hitter- Catcher Gladysh, Western Nebraska 

Region IX Player of the Year: Jack Hogan – Southeast CC 

Region IX Pitcher of the Year: Tait Anderson - McCook 

Up-to-date information about MCC baseball including up-to-date schedule and changes, livestream links for home games, rosters, photos, statistics and more can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com