McLean named All-State

by The Daily Inter Lake
| August 15, 2012 12:01 AM

Kalispell Lakers pitcher Matt McLean was named to the Class AA All-State baseball team on Tuesday, the fourth straight year a Lakers’ pitcher has made the team.

McLean, who was 10-4 this season with a 3.06 earned run average, was one of two players to make the team exclusively as a pitcher. He led the Lakers with 97 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings, holding opposing batters to a .221 batting average.

“He had three pitches that he threw for strikes and when he did that he was tough to beat,” Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said.

Fellow Lakers pitcher Dillon Eaves was named to the All-Western Conference team. Eaves was 7-5 this season with two saves. He tallied 84 strikeouts in 69 innings and had a 3.78 ERA.

“We knew he was a guy that was gonna compete,” Malmin said. “He gave us an opportunity to win every time he started.”

The only other pitcher to make the Western team was Medicine Hat’s Konner Lutz.

“I thought Matt and Dillon pushed each other as our 1 and 2 (pitchers) on the mound,” Malmin said. “That competition got the best out of them on those days. The team had a level of confidence when they were on the mound.”

McLean’s All-State season follows up three straight seasons on the list by former Lakers pitcher Joe Pistorese. Eaves will have the chance to join the club next season.

“I’m happy for both of those kids,” Malmin said. “I hope that tradition of pitchers would continue next year with Dillon, Justin Wallace and Hank McLeod.”

2012 Class AA All-State Team

Player Team

Riley King Missoula

Konner Lutz Medicine Hat

Tanner Watson Great Falls

Matt McLean Kalispell

Nathan Jewett Missoula

Matt Hape Bozeman

TJ Jacobs Billings Royals

Chance Ackerman Billings Royals

Nick Funyak Billings Scarlets

Colter Endy Billings Scarlets

Western AA

1B Tanner Watson Great Falls

2B Anthony Bonilla Great Falls

SS Cody Florkowski Medicine Hat

3B Nathan Jewett Missoula

UT Scott Held Great Falls

OF Cayden Napierala Great Falls

Riley King Missoula

Konner Lutz Medicine Hat

C Slade Heggen Missoula

P Matt McLean Kalispell

Dillon Eaves Kalispell

Konner Lutz Medicine Hat

Eastern AA

1B Ean Weaver Bozeman

2B Miles Berkram Billings Scarlets

SS TJ Jacobs Billings Royals

3B Chance Ackerman Billings Royals

UT Nate Brown Bozeman

OF Matt Hape Bozeman

Cole Andriolo Helena

Luke Reinschmidt Billings Royals

C Nick Funyak Billings Scarlets

P Matt Shelhammer Billings Royals

Matt Hape Bozeman

Chance Ackerman Billings Royals

Rico Rodriguez Billings Royals

Colter Endy Billings Scarlets