Nine Larks earn league honors
August 10, 2003
By The Hays Daily News
Nine players from the Hays Larks have earned all-Jayhawk League honors, including six on the first team.
Cody Ehlers was a first-team pick at first base. Ehlers tied for second in league games with five home runs and led the league with 23 RBIs.
Aaron Batlle was a first-team pick at second base. Batlle hit .368 in league games, good for third-best.
Shortstop Dan Schwartzbauer, starting pitchers Chris Ofat -- a right-hander -- and Tommy Hottovy -- a lefty -- also earned first-team honors. Schwartzbauer was second in the league with 12 stolen bases, while Ofat paced the league with a 0.91 earned-run average. Hottovy tied for third with a 5-1 record and was also third with 36 strikeouts.
Outfielder Craig Cooper earned first-team honors and paced the league with 14 stolen bases.
Starter Landon Harper, reliever Jim Miller and catcher Adam Cox were selected to the second team. Harper tied with Hottovy for third in wins, going 5-1.
Ryan LaMotta, who has pitched both as a starter and a reliever, was not selected to the all-league teams but was second in wins with a 5-0 mark.
Hays finished the league season with a 23-6 record and its third straight Jayhawk title. El Dorado was second in the league at 14-11, followed by Liberal at 12-14. Nevada (Mo.), Topeka and Elkhart rounded out the final standings.